DEWA new connection: deposits, fees and move-in steps

Choose the right DEWA move-in route

For an existing Dubai home, “new connection” usually means activating your electricity and water account when you move in. DEWA calls this Activation of Electricity/Water (Move-in). It is different from a developer applying for infrastructure for a new building.

As of November 2026, DEWA integrates this service with Ejari issuance. For covered tenancies, the information transfers from the registration process and DEWA sends account and deposit-payment details. Owners and tenants in free zones exempt from Ejari use a separate application route.

Find out which route applies before arranging your moving day. For an ordinary registered tenancy, our Ejari guide explains the first step. A signed lease and an issued Ejari certificate are different records.

DEWA deposits and connection fees

DEWA’s move-in service card publishes these deposits. Activation charges depend on meter size. The residential tenant deposit is refundable through the account settlement and refund process. DEWA says an owner’s deposit is refunded only upon sale of the premises. Activation charges are a separate cost.

For small meters, activation is AED 125 plus AED 10 registration, AED 10 knowledge and AED 10 innovation fees: AED 155 altogether. For large meters, AED 300 replaces AED 125, making AED 330. Confirm the meter category on the application.

With small meters, the deposit and activation total AED 2,155 for a flat or AED 4,155 for a villa. These calculated totals exclude future consumption. Check the actual application if your premises or customer category differs. Do not use a standard residential example as the price for a commercial or unusual supply connection.

Keep the DEWA security deposit separate from the landlord’s rental deposit and the Ejari fee. They go to different recipients and follow different refund or settlement processes.

Details and documents to prepare

DEWA lists a valid Ejari number for covered tenants. Its FAQ says a valid Ejari can replace separate document submission in that route. Owners use a title deed or sale and purchase agreement; exempt free-zone tenants use a valid tenancy contract.

• Check the DEWA premises number for the actual unit.
• Keep your Ejari reference or ownership/tenancy evidence available.
• Use your own reachable mobile number and email address.
• Check the customer name and property details before payment.
• Keep the official account and application references for tracking.

The premises number identifies the physical property. Your contract account identifies the supply account. Do not substitute a landlord’s old account number for the new account you need in your own name.

For an Ejari-linked move, ask the property manager to check the contact details it entered. A welcome message sent to an agent’s old email address can make an already-created account appear to be missing from your own records.

If a developer, free-zone manager or owner provides the instructions, compare them with DEWA’s current service card. Ask which customer category and document route they are using rather than guessing from the building’s location.

How to activate electricity and water

After Ejari registration

1. Obtain the issued Ejari certificate and check the tenancy details.
2. Look for DEWA’s welcome notification with the account information and deposit details.
3. Verify those details through DEWA’s official website or application if anything is unclear.
4. Pay the required deposit and activation fees through an official payment channel.
5. Save the receipt and track activation against the payment time.

You do not need to hand a DEWA payment receipt back to the property manager to create Ejari. DEWA’s FAQ describes the integration as starting from the Ejari information.

Owners and other direct applications

Open the official move-in service. Existing customers can use UAE Pass or DEWA ID; the service also has a new-customer route. Complete the property and customer information, submit the required evidence and pay the listed amount.

DEWA allows payment through other channels after submission. If you choose that option, keep track of the outstanding payment. Submitting the form is not the same as paying the deposit and activation charges.

Keep the confirmation reference even if you pay later. It helps distinguish the application from the payment when asking DEWA why a request has not progressed.

How long activation takes and when to follow up

DEWA states electricity and water are activated within 15 working hours after the security deposit and connection fees are paid. Working hours are not the same as a continuous countdown of elapsed hours.

Use the payment receipt to establish when that service window began. A lease-signing date, an Ejari submission date and a DEWA payment date may all be different.

If you have no welcome email, check the contact information and whether an account already exists. DEWA’s FAQ also directs customers without that message to use its website or app. Avoid paying a duplicate request before understanding the first one.

If payment is recorded but activation is delayed, use DEWA’s official support route with the premises number, account reference and receipt. Explain whether the application is pending or marked completed but supply is unavailable.

Once activation is confirmed, check the taps and lights at the correct property. Ask building management about an internal issue if the account is active but a particular fixture does not work. Do not open or alter utility meters yourself.

What your DEWA account does and does not settle

Keep the first bill and compare its account, property and period with your move-in record. Review the actual charges rather than assuming the activation payment paid for ongoing consumption.

Ask the landlord or building manager which services have separate providers or contractual charges. Establish who handles cooling, gas, internet and building access where relevant. This is a property checklist, not a claim that every building uses the same billing model.

Store the DEWA welcome notice, payment receipt and first bill together. They make it easier to answer a later question about the account start or the property connected.

If another organisation asks for a utility bill as address evidence, confirm its own accepted-document requirements. An activation receipt is not necessarily the document it requested.

Move-out, final bill and deposit refund

When you leave, request DEWA’s Deactivation of Electricity/Water (Move-out) service. Handing keys to a landlord does not itself document the utility-account closure.

1. Select the account and planned move-out date carefully.
2. Provide the contact and refund information requested by DEWA.
3. Track the final bill and follow its settlement instructions.
4. Review the security-deposit treatment and any remaining refund.
5. Keep the closure and refund records.

DEWA’s consumer FAQ describes move-to as combining the old-property move-out and new-property move-in. It asks for both the new premises details and the existing account. Check that service if you are moving within Dubai.

DEWA requires previous bills to be paid before move-out. Its card asks for an accessible email and mobile number; for an IBAN refund, the bank beneficiary must match the DEWA customer name.

DEWA says it sends a clearance certificate automatically after final-bill settlement. Eligible residential Ejari cancellations with one premises number also trigger a move-out notification, with clearance shared with the tenant and RERA after settlement. Other account types use DEWA’s direct channels. Check completion rather than treating a request as settled.

A practical handover checklist

Before moving day, confirm the correct unit, the issued Ejari or alternate evidence, the DEWA account and the completed payment. Plan a visit to test supply before deliveries depend on it.

Before leaving a home, keep the meter or account details, handover evidence, move-out request and final settlement together. Close the loop with the utility provider as well as the landlord.

For the wider sequence, use our moving-to-Dubai checklist. Immigration, tenancy registration and utility activation connect to one another, but each has its own evidence of completion.

Official sources

• DEWA — move-in service card — checked 2026-11-12
• DEWA — move-out service card — checked 2026-11-12
• DEWA — consumer FAQs — checked 2026-11-12
• UAE Government — public utilities — checked 2026-11-12