Starting an interior design firm in Abu Dhabi is a comparatively straightforward professional consultancy licence through ADDED, without the additional health, safety or facility approvals that regulated activities require.
Licensing options
An interior design firm can typically be licensed as a professional consultancy activity through ADDED for a mainland licence, or through a suitable Abu Dhabi free zone if a specific creative-district address is not essential to the business.
If the firm also undertakes physical fit-out or construction work directly, rather than design consultancy alone, an additional contracting-related activity may be required — confirm whether your firm's scope includes hands-on fit-out execution or design consultancy only.
Costs and timeline
As a professional consultancy activity without special approvals, an interior design firm's licensing cost and timeline are generally comparable to other consultancy businesses. Model your case with this site's Business Setup Cost Calculator, and see Free Zone vs Mainland Tool to compare mainland against a suitable free zone for your specific client base.