Incorporation • Jurisdiction

Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM)

Form an ADGM company and enjoy the benefits of calling one of the world’s leading financial and technology jurisdictions home.

Logos, images and registered trademarks are property of ADGM.
Why choose ADGM? 

ADGM is one of the most trusted financial centers in the world

Processed in 7-10
business days  
Competitive fees,
transparent pricing
Fully
remote
Common law
jurisdiction
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The team at Clara are extremely efficient and go the extra mile to ensure we always have a smooth experience and meet our deadlines. Top-notch service!

Binance uses Clara to incorporate and manage ADGM entities. The team at Clara are extremely efficient and go the extra mile to ensure we always have a smooth experience and meet our deadlines. Top-notch service!

– Vishal Sacheendran, Head of Strategy and Operations at Binance

Why ADGM?

Learn why business owners, investors and lawyers are increasingly choosing ADGM as a preferred jurisdiction

Trusted by leading companies, investors and lawyers around the world
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Types of licenses

ADGM licenses

ADGM Special Purpose Vehicle license

Setting up an ADGM SPV as a holding company is an attractive option for businesses and their investors. Companies benefit from the low cost, speed, and simplicity that ADGM’s fully digitized incorporation process achieves, while investors are attracted by the flexibility and legal protections that ADGM’s regulatory environment provides.  

ADGM Tech Startup license 

The ADGM Tech Startup License encourages entrepreneurship by removing cost as a barrier to entry for tech startups. Get your low-cost operating license in ADGM via the Clara platform. 

ADGM Operating Company license

Grow and scale in Abu Dhabi’s award-winning international financial centre, providing an international and supportive business environment. Clara can also assist with work permits and visas, securing office space and other government services.

ADGM Foundation

Foundations provide a mechanism to consolidate family assets into a single top holding entity. Using a Foundation to hold assets, business interests, and property allows clear instructions to be legalized as to the transfer of assets upon succession.

Clara is the official legal onboarding partner of Hub 71, Abu Dhabi’s global tech ecosystem.

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Journey

Process of digitally incorporating an ADGM company on Clara

01

/04

Sign up

Create your Clara account and choose “Form your company”.

02

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Add information and upload documents

Upload documents and provide information on the individuals involved in your new company being formed.

03

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Payment

Pay the registration and service fees easily and quickly with your credit card or by bank transfer.

04

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Incorporation

Clara will review your data, auto-generate the incorporation documents and submit the application after receiving your signed documents.

From SPVs to Tech Startup licenses and foundations, Clara’s got you covered in ADGM.

Benefits

Learn more about the benefits of ADGM 

Before you get started, learn more about the benefits of incorporating in ADGM.

Regulatory Framework: Enabling cross-border operations

  • Complete foreign ownership allowed.
  • Unrestricted capital repatriation.
  • No limitations on employing foreign staff.

Tax efficiencies: Tax exemption for half a century

  • Profits, capital, and assets enjoy a 50-year tax holiday.
  • Personal income remains tax-free.

Ecosystem

  • Exceptional regional and international professional services.
  • Emerging hub for funds in the region.

Geographic hub

  • Management offices, holding companies, and family offices situated in proximity to their assets.
  • UAE pivotal in expanding South-South trade, notably between Asia and Africa. 
  • Strategically poised to capitalize on emerging market opportunities.
Clara bundles

Save up to $795 when you bundle
your formation with our platform subscription

Make the most of Clara by integrating the formation and management of your
company with our wider company OS. 

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Resources & Insights

Stories, updates and resources

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Starting a company is hard enough, but managing legal processes shouldn’t be. With Clara’s dedicated accelerator onboarding solution, companies can get the support and infrastructure they need to efficiently and professionally complete their legal due diligence and finalize an investment.

amal-dokhan Amal Dokhan General Partner MENA, 500 Global
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Clara is a one-stop shop for everything equity related. All our data is safe and securely stored and accurately recorded. And our investors love having direct access. It has saved us countless hours and kept our cap table mistake free.

jessica-anuna Jessica Anuna CEO & Founder, Klasha
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We spend a lot of time educating founders on basic legal concepts: what they need to do for us to invest in them. Clara automates these functions. As Clara’s first institutional investor, we knew intuitively from inception, this company will be a game changer.

vijay-tirathrai Vijay Tirathrai Managing Director, Techstars

You can’t beat Clara’s ESOP functionality. It allows us to grant options to our team in a few clicks while automatically updating our cap table. Truly next level.

michael-hunter Michael Hunter Co-Founder & CEO, Holo
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Founders often struggle with managing their legal function due to lack of expertise and resources. And we’ve seen poor legal structures create hurdles to our investing in otherwise healthy startups. Investors like ourselves love that Clara gives founders the tools they need to establish, grow and scale their startups from day one on a best-practice basis.

shane-shin Shane Shin Founding Partner, Shorooq
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US cap table solutions aren’t tailored to the differentiated needs of international startups. Clara is the only cap table provider we found that had emerging market startups in mind. Add to that all the other things you can do on the Clara platform, from building your ESOP to data room management, and switching was a no brainer.

omar-rifai Omar Rifai Co-founder, GrubTech
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From company formation to maintaining the cap-table, by using Clara founders can digitally form their companies in a range of jurisdictions, create and manage their cap-tables and generate legal documents. Clara is quickly becoming an integral part of the startup software stack.

daniel-dos-reis Daniel Dos Reis Investment Director, Wamda Capital

Clara is a must-have for founders. Not only does it provide all the legal tools you need in a single platform, using Clara also signals to investors that you are a serious startup.

Mazen AlDarrab Founder & CGO, Zid
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IP Assignments, what? I didn’t even know they existed before Clara. For startups, setting up governance, corporate structures, data rooms and fundraising are all hard to get right. Clara’s legalOS is premium. It pays for itself.

zohare-haider Zohare Haider Co-Founder & CEO, Jalebi

10,000+

Equity owners

Trusted by more than 10,000 equity owners.

45+

Countries

Our customers operate from more than 45 different countries.

80%

Savings on fees

Our customers on average save more than 80% on their annual legal and admin fees.

FAQs

Frequently asked questions

We have put together some commonly asked questions 

What documents will need to be signed as part of the ADGM incorporation process?

All ADGM company incorporations (SPV, Tech Startup and Operating Companies) will require these documents listed here. 

Will my ADGM company need to lease an office?

Operating companies and tech startups must have an office space on Al Maryah Island before ADGM will issue their commercial licence. An ADGM SPV does not need to take their own physical office space and can use the registered office address of their company service provider. 

 

Does Clara offer a registered office address service for ADGM?

We offer a registered office address service for USD 1,000 (plus VAT) per year. ​We will provide you with a consent letter to use our registered office address which you will upload to the ADGM portal when incorporating your ADGM entity or filing the renewal of commercial licence. 

Can Clara help with visa applications for ADGM companies?

ADGM operating companies can sponsor employees and Clara can support you with obtaining your visas. 

Can you convert an ADGM SPV to a Tech Startup?

An ADGM SPV cannot be converted to a Tech Startup. An ADGM SPV is a passive entity which uses the registered office address of its company service provider. It is not an operational entity and can only be used for passive purposes. But you can convert a tech startup to an ADGM SPV. Click here to read more on the process. 

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