Opening a gym or fitness centre in Abu Dhabi involves a sports/fitness-services activity licence through ADDED, alongside civil defence approval given occupancy and equipment safety considerations specific to a gym floor.
Licensing and approvals
A fitness centre typically needs ADDED's sports and recreational-services activity licence, plus civil defence (fire safety) approval, and specialised programmes (personal training, group classes, martial arts, swimming) may require instructor certifications as part of the operating approval.
Mainland requirements
A gym serving walk-in members at a physical Abu Dhabi location generally needs a mainland licence through ADDED, since a retail/service-facing fitness business is not typically suited to a free zone licence alone.
Costs and timeline
Costs are driven heavily by premises size and equipment — a small studio and a full gym with multiple equipment zones and locker rooms are very different budgets beyond the base licensing cost. Model your licensing cost with this site's Business Setup Cost Calculator, and budget separately for fit-out, equipment and civil defence compliance.