Setting Up Utilities

What to do on day one

Before unpacking, photograph every meter (electricity, water, gas) and record the reading. This is your ground-zero proof for any disputes with the previous tenant or the utility. Then start the transfers — utilities in the previous occupant's name will be cut off automatically within weeks.

Electricity

Portugal has a fully liberalised electricity market — you choose any retailer, all delivering power through the same E-Redes grid.

• Common retailers: EDP Comercial, Galp Power, Endesa, Iberdrola, Goldenergy, Repsol
• Documents to sign up: NIF, IBAN for direct debit, copy of lease or escritura, CPE number (printed on the meter and on previous bills)
• Activation: 2–10 working days for a name change, longer for a brand-new connection
• Bills: monthly, with an annual reading; ask for 'fatura digital' to avoid the postal-paper fee

Gas

Three options depending on your apartment:

• Bottled gas (botija): swap empty cylinders at the local shop or via home delivery for ~€30 each; common in older buildings
• Piped natural gas: same retailers as electricity, often as a dual-fuel discount
• All-electric: many newer flats have no gas at all — water heating is via heat pump or thermal solar

Water

Water is municipal, not free-market. Visit (or call) your câmara municipal's água service with your lease, NIF and ID to put the account in your name. Some municipalities (EPAL in Lisbon, Águas do Porto in Porto) handle it online via Chave Móvel Digital. Bills arrive monthly or bi-monthly and are typically very low (€15–€40/month for a couple).

Internet and TV

Covered in detail in the dedicated guide. In short: don't sign a 24-month bundle until you've lived in the apartment a few weeks and confirmed which providers actually have fibre on your street (run myMEO and Vodafone's coverage checks with the building number).

Waste, condomínio and TV licence

Bin collection is paid as a small line on your water bill — no separate bill. Condomínio (HOA) bills come from the building administrator, usually monthly. Portugal has no household TV licence equivalent — the contribuição audiovisual (~€3/month) is charged on every electricity bill regardless.

Transferring or closing on move-out

When you leave, request a 'cessação de contrato' in writing (email is fine) at least 15 days before the move-out date, send a final meter photo, and confirm the closing bill. Don't just stop paying — the debt follows you and damages your Portuguese credit record.