Mainland company
Abu Dhabi mainland company setup under ADDED and ADRA
An Abu Dhabi mainland company holds an economic licence under the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED). Since January 2025, business registration has been overseen by ADDED's arm, the Abu Dhabi Registration and Licensing Authority (ADRA). The licence suits businesses with premises or clients in Abu Dhabi city, Al Ain or Al Dhafra.
At a glance Fact sheet
- Licensing authority
- Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED), through its arm ADRA
- ADRA stands for
- Abu Dhabi Registration and Licensing Authority, launched by ADDED in January 2025
- Covers
- Abu Dhabi city, Al Ain Region and Al Dhafra Region
- Where you can trade
- Across the UAE mainland and abroad. Premises outside Abu Dhabi need a branch licence in that emirate
- Ownership
- Up to 100% foreign ownership in the activities Abu Dhabi has opened to non-citizens
- Office
- Premises in the emirate, except for licence types that allow a start without them
Overview
Abu Dhabi changed how it registers businesses in January 2025. The Department of Economic Development, ADDED, launched the Abu Dhabi Registration and Licensing Authority, ADRA, after a resolution of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council. ADRA is an arm of ADDED. It oversees business registration on the mainland and in the emirate's non-financial free zones and manages the commercial register.
You will see both names on official pages, and some announcements shorten ADRA to the Abu Dhabi Registration Authority. In practice your application is an ADDED economic licence handled under ADRA. Abu Dhabi issues commercial, professional, industrial, occupational and tourism licences, along with licences for agriculture, fisheries and livestock.
Abu Dhabi is the largest emirate by area and its licences are spread over three regions. A company can be based in Abu Dhabi city, in Al Ain or in Al Dhafra, and the address decides where the premises must be. Founders choose it when their clients are government entities, energy and industrial groups or the capital's own consumer market.
Why companies choose an Abu Dhabi licence
You are close to the capital's buyers
Federal ministries, Abu Dhabi government entities and large energy and industrial groups are based here. If they are your customers, a licence and address in the emirate put you where the work is.
Three regions, one authority
Whether you open in Abu Dhabi city, Al Ain or Al Dhafra, the licence comes under the same department and the same register.
Licence types for small starts
Tajer Abu Dhabi lets entrepreneurs in listed activities begin without physical premises, and a freelancer licence exists for people with specialised skills.
Full foreign ownership in open activities
Abu Dhabi has identified the commercial and industrial activities in which non-citizens, individuals or companies, can hold the whole company.
A structure that can grow
A mainland company here can add activities, sponsor staff visas and open branches in other regions or emirates as contracts come in.
What to have ready
- Passport copies of each owner and the manager
- Emirates ID and residence visa copies for owners who live in the UAE
- A shortlist of trade names
- A clear description of the activities you want on the licence
- The tenancy contract for premises in Abu Dhabi, where the licence type requires one
- For a corporate owner, its licence, constitutional documents and a resolution to invest, attested for the UAE
- Details of the real beneficiary of the company, for the declaration Abu Dhabi requires
Regulated activities need approval from the authority concerned. Your consultant lists those papers once the activity is fixed.
How Abu Dhabi mainland setup works
Pick the region and the licence type
We confirm whether the business belongs in Abu Dhabi city, Al Ain or Al Dhafra and which licence category covers it.
Check ownership and activity
Your activity is checked against Abu Dhabi's rules on foreign ownership and against any extra approval it carries.
Reserve the trade name
The name is submitted for reservation under the department's naming rules.
Obtain the initial approval
The authority confirms it has no objection to the partners and the activities, so the remaining steps can start.
Sign the Memorandum of Association
The partners sign the Memorandum of Association in the form the authority accepts.
Register the premises
Where an office is required, the tenancy contract is signed and registered in the way the emirate requires.
Licence, then visas
The economic licence is issued. Caliph then opens the immigration and labour files and starts the visas.
Good to know
- ADRA also oversees registration in Abu Dhabi's non-financial free zones, but a free zone company is still a different product from a mainland one.
- Abu Dhabi Global Market is a financial free zone with its own registration authority. It is not part of the mainland process described here.
- Caliph is based in Dubai. Your consultant handles the Abu Dhabi file and tells you in advance about any step that needs you in the emirate.
Questions people ask
Who issues business licences in Abu Dhabi now, ADDED or ADRA?
Both names are correct. The Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development is the department responsible for economic licences. In January 2025 it launched the Abu Dhabi Registration and Licensing Authority, ADRA, as its arm to oversee business registration and the commercial register. Your licence application is handled under that structure.
Can a foreigner fully own a mainland company in Abu Dhabi?
Yes, in the commercial and industrial activities that Abu Dhabi has opened to non-citizens, whether the owner is an individual or a company. Activities outside that list, and some legal forms, carry other conditions. Your Caliph consultant confirms what applies to you before anything is filed.
What is the Tajer Abu Dhabi licence?
It is a licence aimed at entrepreneurs and small businesses. It allows a start in a set list of activities without physical premises in the early period, which keeps the first setup simple. It does not cover every activity, so check whether yours is on the list before planning around it.
Is an Abu Dhabi licence valid in Dubai?
An Abu Dhabi mainland company can sell to customers anywhere in the UAE, including Dubai. What it cannot do is run premises in Dubai under the Abu Dhabi licence. For a shop, office or warehouse there you would add a branch licensed by Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism.
How is Abu Dhabi mainland different from Dubai mainland?
The authority, the online systems and the tenancy registration are different, and Abu Dhabi spreads its licences over three regions. Abu Dhabi also has its own licence types, such as Tajer Abu Dhabi. The federal rules are the same in both: company law, corporate tax, VAT, labour and immigration.
Can Caliph set up my Abu Dhabi company from Dubai?
Yes. Your consultant prepares the application, the Memorandum of Association and the supporting papers and files them with the Abu Dhabi authority. If a step needs your signature or presence in the emirate, you are told early so it can be planned around your schedule.
- Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development: launch of ADRA
- Abu Dhabi Media Office
- UAE Government portal: full foreign ownership of commercial companies
Reviewed by Caliph Business Solutions on . Rules differ by activity and by authority. Your Caliph consultant confirms what applies to you.
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