Set Up Electricity, Gas and Water in Portugal: Americans and Britons

To set up electricity, gas and water in Portugal you sign a written supply contract for each service, in your own name, and show a document that proves you live at the address, such as your lease. Electricity and gas are contracted with the supplier you choose, and water with the entity that supplies water where you live.

This guide sits inside the first-year settling-in guide, which puts utilities after the lease and the tax number. It reports what the energy regulator ERSE, the Diário da República and two water utilities say. It is not legal advice, and the supplier that receives your request decides what it accepts within those rules. Nothing we read sets different rules for Americans and Britons.

What did we read, and when is the information from?

We read the pages below on 18 October 2026.

• ERSE, the energy regulator: its pages on contracting electricity (updated 21 August 2026) and gas (updated 6 March 2025), on changing supplier (27 February 2026), on cuts in electricity supply (13 January 2026), on complaints (8 January 2025) and on connecting to the grid (6 January 2020), its social tariff leaflet of January 2025, and its consolidated Commercial Relations Regulation (Regulamento n.º 827/2023, published on 28 July 2023).
• The Diário da República’s consolidated text of Lei n.º 23/96, the essential public services law, whose latest amendment is dated 29 July 2019.
• DGEG, the energy directorate, on the social energy tariff.
• Two water utilities: EPAL, which says it directly supplies only the customers of the city of Lisbon, and the Montijo municipality’s water services. Their pages carry no date.

The most recent date on these pages is 21 August 2026, the update date of ERSE’s electricity contracting page, so that is the date of this guide’s information. Water rules and fees differ by municipality, and we checked only Lisbon and Montijo.

Who signs the contract, the tenant or the owner?

The person who will use the service and pay for it signs. ERSE’s regulation says a supplier’s offer is accepted by an express declaration from the customer “enquanto titular do contrato de fornecimento”, that is, as holder of the supply contract, recorded on a durable medium. The law on essential public services defines the user as the person to whom the provider is bound to supply the service.

For a tenant, the regulation names the lease. Who pays running costs between you and the landlord is set by your lease; our renting guide covers what the Civil Code says about it. For the water, EPAL asks for the property’s tax matrix article and unit and for the owner’s name and tax number whatever your title, and Montijo’s municipal services accept a lease for a rented home.

What documents do the suppliers ask for?

Electricity and gas share one rule. ERSE’s Commercial Relations Regulation, article 21, says the right to sign a supply contract depends on having a document, on paper or electronic, that proves residence, tax domicile or an establishment at the place of consumption. The documents it names are:

• official documents issued by the Portuguese Republic;
• documents issued by the tax authority and by social security institutions;
• invoices for other essential public services that are no more than three months old;
• a lease or another valid title to occupy the property, or equivalents.

If you cannot show one, the regulation says suppliers are bound to refuse the contract. Article 22 adds that the contract must be in writing and must state, among other things, the supplier’s and the customer’s identity, the code of the consumption installation, the start date of supply and any lock-in period.

The regulation does not list a passport or a tax number. A supplier may ask for identification, a NIF or a bank account for direct debit; those details come from the supplier, not from the rule we read. The NIF guide explains how to get the number, and the bank account guide covers the IBAN a direct debit needs.

Water is contracted with the entity that manages the water supply in your municipality. The two we read ask for the following.

EPAL adds that the contract can be signed by the customer, a representative or an attorney, and that direct debit requires the IBAN and a signed SEPA authorization. Montijo adds that a representative needs a signed authorization from the person who will hold the contract. Montijo also lists a loan-for-use contract (comodato) as a way to occupy a home, with a land registry extract.

Do I have to pay a deposit?

For electricity and gas, not when you sign. ERSE’s regulation says that if the customer is a consumer, the supplier may ask for a deposit (caução) only when it restores supply after an interruption caused by the customer’s breach of contract. ERSE’s pages on electricity and gas say the same for household customers. A deposit may be a condition of the contract for larger installations: ERSE gives 41.4 kVA or more for electricity, and non-household customers for gas.

For water, the EPAL and Montijo pages we read do not mention a deposit. EPAL states that signing the contract costs the customer nothing. Ask the water utility for its tariff schedule, since the pages we read give no fees for connection or meter work (Montijo lists the documents for a connection request).

How do I choose an electricity or gas supplier?

ERSE says the electricity market has been fully open since 4 September 2006 and the natural gas market since January 2010, so any consumer may choose a supplier. Consumers who have not chosen are supplied by the supplier of last resort at a transitional tariff set by ERSE. What to check before signing:

• The contract sheet. For electricity up to 41.4 kVA and gas up to 10,000 cubic meters a year, the supplier must hand you a contract sheet (ficha contratual) before you sign. It summarizes the services, whether there is a lock-in period, additional services, indicative prices, billing frequency, tariff option (electricity) and payment methods.
• Additional services. Insurance or technical assistance are not required to get supply, and suppliers must also offer proposals without them.
• Lock-in. ERSE says a lock-in period for consumers cannot exceed 12 months and does not renew automatically. The contract must state any lock-in and the penalty.
• Electricity tariff option. Up to 41.4 kVA you can choose a simple, two-period or three-period tariff. ERSE says the time-of-use periods will change in phases from July 2027.
• Gas consumption band. Gas customers choose one of four bands, from up to 220 cubic meters a year to 1,001 to 10,000, and the network operator reviews the band after the first 12 months.
• Dual offers. Some suppliers sell electricity and gas in one contract; ERSE advises comparing them with separate contracts.
• Comparing. ERSE offers a price simulator, and a simulator for the contracted power.

A contract made at a distance or away from the supplier’s premises can be withdrawn within 14 days without giving a reason, or 30 days if it was made at your home. A contract made by telephone binds you only after you sign or consent in writing, unless you were the one who called to contract.

What if the home has no connection yet?

ERSE says to check first whether the home already has its connection to the grid (wires, poles, space for the meter). If it does, you only need a supply contract. If it does not, ask the distribution network operator for a quote, and the electrical installation must be certified first; ERSE refers to the DGEG for that. Each connection point has a Delivery Point Code (CPE) of 20 digits starting with “PT”, which appears on your contract and invoice and stays the same whichever supplier you use. The connection page we read was last updated in January 2020. The gas pages we read cover connection in a separate page that we did not open.

How do I change the contract, or the holder, after I move in?

If you move into a home that already has a supply, ERSE’s regulation (article 70) says that when the installation changes hands, the previous customer remains contractually responsible until a new supply contract is signed or until the transfer is notified to the supplier in writing. If the new user does not sign a contract within 15 days of the notice, supply may be interrupted after warning. So do not leave the old holder’s contract running: sign your own.

The same regulation says a supplier cannot refuse a new customer because of debts a previous occupant left on the same property, unless it is obvious that the change of holder is meant to avoid paying them. It can refuse if you yourself owe unpaid debts from earlier contracts with the same supplier.

To change something in your own contract, ERSE says to contact your supplier, and that a change may count as a new contract with a new lock-in period. The supplier may change the contract too, but must warn you at least 30 days ahead and tell you that you may terminate without a penalty. Changing the tariff option or time-of-use period must be requested from the supplier and costs nothing, even if a technician must adapt the meter.

Switching supplier needs no separate termination: the new supplier handles it, the process is free and must finish within three weeks, and the old supplier must send a final invoice within six weeks. ADENE, the energy agency, runs the switching process.

Can the supply be cut off?

For electricity, ERSE lists non-payment, no access to the meter, force majeure, safety or service reasons, passing energy to third parties and fraud as reasons. For non-payment, the supplier must send a written warning 20 days ahead stating the cause, how to avoid the cut and the costs. For household customers, supply is first reduced to 1.15 kVA, where there is access to the installation, with at least five days’ written notice, and can be interrupted 20 days after the reduction. A cut cannot happen on a Friday, the eve of a holiday, a holiday or a weekend. After payment or a payment agreement, supply must be restored within six hours for consumers up to 41.4 kVA, not counting midnight to 8 a.m., or 12 hours if the meter is not yet a smart meter.

The essential public services law applies to water, electricity, gas, electronic communications and other services. Its article 5 says the provider must warn you in writing at least 20 days before suspending for late payment, and cannot suspend one service for non-payment of another, even on the same invoice, unless they are functionally inseparable. Article 10 says the right to be paid for a service expires six months after it is provided, and that a payment demand must reach you in writing at least 10 working days before the payment deadline.

Is there a social tariff?

There is a social energy tariff for electricity and gas, and Lisbon has a social water tariff. DGEG says the energy tariff is a discount on the network access tariff, and that since 1 July 2016 it is granted by automatic recognition: DGEG builds the list of beneficiaries from the data sent by energy companies after checking eligibility with the tax authority and social security.

ERSE’s January 2025 leaflet says the holder of the supply contract must be the beneficiary, the supply must be for household consumption in a permanent home, and electricity power is capped at 6.9 kVA. For electricity, it lists the entitlement as being or being able to be a beneficiary of certain social benefits, or an annual income up to 6,272.64 euros plus 50% for each household member without income, including the holder, up to a maximum of 10. For gas, it gives only the list of benefits, and the supply must be low pressure and not exceed 500 cubic meters a year. That is the January 2025 text: check DGEG for the current figures. The leaflet says that if you think you qualify and your supplier does not tell you, you can ask social security or the tax authority for proof and give it to the supplier. The pages we read say nothing specific about newcomers, so ask DGEG or your supplier how your situation is treated.

EPAL’s social water tariff offers discounts it says can reach 95% for households whose gross income is below 75% of the annual value of the guaranteed minimum monthly wage, proven by the annual income tax return or a certificate from the tax office, and is renewed every two years. Other municipalities set their own tariffs; the pages we read do not cover them.

Who do I complain to?

ERSE says to start with your supplier, using the channels in your contract. If the supplier does not answer or you are not satisfied, you can file a complaint or request for information in the electronic complaints book (Livro de Reclamações Eletrónico). ERSE receives a copy of every complaint and of the answer, which the supplier must send within 15 working days. The paper complaints book remains mandatory in establishments open to the public. If you disagree with the answer, or get none in time, you can ask ERSE to step in. These ERSE pages cover energy. For water, we could not read the water regulator, ERSAR, because its website was unavailable on the day, so ask your water utility how to complain.

More guides on this site: proving your address with a lease, a utility bill or a certificate.

Official pages read

For what a household can spend on energy and housing in official figures, see our guide to the cost of living in Portugal.

We read, on 18 October 2026: the ERSE pages on contracting electricity and gas, on changing supplier, on cuts in electricity supply, on complaints and on connecting to the electricity grid; ERSE’s social tariff leaflet of January 2025 and its consolidated Commercial Relations Regulation (Regulamento n.º 827/2023); the consolidated Lei n.º 23/96 on the Diário da República; the DGEG page on the social energy tariff; EPAL’s page on new water contracts; and the Montijo municipal page on contracts. We did not read the ERSE page on cuts in gas supply, the DGEG frequently asked questions, ERSAR or the water rules of any other municipality.