Masdar City Free Zone company setup

Masdar City is a planned, sustainable area in Abu Dhabi, about 17 kilometres from Abu Dhabi International Airport. It was built by Masdar, part of the Mubadala group. It started as an example of a low-carbon city and is now the UAE's best-known centre for clean energy.

Like other free zones, you can own 100% of your company and send all your capital and profits home. What makes it different is that it focuses on one industry. The companies around you work in the same field, the buildings meet sustainability standards, and there is research and other work happening on site, not just offices.

Having all of this in one place is what Masdar offers. If your business sells into clean energy, being based among the people who buy, fund and regulate it is worth something a cheaper licence elsewhere cannot give you.

It suits solar, wind and renewable energy businesses; energy storage and hydrogen; waste management and recycling; green building, materials and environmental consulting; ESG and sustainability advice; smart city technology; electric vehicle charging; and research and development in any of these.

It suits them most when being based there is seen by others. For example, when they bid for government or semi-government work, when they raise money from investors who focus on this area, or when they sell to partners who care about sustainability. In these cases, the address really helps.

It does not suit a general trading company looking for the cheapest licence. It is not a general zone and will not act like one for you. It is also in Abu Dhabi, which is a different city with a different way of doing business from Dubai. If your customers and team are all in Dubai, a two-hour return trip is a cost you will always pay. Think about this honestly before you commit.

Licences are given for business activities in the normal way, with a limit on how many activities one licence can have. The zone also has special licences for regulated or high-impact industries, which need extra approvals and must follow extra rules.

The special licences are where the real work is. Energy, waste and infrastructure businesses often need approval from federal or emirate authorities as well as the free zone. Your plan is carefully reviewed, not just registered. Here, an application is a real business plan, not just a form.

Space is an important part of the offer: offices and, for the right activities, laboratory and research space in the area. As in other zones with operations, your space and your number of visas are linked, so decide your space at the start.

We apply to Masdar directly. Here, what we add is more specific than in the general zones. For a clean energy business, we prepare an application that shows a real business plan, check which approvals are needed outside the free zone, and plan the licence, the space and the bank account in the right order so your business can actually start.

We also tell you when this zone is not right for you. Many people like Masdar, but it is rarely the right choice. If your business is not in this industry, we will set you up in a zone that fits, and nobody loses anything.

We give a written price for your case. Our listed free zone starting price is based on the lower-cost zones and has nothing to do with the cost of a Masdar company, so we do not show it on this page.

The price depends on your business activities, whether your licence is a special or regulated type, and how much space you need. A special licence that needs approval is a bigger job than a normal one. We price it separately, not as part of the setup fee.

If your business is in clean energy and that is your market, Masdar is really different from a Dubai licence, and being among similar companies is the reason. In this industry, where you are based helps people trust you.

If your business is only partly connected to this area, like a consultancy that also does some sustainability work, or a trading company that sells energy-saving equipment, a Dubai zone is very likely better. It is cheaper and closer to your clients.

We will tell you honestly. We work with six Dubai authorities as well as this one, so we gain nothing either way.