- Osome Blog UAE
- ADGM Company Formation Cost
What Does It Cost to Set Up a Company in ADGM in 2026?
- Published: 20 October 2026
- 9 min read
- Foreigner's Guide, Company Registration
Ruth Dsouza
Author
Ruth Dsouza Prabhu is a content developer passionate about turning ideas into clear, compelling narratives. Drawing on her experience in marketing communications and lifestyle writing, she makes complex business topics understandable for UAE entrepreneurs. Her work spans strategy, storytelling, and thought leadership, delivering content that is both credible and impactful. Ruth’s articles empower business owners to gain actionable insights, make informed decisions, and confidently navigate their entrepreneurial journey.
Patrisha Dsouza
Reviewer
Patrisha Dsouza is the Head of Sales at Osome, with 9 years of experience driving business growth in the UAE. She has supported numerous entrepreneurs in identifying and implementing the right solutions to meet their business needs. With a strong understanding of client challenges and growth goals, she provides practical insights that bridge business strategy and financial services. Patrisha combines leadership experience with a customer-focused approach, helping business owners make confident, informed decisions at every stage of their journey.
Your ADGM setup cost depends on the structure you choose in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), from a passive Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to an operating company with staff. Published fees cover only part of the bill, because desks, visa stages and service fees sit on top. This guide breaks down current 2026 figures for three common structures, so you can budget your first year in full.
Key Takeaways
- A passive SPV costs USD 4,500 to set up, including the licence and a year of Company Service Provider (CSP) support, with ADGM admin fees charged separately.
- A Tech Startup Licence with one visa costs USD 6,480, and a dedicated desk adds USD 7,230, bringing the first-year total to USD 13,710.
- An operating company with one visa costs USD 18,090 to set up, before office rent, lease registration, and health insurance.
- Timelines vary by structure. An operating company usually receives its licence 11 to 16 business days after you submit, and a Tech Startup 16 to 21.
What Is Included in an ADGM Setup Cost?
An ADGM setup cost is everything you pay to get a company licensed and, if you need them, staff on visas. ADGM charges its fees in US dollars, and most proposals bundle government fees with a service provider's fees.
Most setup quotes are built from five parts:
- ADGM fees: business application, name reservation, incorporation, commercial licence, business activity and data protection
- Service provider fees: document preparation, Know Your Customer (KYC) checks and filing the application
- Office or desk: a lease or desk membership, which an SPV does not need
- Visa costs: establishment card, E-Channel account, the visa itself and processing
- Personal costs: health insurance for each visa holder
For a wider look at visa, banking and hidden setup costs across the UAE, see the cost of starting a business in Dubai.
How Much Does an ADGM SPV Cost to Set Up and Renew?
An SPV is the lowest-cost structure in this guide, because it has no office, staff or visas. Most founders use one to hold shares, property or other assets for a group or a family. A holding company that employs staff to manage its investments is set up as a private company limited by shares, so it follows the operating company costs further down.
What does an SPV cost in its first year?
For a single SPV with up to five shareholders, the first-year setup cost is USD 4,500.
Item | Cost (USD) |
|---|---|
| Document preparation, corporate licences and one year of CSP service | 1,500 |
| Application for incorporation | 600 |
| Issuance of commercial licence | 1,200 |
| Reservation of company name | 500 |
| Service provider professional fee | 700 |
| Total | 4,500 |
ADGM admin fees are excluded from this total. Each shareholder beyond the first five adds USD 125. The quote assumes the SPV meets the ADGM nexus requirement and is set up as a private company limited by shares for SPV activity.
What does an SPV cost after the first year?
The setup fee covers your CSP for one calendar year. After that, the annual CSP service is priced separately, and the amount depends on your SPV and the work involved.
Event-driven filings during the year, such as appointing a new director or transferring shares, cost USD 500 to USD 6,000 depending on complexity. Providers can also revise their fees each year with written notice. When you compare the best business setup companies in Dubai, ask each one for its renewal terms as well as its setup price.
If you plan to hold assets in more than one SPV, price the whole structure at once. Reviewing your business setup for the group up front shows whether every vehicle is needed before each one adds its own renewal fee.
How Much Does an ADGM Tech Startup Licence Cost?
The Tech Startup Licence is ADGM's discounted route for early technology companies. A setup with one visa costs USD 6,480. Every Tech Startup also needs a dedicated desk, which is priced separately, so your first-year total is higher than the licence quote alone.
What do the licence and first visa cost?
This quote uses ADGM's USD 1,500 Tech Startup licence fee, which ADGM raised from USD 1,000 in 2025. Fees vary between the Seed and Emergent stages, so confirm which stage you qualify for before you budget.
Item | Cost (USD) |
|---|---|
| ADGM licence fees (one year) | 1,500 |
| Establishment card | 310 |
| E-Channel account | 1,140 |
| Employee visa (two years) | 880 |
| Service provider fee, including business plan drafting help and visa processing | 2,650 |
| Total | 6,480 |
The service fee covers KYC and incorporation documents for up to two shareholders, plus the ADGM application, data protection and licence filings. If you have more shareholders, ask your provider for the extra charge.
What does the dedicated desk cost?
The desk sits on Al Maryah Island and gives the company its visa quota. The arrangement must meet ADGM's office requirements, and the deposit is paid once at the start of the membership.
Item | Cost (USD) |
|---|---|
| Dedicated desk membership (USD 435 a month for 12 months) | 5,220 |
| Desk membership deposit | 870 |
| KYC charges | 500 |
| Setup fee | 140 |
| Facilitation charges | 500 |
| Total | 7,230 |
One dedicated desk supports up to three visas. With the licence and desk together, a one-visa Tech Startup costs USD 13,710 in its first year, before health insurance.
How Much Does an ADGM Operating Company Cost?
An operating company with one visa costs USD 18,090 to set up. This is the structure for businesses that trade, serve clients or build products from ADGM.
Item | Cost (USD) |
|---|---|
| Business application, name reservation, incorporation, commercial licence, business activity fee and data protection | 10,100 |
| New establishment card | 510 |
| New E-Channel account | 1,150 |
| One visa | 1,130 |
| Service provider processing fee | 4,000 |
| Visa processing fee | 1,200 |
| Total | 18,090 |
The total leaves out three costs you will still need to budget for:
- Office rent for the space your visas depend on
- Lease registration at USD 100 a year, subject to review by ADGM's Registration Authority
- Anti-money laundering (AML) compliance costs
Once the company starts trading, Value Added Tax (VAT) registration in the UAE becomes mandatory when taxable supplies pass AED 375,000 over 12 months, so plan for VAT returns as a running cost.
VAT registration and return filing, made easy
From VAT registration to timely return submissions, we manage your UAE VAT obligations accurately and efficiently, so your business stays compliant without the hassle.
How Long Does ADGM Registration Take?
Most of the wait sits with ADGM's application review, and its length depends on your structure. ADGM issued 1,814 new licences in the first half of 2026, and an application that needs changes goes back to you before the review continues, so complete documents save time. The table shows each stage in business days.
Stage | Tech Startup | Operating company |
|---|---|---|
| Document submission | Same day | Same day |
| Application review | 15 to 20 | 10 to 15 |
| Licence and incorporation | 1 | 1 |
| Establishment card | 3 to 5 | 3 to 5 |
| Visa processing | 3 to 5 | 3 to 5 |
| Medical and Emirates ID | 7 to 10 | 7 to 10 |
| Licence issued after | 16 to 21 | 11 to 16 |
| Emirates ID issued after | 29 to 41 | 24 to 36 |
An SPV has no visa stages. Its application review takes 4 to 5 business days, and the provider's estimate for the whole setup is 20 to 25 working days. Firms that need approval from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) follow a separate process that these timelines do not cover.
What Do Founders Commonly Underestimate?
Most budget gaps come from costs that sit outside every setup quote. These apply whichever structure you choose:
- Health insurance: mandatory for every visa holder, and priced at the medical stage based on age, gender and existing conditions
- First-time UAE entrants: anyone who has never entered the UAE needs a unique identification number (UID), at an extra fee
- Attestation, translation and notarisation: charged separately for documents issued outside the UAE
- Courier and bank charges: paid on top of the provider's fees
- Amendments at renewal: changes made when you renew are priced separately
- Accounting and audit: an audit is needed unless the company qualifies as small, and always if it relies on the 0% rate
Bookkeeping is the cost most founders leave until a filing is due. If you plan to outsource it, the top 10 accounting firms in Dubai give you a sense of the options.
Founders who budget from the full proposal, line by line, rarely get caught out. The desk, each visa stage, health insurance and extra shareholder charges all sit outside the licence fee, so price them in from the first conversation.
Head of Sales & Partnership
Start bookkeeping in the month you incorporate. Setting up accounting services from day one keeps your records ready for annual accounts and saves the cost of rebuilding a year of transactions later.
How Osome Can Help
Your setup quote tells you what it costs to open an ADGM company. Running it brings a second set of costs: bookkeeping, annual accounts, Value Added Tax (VAT) if you are registered, and Corporate Tax returns. For SPVs, startups and growing teams, these are easy to leave out of a first-year budget. Osome gives you a dedicated accountant and software that keeps every transaction, receipt and filing in one place. Your annual accounts and tax returns are prepared on time, so you can plan your ADGM costs with fewer surprises.
Summary
Compare ADGM quotes on the full first-year total. A Tech Startup Licence looks inexpensive until you add the desk, and an SPV's renewal depends on CSP terms you agree at the start. Ask each provider for setup, first-year and renewal figures in writing, line by line. Then add health insurance, attestation and accounting, and you have a budget you can rely on.
Disclaimer: All figures and pricing in this article are as close to accurate as possible as of October 2026. Fees, rules and requirements change, so please carry out your own due diligence before making any decisions.