Key Takeaways
- ADGM's Registration Authority schedule (version January 2025) puts a non-financial company at USD 5,800 to set up and USD 5,300 a year to renew, including USD 300 data protection.
- The Tech Startup licence is USD 1,500 at registration and at each of two renewals, and needs a Hub71 eligibility letter and a dedicated desk.
- An ADGM SPV costs USD 1,900 to set up and USD 1,400 a year, and a non-exempt SPV must appoint an ADGM-registered company service provider.
- ADGM calls its schedule a non-binding indicative guide, and FSRA fees for regulated firms sit in a separate schedule that is under consultation until 6 November 2026.
- Share capital depends on the entity type and is a question for the Registration Authority, and the ADDED dual licence lets Al Maryah entities serve Abu Dhabi clients.
ADGM registration is priced by structure: a holding company, an SPV, a foundation, a fund manager and a technology start-up each land on a different fee line. The structure comes first below, then ADGM's own fee schedule, with the points marked where the regulator decides instead of the registry.
ADGM company formation, what ADGM is and which structure fits
Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) is a financial free zone that applies English common law directly and has its own courts. Its Registration Authority issues commercial licences, and the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) supervises financial activity. The zone covers Al Maryah Island and Al Reem Island, and one fee schedule applies to both.
The structure follows what the entity does.
- Private company limited by shares: an operating or holding company.
- Tech Startup licence: an early-stage technology company with a Hub71 letter.
- Special purpose vehicle (SPV): a passive vehicle that holds assets or shares.
- Foundation: succession and asset structuring.
- Single family office: a family with at least USD 10 million in net assets.
Fees from the official 2025 schedule
The ADGM fee schedule for Registration Authority fees is published as the Overview of Fees 2025, version January 2025, in US dollars. ADGM calls it a non-binding indicative guide, and the Fees Rules prevail. ADGM's pages link no later revision as of October 2026.
| Structure | Initial | Annual renewal | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-financial company (Category B) | USD 5,800 | USD 5,300 | Includes USD 300 data protection. |
| Retail company (Category C) | USD 2,800 | USD 2,300 | Includes data protection. |
| Financial company (Category A) | USD 17,000 | USD 16,500 | Registry fee only, FSRA fees extra. |
| Tech Startup licence | USD 1,500 | USD 1,500 | Registration and two renewals, then Category B fees; data protection extra. |
| SPV | USD 1,900 | USD 1,400 | Company service provider charges extra. |
| Foundation | USD 1,000 | USD 500 | Initial assets can be as low as USD 100. |
| Single family office | USD 5,600 | USD 5,300 | Family net assets of USD 10 million or more. |
Five items make up the USD 5,800 for a non-financial company: name reservation USD 200, application USD 300, commercial licence USD 200, business activity fee USD 4,800 and data protection USD 300. ADGM's announcement of 17 July 2024, effective 1 January 2025, quotes the licence and activity fee at USD 5,000 for registration and renewal, so a quoted USD 5,000 is that part only. The same changes cut non-financial fees and raised financial ones.
Confirmation statements cost USD 100, with a late fine of USD 300. Data protection renews at USD 300, with a late fine of USD 750. Filing annual accounts carries no registry fee (ADGM schedule and Annual Filings page, as of October 2026).
Seed and emergent stages are described on the Tech Startup licence page, while the schedule lists one figure of USD 1,500. Ask ADGM or Hub71 in writing which fee applies to your stage. The annual data protection fee is not part of the USD 1,500.
Physical address, work permits and visas
Every ADGM company must keep a physical ADGM address at all times (ADGM Setting up FAQ, as of October 2026). An SPV is the exception, because its company service provider supplies the registered office. The Tech Startup licence needs a dedicated desk or office with an executed lease or membership, and a hot desk is not accepted.
Tech Startup licences carry three employee visas for each dedicated desk, and the licence page mentions five-year business visas through Hub71 for entrepreneurs. For every other company, ADGM sets the quota case by case from the activity, the office space and health and safety. ADGM's pages list the establishment card and visa costs as additional costs without an amount, so ask for the figures.
ADGM dual licence with ADDED and serving Abu Dhabi clients
Since 14 November 2017 a mutual recognition agreement has linked ADGM and the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED). Al Maryah entities can hold an ADGM licence and an ADDED trade licence, and serve Abu Dhabi clients without a mainland office. Financial-services firms stay subject to their other regulatory obligations. ADDED itself lists a Dual licence for establishments registered in Abu Dhabi free zones (ADDED licensing page, October 2026).
The Tech Startup rules set limits: no regulated financial services, and no consumer retail or manufacturing outside ADGM unless the dual licence requirements are met. Ask ADDED for the current documents and fee on TAMM before you plan around the route. Dubai's Resolution 11 of 2025 does not apply here, because it covers Dubai free zones only.
SPVs and the company service provider rule
SPVs in ADGM are passive. They do not run an operating business or hire staff, and they need no physical office because the service provider supplies the registered office. A non-exempt SPV incorporated on or after 12 July 2021 must appoint an ADGM-registered Company Service Provider (CSP), and ADGM provides a tool that tells you whether the SPV is exempt.
Two things to settle before filing: an SPV may not be used as an operating company, and a non-exempt SPV cannot be registered without a CSP. The CSP's charges come in addition to the USD 1,900. ADGM's tool, or a lawyer, can settle the exemption question before you file.
Regulated activity and the FSRA
Whether an activity is regulated decides the regulator before it decides the price. A fund manager, adviser, broker or custodian needs FSRA authorisation, and the FSRA fees are set in the FSRA rules, apart from the registry table above. The USD 17,000 financial company line covers the registry only.
FSRA Consultation Paper No. 6 of 2026 is dated 9 October 2026 and open until 6 November 2026. It proposes higher regulatory fees for operators of trading facilities and exchanges and for late filings, from a proposed date of 1 January 2027. The paper proposes no change to the commercial licence, SPV, foundation or Tech Startup fees, and FSRA warns against acting on proposals until the rules are amended.
Tax status, audit and renewal
Standard Corporate Tax applies to an ADGM company unless it is a Qualifying Free Zone Person (QFZP) earning qualifying income (Ministerial Decision 229 of 2025). A holding of shares or securities held uninterrupted for at least 12 months is a qualifying activity, while transactions with natural persons are excluded activities. A QFZP needs adequate substance in the UAE, audited financial statements, and non-qualifying revenue within the lower of 5% of revenue or AED 5,000,000. The English text of the decision is not an official translation.
Small ADGM companies, with turnover of USD 13.5 million or less and up to 35 employees, file a balance sheet only; medium-sized and general companies file audited accounts and a director's report. Restricted scope companies and foundations do not file accounts each year, and a single family office has no audit requirement (ADGM Annual Filings page, October 2026). Licences renew every year, and the corporate tax consultants hub covers the QFZP test.
Banking and what ADGM does not promise
Bank accounts get no fast track at ADGM, which states that bank policies still apply. It supplies a list of banks that know its registration. A bank reads the ownership chain, the activity and the source of funds, so write the bank file before the licence is paid for. Ask the Registration Authority what share capital your entity type needs, because a figure quoted from older guidance can be out of date.
Bearer shares are prohibited by ADGM's rules, and under amendments of May 2026 foundations and trusts may not be set up for NPO-type purposes.
How to read an ADGM quote
An ADGM quote should show the registry lines first, using the schedule above, and the provider's lines separately.
- The structure and the fee category it falls under.
- The registry total, with data protection included or shown on its own line.
- CSP charges for an SPV, and whether the SPV is exempt.
- Desk, visas and establishment card, each priced.
- Whether the activity needs the FSRA, and who files that application.
The regulatory perimeter question, FSRA or not, and the CSP requirement are the two points worth putting to a licensed provider. The cost guide shows how the same lines appear for other zones, and the overview of free zones in the UAE places ADGM among them.
AdvisoryHub may receive a fee when you request an introduction; it does not affect the information on this page.
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