BUSINESS SETUP · ABU DHABI
ADGM company formation
Abu Dhabi Global Market is an English common law jurisdiction with its own courts and its own property register. It is the right answer for some structures and an expensive answer for most trading businesses. Here is the fee schedule, not an estimate.
Last updated 13 August 2026 Next update Q4 2026
COST
From the official schedule.
The figures below come from the ADGM Schedule of Fees 2025. They are official rather than indicative, which is rare in this market, and they are the reason we will quote ADGM precisely while quoting most other setups as ranges.
| Item | Indicative cost | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Registration, non-financial Category B | USD 5,800 | ADGM Schedule of Fees 2025 |
| Annual renewal | USD 5,800 | Payable every year, not one-off |
| Data protection registration | USD 300 | Annual |
| Office or co-working | Varies | Physical presence is required within ADGM |
| Establishment card and visas | Varies | Per visa, plus medical and Emirates ID |
Office, visa and service provider costs vary and are excluded from the registration figures above.
Note that the registration fee is not a one-off. USD 5,800 recurs every year. Any comparison against a mainland or standard free zone licence has to be made on a three-year basis to mean anything.
SUITABILITY
When it is worth it, and when it is not.
ADGM suits you if
You need an English common law jurisdiction with its own courts, you are running a holding, fund, family office or financial services structure, or you want your Al Reem or Al Maryah property held in a matching legal framework.
ADGM does not suit you if
You are running a small trading or services business selling to the local Abu Dhabi market. A mainland licence will be cheaper and less constrained. ADGM is not a low-cost formation route and should not be sold as one.
The recurring cost people miss
The registration fee repeats annually. Budget three years before you decide, not one.
QUESTIONS
What people ask first.
How much does an ADGM company cost?
The ADGM Schedule of Fees 2025 sets non-financial Category B registration at USD 5,800, with the same amount payable annually on renewal, plus USD 300 for data protection registration and the cost of office space and visas.
Is ADGM better than a free zone?
ADGM is a financial free zone with an English common law framework and its own courts. That is valuable for holding structures, funds and family offices. For an ordinary trading business it is expensive relative to the alternatives.
Can an ADGM company own Abu Dhabi property?
Yes, subject to the investment zone rules. On Al Reem and Al Maryah, registration runs through the ADGM Registration Authority on AccessRP, which pairs naturally with an ADGM holding entity. Freehold land within ADGM is restricted to GCC citizens and wholly GCC-owned companies; units and floors are unrestricted.
RELATED
Where to go next.
TALK TO US
Two ways this usually comes up.
You are choosing a structure
Tell us what the entity is for, who the clients are and whether property sits inside it. We will tell you whether ADGM earns its cost or whether a cheaper licence does the same job.
WhatsAppYou want the three-year number
Ask us for the full cost across three years including renewals, visas and office. Quotes that only show year one are the most common way this gets misjudged.
WhatsAppSources
- ADGM Schedule of Fees 2025, Registration Authority.
- ADGM Real Property Regulations 2024.