Set up a company in Abu Dhabi: 100% online, all on one platform

If your investors, counterparties or counsel expect English common law — funds, funded startups, holdings with shareholder agreements — yes: ADGM has its own courts and the strongest institutional signal in the UAE, and since the 2025 fee cut it costs less than DMCC. If you just need a trade licence for services, a Dubai or northern-emirates zone does the job for less friction.

At ADGM, the tech startup licence costs USD 1,500 per year (≈ AED 5,510) and the standard commercial licence USD 5,500 initial registration with USD 5,000 annual renewal — the official fee schedule in force since January 2025. KEZAD, the industrial zone, advertises setups from AED 9,350. Residence visas add federal steps quoted per case. Service fees are charged separately — a serious provider always shows both numbers.

It is aimed at early-stage technology companies building or deploying tech products — eligibility is assessed by ADGM against criteria like the activity, the stage and the founding team. We run the eligibility check before filing so you never pay the full commercial fee unnecessarily.

When the business moves real goods: manufacturing, processing, logistics and trade that needs warehouses, land plots or Khalifa Port access. KEZAD is advertised from AED 9,350 for entry setups with workstation-plus-visa packages from about AED 11,000, and prices by facility from there.

Yes. The residence visa an Abu Dhabi authority sponsors is a federal UAE visa: you can live in Dubai, rent, get a driving licence and bank anywhere in the country. Abu Dhabi is about an hour and a quarter from Dubai by road.

ADGM reviews take one to two weeks for standard applications — longer than budget zones, the trade-off for the jurisdiction. KEZAD licences typically issue within days once the facility is agreed. The residence visa adds 1 to 3 weeks and the bank account runs in parallel.

Yes. ADGM and KEZAD entities are 100% foreign-ownable, and since the 2021 reform of the Commercial Companies Law most mainland activities are too.

The same federal taxes as everywhere in the UAE: 9% corporate tax only on profit above AED 375,000 — with qualifying free zone income at 0% under the QFZP regime, which applies in Abu Dhabi zones too — 5% VAT above AED 375,000 turnover, and 0% personal income tax on salary and dividends.

It is the strongest licence a UAE compliance team can see: common-law registry, substance requirements, institutional neighbours. That starts the conversation from a better place, but approval still depends on your activity, flows and residency — nobody can guarantee it, and anyone who does is overselling.

ADGM renews at USD 1,500 per year for the tech startup licence and USD 5,000 for the commercial licence — cheaper than the registration year. KEZAD renews at zone rates by facility. Visas renew on the standard federal two-year cycle with the medical and Emirates ID steps per holder.

Yes. ADGM and KEZAD applications are processed remotely. You only need to enter the UAE when you activate your residence visa (medical test and biometrics), and some banks require one in-person meeting.

ADGM prices like the international jurisdiction it is: an English common-law registry serving global companies. The dirham is pegged at 3.6725 to the dollar, so the conversion is fixed — USD 1,500 is always about AED 5,510 — and we quote both currencies in every plan.