Al Reem vs Al Maryah: Same ADGM Licence, Better Price

We get asked this question almost every week: "If I set up on Al Reem instead of Al Maryah, am I getting a second-tier ADGM company?" The short answer is no. We have helped firms register on both islands, and the licence that lands in your inbox is the same document, issued by the same Registration Authority, governed by the same English common law, and overseen by the same regulator. What changes is the number at the bottom of your office invoice. This article walks through exactly what is identical, where the real difference lies, and how it plays out in money.

The licence is one and the same

This is the part people struggle to believe at first, so let us be precise. Since April 2023, Al Reem Island is fully part of Abu Dhabi Global Market. A company formed with a registered office on Al Reem holds an ordinary ADGM licence. There is no "Al Reem licence" and no "Al Maryah licence" — there is just an ADGM licence, and your registered address happens to be on one island or the other. If you want the legal background on how Al Reem joined the jurisdiction, we cover it in detail in our explainer on whether Al Reem Island is part of ADGM.

Law, regulator and courts: no asterisks

Four things define an ADGM company, and all four are identical regardless of which island your desk sits on:

• English common law applies directly, the same on Al Reem as on Al Maryah.
• The FSRA (Financial Services Regulatory Authority) regulates financial firms across the whole jurisdiction.
• ADGM Courts hear disputes under the same independent judiciary.
• The Registration Authority issues and renews every licence centrally.

None of these bodies has a different process, a different fee schedule, or a different standard depending on your island. A fund manager regulated by the FSRA is regulated identically whether their office overlooks Al Maryah's canal or Al Reem's marina.

Where the difference actually lives: office cost

Al Maryah Island is the original ADGM core. It is a tight, premium district with limited supply and the price that comes with it. Al Reem, by contrast, gained roughly half a million square metres of office space in the 2023 expansion, and that fresh supply keeps rents sensible. The result is a genuine gap in what you pay to satisfy the same registered-office requirement.

• Dedicated desk on Al Maryah: around AED 3,500 per month (market range roughly 3,500 to 4,000).
• Dedicated desk at MY Coworking on Al Reem: AED 1,200 per month.
• Day pass on Al Reem: AED 100 per day, useful before you commit.
• Private office on Al Maryah: from around AED 5,000 per month.
• Private office on Al Reem: quoted by team size, consistently below the Al Maryah equivalent.

On a single desk, that is roughly AED 27,600 saved every year for an identical ADGM licence. We break the cost drivers down further in our piece on the cost difference between Al Reem and Al Maryah offices.

A worked example: a two-person consultancy

Imagine a two-partner advisory firm that needs a credible registered office and somewhere to actually work. On Al Maryah, two dedicated desks at about AED 3,500 each runs to roughly AED 7,000 a month, or around AED 84,000 a year — and many such firms feel pushed toward a small private office at AED 5,000-plus, landing nearer AED 42,000 a year for the office alone if they take a modest room. On Al Reem with us, two desks at AED 1,200 come to AED 2,400 a month, or AED 14,400 a year.

Call it AED 42,000 on Al Maryah versus AED 14,400 on Al Reem for the workspace that anchors the licence. That is roughly AED 27,000 freed up in year one — money that goes into marketing, a third hire, or simply your runway. The licence, the law and the courts behind both firms are word-for-word the same.

How much office do you really need?

Before you compare prices, it is worth checking how much space your licence actually requires. Many non-regulated operating companies and tech startups satisfy the registered-office rule with a single desk. SPVs need no physical desk at all. FSRA-regulated firms and certain professional services do need a private office. Matching the requirement to your entity type usually saves more than chasing the cheapest rate. We lay out the rules in our guide on whether you need a physical office in ADGM.

Frequently asked questions

Is the cheaper island a lesser address?

No. Your registered address is an ADGM address on either island. Counterparties, banks and the regulator see "ADGM" — they do not rank Al Reem below Al Maryah. The jurisdiction is one integrated district of over 14 million square metres, and both islands are part of it on equal footing.

Do banks or the FSRA treat an Al Reem company differently?

They do not. Bank account opening is driven by your activity, ownership and documentation, not by which island your desk is on. The FSRA applies one rulebook across the whole jurisdiction. We have not seen a single case where an Al Reem address caused a problem that an Al Maryah address would have avoided.

Can I move to Al Maryah later if I want to?

Yes. Because both islands sit inside the same jurisdiction, changing your registered office is an administrative update with the Registration Authority, not a re-incorporation. Many firms start lean on Al Reem and revisit the question once they have scaled.

Is Al Reem a separate free zone with its own rules?

No, and this is the most common misunderstanding. Al Reem is not a separate free zone — it is part of ADGM itself. There is no parallel set of regulations to learn. One jurisdiction, two islands.

Talk to MY Coworking

Want to see how an Al Reem ADGM address would look for your company? Come spend a day with us on a trial pass and we will walk you through the numbers for your exact licence.

We're on Al Reem Island — 2312 Addax Tower, City of Lights, Abu Dhabi. Email contact@mycoworking.ae to book a tour or get a same-day quote.