ADGM vs KEZAD Group: Common Law vs Cost
Setting ADGM against KEZAD Group is really a question of what you're optimising for. Both grant full foreign ownership, VAT registration, and residence visas; the differences are cost, banking, and fit. KEZAD Group's Year 1 minimum is AED 9,350 against ADGM's AED 36,730 — a gap of AED 27,380 (293%) before you add visas or office space. Banking is where they diverge most: ADGM is rated easy to bank, KEZAD Group moderate. ADGM (Abu Dhabi Global Market) sits in Abu Dhabi as a Tier 1, premium zone. It runs on English common law rather than the UAE civil-law framework most free zones use. Year 1 starts around AED 36,730, banking is rated easy (~10 days to open an account), and the visa cap is 100. It's built for financial services, fund management, and FinTech companies seeking a common law jurisdiction in Abu Dhabi. KEZAD Group (Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi (KEZAD Group) sits in Abu Dhabi as a Tier 1, mid-market zone. Year 1 starts around AED 9,350, banking is rated moderate (~14 days to open an account), and the visa cap is 600. It's built for manufacturing, logistics, and trading companies needing port access and strategic market reach.
ADGM
Abu Dhabi · Tier 1
Asset managers, funds, banks, fintech and digital-asset firms, family offices, professional-services firms and holding structures that value common-law certainty, institutional credibility and access to Abu Dhabi's sovereign-wealth capital pool.
KEZAD Group
Abu Dhabi · Tier 1
Manufacturers, logistics operators and traders needing port-integrated industrial land, warehouses or low-cost free zone licensing with optional mainland market access.
Visual comparison
Six-dimension scoring
Scores are 0–100 normalized across all UAE & GCC zones. Higher is better on every axis. Cost is scored so cheaper = higher. See methodology.
Choose ADGM if…
- ✓Fast, low-friction banking is a priority — ADGM is rated easy where KEZAD Group is moderate
- ✓You need an English common-law structure (funds, fintech, holding companies, VC-ready cap tables) — ADGM offers it; KEZAD Group is civil-law
- ✓ADGM's premium-tier ecosystem and brand recognition are worth the higher fee for the buyers you're targeting
- ✓ADGM is purpose-built for financial services, fund management, and FinTech companies seeking a common law jurisdiction in Abu Dhabi
Choose KEZAD Group if…
- ✓Year 1 cost matters — KEZAD Group opens at AED 9,350 vs ADGM's AED 36,730, a AED 27,380 head start that compounds every renewal
- ✓You'll hire and scale headcount — KEZAD Group allows up to 600 visas vs ADGM's 100
- ✓You're outside financial and legal services — you don't need ADGM's common-law regulatory framework, and KEZAD Group skips that compliance overhead
- ✓You need warehousing or light-industrial space on site — KEZAD Group offers it; ADGM is office-only
- ✓Renewals stay lean — KEZAD Group renews at AED 9,350 a year vs ADGM's AED 18,365, a saving that recurs for the life of the company
Our Verdict
Default to KEZAD Group — at AED 9,350 in Year 1 it's the lower-risk starting point for most founders. ADGM earns its AED 27,380 premium when you specifically need easier banking or its common-law jurisdiction; if that edge isn't decisive for your business, the saving is better spent on growth. Use the scored comparison below to pressure-test the call against your own activity, visa count, and banking needs.
Frequently asked questions
Is ADGM or KEZAD Group cheaper to set up?
KEZAD Group is cheaper. Its Year 1 minimum is AED 9,350 against ADGM's AED 36,730 — a gap of AED 27,380 before visas or office. Both figures are entry minimums; adding visas and dedicated space narrows or widens the gap depending on package.
Which is better for opening a corporate bank account — ADGM or KEZAD Group?
ADGM has the smoother path. It's rated easy for corporate banking (~10 days on average), while KEZAD Group is rated moderate (~14 days). Banking difficulty depends heavily on your activity and source of funds, but the zone's baseline rating is a real signal.
How many visas can I get with ADGM or KEZAD Group?
ADGM allows up to 100 visas and KEZAD Group up to 600. Most zones tie the practical number to your office type — a flexi-desk supports only a handful, while a dedicated office unlocks the higher cap.
Do ADGM and KEZAD Group both qualify for 0% corporate tax?
Yes — both are Qualifying Free Zone Persons (QFZP), so genuinely qualifying income is taxed at 0% under the UAE's 9% corporate-tax regime, provided you keep adequate substance and meet the qualifying-income tests. Non-qualifying income (for example mainland-sourced revenue) is taxed at 9% in either zone, so tax treatment isn't a differentiator between them.
Can I move from ADGM to KEZAD Group later?
Not as a transfer — UAE free zone licences don't migrate between zones. You'd close the first entity and incorporate fresh in the second, which means dissolution costs, re-onboarding your bank, and moving any visas. It's cleaner to pick the right zone up front, or to run two entities deliberately if you genuinely need both.