Practical guide
DEWA for business premises
DEWA sets commercial deposits from the premises' expected consumption rather than a fixed table, so a small office and a restaurant kitchen are quoted very differently. Residential connections are fixed — AED 2,000 for an apartment, AED 4,000 for a villa — plus an AED 155 activation fee.
In practice
DEWA connection for business premises
How commercial differs from residential
Residential DEWA deposits are published and fixed. Commercial ones are not: the deposit is assessed against the expected load of the premises, which means a flexi-desk in a serviced building has no separate account at all, a small office has a modest one, and anything with a commercial kitchen, workshop or cold storage is assessed on its equipment.
Where it sits in the sequence
DEWA follows Ejari and precedes fit-out. You need the premises number for the Ejari registration, and you need an active supply before civil defence will sign off a fit-out. Businesses that leave utilities to the end discover the dependency at the worst point.
- Commercial deposit
- Assessed on expected consumption — not a fixed figure. Confirm with DEWA for your specific premises.
- Residential deposit
- AED 2,000 apartment, AED 4,000 villa
- Activation fee
- AED 155
- Refundable
- Deposits are refundable on account closure, less any outstanding balance
- Other emirates
- ADDC in Abu Dhabi, SEWA in Sharjah, EtihadWE for several northern emirates
- Serviced offices
- Usually include utilities — no separate DEWA account
The sequence
How it runs.
Register the tenancy
Ejari first — DEWA references the premises number.
Apply for the connection
Through the DEWA app or website, with the tenancy contract, trade licence and identification.
Pay the deposit and activation
The deposit is quoted against the premises; activation is a fixed fee.
Supply activated
Typically within a day for straightforward premises.
Fit-out and civil defence
An active supply is generally required before final sign-off.
Questions
There is no single figure. Commercial deposits are calculated from the expected consumption of the premises, so an office, a warehouse and a restaurant are quoted very differently. Contact DEWA with the premises details for an accurate figure.
Yes, on closing the account, less any outstanding balance. Keep the receipt — reclaiming it years later without one is harder than it should be.
No. Flexi-desks and serviced offices include utilities in the package, and there is no separate account in your company's name.
ADDC in Abu Dhabi, SEWA in Sharjah, and EtihadWE across several of the northern emirates. Each sets its own deposits and processes.
One question
What do you actually need in Dubai?
Mid-band rates are reasonable, but a registered address alone is still better served by a free zone package that bundles the licence and visa allocation.
Compare the 40 authoritiesOr just ask usThis is where a conventional lease starts making sense against a free zone package, particularly with the rent-free periods currently on offer. Compare the all-in cost including fit-out, not the headline rate.
How visa quota worksOr just ask usThen confirm the building before the district. Service charge, chiller and parking allocation vary enormously between towers at the same rate, and the difference shows up in August.
Ejari and DEWA, step by stepOr just ask us