Dubai: When you arrive in the UAE for the first time as a resident, you need to apply for your electricity and water connection soon after you have finalised on a place to stay.
In the UAE, there are four authorities catering to different emirates and depending on which emirate you are living in, you will need to follow different processes to get a connection. Here is a detailed breakdown of all you need to know and do.
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi’s electricity and water connection is completely integrated with the municipality and residential contract. Once you attest your residential contract (Tawtheeq), Abu Dhabi Distribution Company (ADDC) will be automatically informed about the new connection. Two days before the contract is expected to start, simply call ADDC on their toll free number 800 2332 to confirm that they have received the request.
What are the set up charges?
A security deposit of Dh1,000 (regardless of the type of residential unit) needs to be paid with the first bill.
How can I pay?
There are several ways in which you can pay your bills.
- Abu Dhabi’s electricity and water connection is completely integrated with the municipality and residential contract. Once you attest your residential contract (Tawtheeq), Abu Dhabi Distribution Company (ADDC) will be automatically informed about the new connection. Two days before the contract is expected to start, simply call ADDC on their toll free number 800 2332 to confirm that they have received the request. What are the set up charges? A security deposit of Dh1,000 (regardless of the type of residential unit) needs to be paid with the first bill. How can I pay? There are several ways in which you can pay your bills.
- You can also call ADDC and pay the bill over the phone by calling 800 2332 and using a credit card.
- Send a cheque to ADDC’s postal address, which is on top of each bill that you receive.
- Banks like ADCB and NBAD as well as several money exchanges have tied up with ADDC and offer bill payment services.
- If you have a registered account with Abu Dhabi government’s official website – abudhabi.ae – you can also pay there.
- At any post office in the UAE.
For any queries related to ADDC, you can call 800 2332
Dubai
Once you have selected a flat or villa in Dubai, you will need to get your tenancy contract registered online – referred to as the Ejari – from the land department in Dubai.
What is Ejari?
According to Dubai's Real Estate Regulatory Authority, registration through Ejari is a simple process requiring little technical knowledge and that only the basic details of agreements are entered. These include information such as details of the property, the name of the rental company, and terms of the agreement. Once the agreement is entered into the system and registered it is allocated a unique barcode which acts as its reference throughout the life of the contract.
Since 2016, Ejari has been linked to all Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) services and as soon as you get your Ejari contract, you will receive a link to register for a Dewa connection. Follow the steps in the link to set up your connection online, without the need to visit any customer happiness centre.
What are the set up charges?
For a flat, the refundable security deposit is Dh2,000 and the activation fee is Dh130.
For a villa in Dubai, the security deposit is Dh4,000 and the activation fee is Dh130.
When you apply for a cancellation of the connection, you will receive the security deposit back through any of the approved Dewa channels., If you make the cancellation request online, you can receive the deposit refund either to your bank account or through a Western Union branch, if you want to receive the refund in cash. If you apply for the disconnection at any of the customer happiness centres, you can come back to the happiness centre once the cancellation has been processed to get the refund in cash.
How can I pay?
There are several ways in which you can pay your Dewa bill:
- Dewa’s website – dewa.gov.ae – or app, using your credit card.
- Online banking services, with various banks allowing payment of the Dewa bill.
- Mpay, a Dubai Smart Government service.
- Etisalat payment machines or other payment machines available in public places like malls.
- For cash payments, residents can pay at any Enoc or Eppco petrol station or Zoom supermarkets or any of the Dewa customer happiness centres.
For any queries related to Dewa, you can call 04 601 9999.
Sharjah
Visit any of the Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (Sewa) customer service centres to apply for a new connection.
Which documents do I need to provide?
- Original Tenancy Contract duly signed by the Landlord and Tenant.
- Copy of Trade License or Commercial Registration (Commercial/Industrial)
- Inspection Report of the Economic Department and Approval of the Tenancy Contract. (Commercial/Industrial)
- Copy of the new Tenant’s emirates ID
- Last Clearance Certificate of the premise
What are the charges?
While there are no service charges, a deposit needs to be made based on the residential unit, which will be informed by Sewa.
Other emirates
The Federal Electricity and Water Authority (Fewa) offers electricity and water connection for Ajman, Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain, Fujairah and Al Dhaid.
Fewa has also moved all its services online. New residents can visit fewa.gov.ae and register a new account. Once you have created a new account using your email address and a password, you will need to log into the account.
Then in the Service section, request for ‘Service activation’. Upload a copy of your Emirates ID, attach your tenancy contract and provide your full name and mobile number.
Once you send the request, wait for 24 hours for the account to be activated and another 24 hours for electricity and water meter.
What are the set up charges?
These are the deposits, based on the type of residential unit
- Studio flat – Dh1,500
- One or two bedroom flat – Dh2,000
- Villa – Dh2,000 or more depending on the villa. It is advisable to check with Fewa for the exact fee.
For any queries related to Fewa, call 800 3392
With all the electricity and water authorities in the UAE adopting integrated methods and automation to provide and cancel connections, managing your power and water accounts has become a hassle-free experience.
