ADGM Tech Startup License: Self-Filed UAE Entity, $1,000, No Agent

Personal experience from incorporating in 2022. Not legal or business advice. Costs and processes may have changed — verify directly with ADGM before filing.

In 2022, I set up an ADGM Tech Startup License by myself — no CSP (Corporate Service Provider), no agent, no intermediary. The registration fee was $1,000 at the time. It is now $1,500.

Most guides I found before filing assumed you would use a CSP, which typically costs $3,000–5,000 on top of the government fee. I did not see why that was necessary, so I did not use one. It worked.

I also set up a UAE mainland company separately — different purpose, different experience. That comparison is worth explaining.

UAE Incorporation Options: Where ADGM Fits

Before choosing ADGM, I looked at the main options. Here is how they compare at a high level:

My reason for choosing ADGM over Dubai free zones: cheapest path to an English common law entity, and it kept the Hub71 option open. You can apply to Hub71 before incorporating — no entity required to apply. If accepted, you incorporate in ADGM as part of joining, and the voucher covers CSP and other costs.

A note on RAKEZ

I have no personal experience with RAKEZ (Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone). Based on research: incorporation is mostly online with one UAE visit required for visa biometrics — doable in Dubai, not necessarily RAK itself. Banking is accessible but may face more scrutiny at international banks than ADGM entities. Disputes go through RAK Commercial Court. For a cost-focused operational startup with no complex legal needs, it is worth looking at.

On mainland

I set up a mainland company with the intent to transfer my visa sponsorship to it before my Dubai Virtual Working Program visa expired. That did not end up being necessary, so I closed it. A CSP was involved, and banking was through ADCB. The 2021 reform allowing 100% foreign ownership in most sectors removed the previous local sponsor requirement — mainland is now a real option for foreign founders in a way it was not before.

What It Actually Costs

If you come through Hub71, the voucher covers the CSP fee and other costs — see the Hub71 section below.

The CSP is optional if you are self-filing. ADGM's portal (adgm.com) handles everything directly. Document preparation is the main work — AI tools help considerably with this now.

How to File Without a CSP

The process goes through adgm.com. Start by contacting ADGM directly to explain your business activities before filing — this step is not optional. ADGM needs to confirm your activities are eligible for the Tech Startup License category.

Once you have that confirmation, the portal walks you through document submission: corporate documents, shareholder details, business plan, proof of registered office. The turnaround for my application was within one month — this was 2022 and I cannot confirm it still holds.

ADGM staff were responsive when I contacted them directly. They are used to founders going through the process without agents.

Finding a Registered Office Address

One thing slowed me down more than expected.

Getting a registered office address. At the time, I needed a physical address before filing — I could not apply and then look for space afterward. (This was my experience in 2022; current requirements may differ — verify directly with ADGM.) ADGM's own co-working space had a wait, and WeWork on Al Maryah Island also had a wait. I ended up using CloudSpace (as of 2022), a nearby co-working provider that had availability. It took more effort than expected but was not impossible.

This is easier now. ADGM expanded its jurisdiction to cover Al Reem Island (completed December 2024), opening up more ADGM-eligible office space options — MY Coworking Office Space ADGM and Sky Hub Business Center ADGM on Al Reem among them.

Banking

I opened accounts at ADCB and Mashreq after incorporating. I ended up using Mashreq. The process was direct: contact the bank, get assigned a dedicated officer, submit documents.

The easiest option now is Wio Bank — fully online, built for SMEs. A founder I know who incorporated recently used Wio with no issues. If I were starting today, I would start there.

If you come through Hub71, FAB (First Abu Dhabi Bank) is a natural starting point — Hub71 has partnerships with FAB, ADCB, and ADNIC (insurance), among others.

Visa Options

I had an existing visa when I incorporated and did not apply for a new one at that point. The main visa options for UAE residency as a founder:

• Dubai Virtual Working Program visa (Virtual Working Visa) — a few hundred dollars, requires proof of overseas income. A practical way to establish UAE residency while working through the incorporation process.
• Company-sponsored visa — once the ADGM entity is established, it can act as the visa sponsor. The standard route for ongoing residency.
• Golden Visa (10-year) — several pathways exist: Hub71 participation, qualifying professions (engineers, doctors) with salary thresholds, or real estate investment above AED 2M. A practical sequence: incorporate, get a company-sponsored residence visa, then switch to the Golden Visa once the conditions are met.

Hub71: Apply Before or After Incorporating?

Hub71is Abu Dhabi's flagship startup program — backed by Mubadala and G42, with office space, funding access, and corporate partnerships for accepted companies. If accepted, the Hub71 voucher covers not just incorporation costs but also legal and accounting fees — useful well beyond the initial setup.

You do not need to incorporate before applying — Hub71 accepts applications before you have an entity. But admission takes months. Waiting on a decision before doing anything else means potentially delaying operations by half a year or more.

If you incorporate first, the $1,500 registration fee is self-funded. But the Hub71 voucher still applies to accounting, legal, office costs, and other operational expenses — not just incorporation. Incorporating first does not make Hub71 pointless.

The practical split:

• Early stage, time to spare: apply to Hub71 first (free). If accepted, the voucher covers incorporation plus operational costs. If not, self-file for $1,500.
• Already moving, can't wait: incorporate now and apply to Hub71 in parallel. If accepted, use the voucher for accounting, legal, and office expenses.

If your startup fits Hub71's focus areas (AI, deep tech, fintech, climate), applying is worth doing regardless of where you are in the incorporation process.

One additional angle for 2026: the security situation around Abu Dhabi has reduced inbound interest from some international founders. If that continues, Hub71's applicant pool may thin — which could improve acceptance odds for those who apply now. That is speculative, but worth noting.

What Has Changed Since 2022

• Registration fee: $1,000 → $1,500.
• Office space options: Al Reem Island now under ADGM jurisdiction — more ADGM-eligible co-working spaces available. The supply problem I hit in 2022 is less acute.
• Mainland: 100% foreign ownership now standard in most sectors since the 2021 reform. The local sponsor requirement that complicated mainland incorporation for foreign founders is largely gone.
• Banking: Wio Bank now available — the simplest option for new incorporations.
• Document preparation: AI tools make business plans and constitutional documents significantly faster to prepare.

What has not changed: ADGM is still cheaper than DIFC, the Tech Startup License is still the right vehicle for a solo technical founder, and the self-filing route still works. The process is more accessible now than it was in 2022.

Related: Al Reem Island moved to ADGM jurisdiction in January 2025 — covered in a separate piece on early lease termination.