Getting Dewa/ Adwea/ Sewa/ Fewa (Water and Electricity)

If you know what to do, this is a very simple procedure and takes about an hour in total to complete. The Water and Electricity Authority will take about two days to put your power on so factor in this time before you move in.

You will need you passport, visa and copies and 1,000 dirhams in cheque or cash for a deposit. You will also need your tenancy contract and your landlord’s passport or visa copy.

These need to be taken down to the offices, you wait in a queue for what seems like years and when it’s your turn it should be a simple data entry process.

In Dubai, you can register online for DEWA once you’ve got your customer service number. It takes about a week to get approved but after that you never have to see a DEWA office again and can pay your bills at home. You could also pay at some petrol stations,

In Abu Dhabi you can call 800 555 for all government-related questions. The staff will be helpful and usually speak excellent English.

These are the numbers for ADWEA Abu Dhabi Contact Centre: 800 2332 and Al Ain Contact Centre: 800 9008. However Abu Dhabi government employees very seldom have to pay for their rent, water or electricity and usually Abu Dhabi residents will have water and electricity included in their rent.

I’ll do a list of offices for DEWA below and other authorities also, if I can find them!

It’s is a similar procedure for getting a Du/ Etisalat home service and you also need a deposit to start one of these also.

What I would suggest is always keep a copy of your landlord’s passport and visa, your passport copy and via, your tenancy contract and passport pictures in your car. Its ridiculous the amount of times you need your passport copy or passport pictures to get things done here and just makes life all the more simpler.

These are DEWA office opening times. The number for the main operator is 04 601 9999. If I’ve left anything out, feel free to leave a comment or email.

#	Customer Service Centres	Opening Timings
1.	Head Office(Al Garhoud)	Saturday to Thursday 7:30 AM to 8:00 PM
2.	Al Hudaiba Centre	Sunday to Thursday 7:30 AM to 8:00 PM Saturday 7:30 AM to 2:00 PM
3.	Burj Nahar Centre	Saturday to Thursday 7:30 AM to 8:00 PM
4.	Customer Service Centre at Dubai Municipality - Al Manara Centre	Sunday to Thursday 7:30 AM to 2:00 PM
5.	Customer Service Centre at Dubai Municipality – Al Twar Centre	Sunday to Thursday 7:30 AM to 8:00 PM Saturday 7:30 AM to 2:00 PM
6.	Customer Service Centre at General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs - Head Quarter	Sunday to Thursday 7:30 AM to 2:00 PM
7.	Customer Service Centre at General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs - Jebel Ali	Sunday to Thursday 7:30 AM to 2:00 PM
8.	Umm Ramool Centre	Sunday to Thursday 7:30 AM to 8:00 PM Saturday 7:30 AM to 2:00 PM
9.	Ayal Nasir Centre	Sunday to Thursday 7:30 AM to 8:00 PM Saturday (Bill Payment Only) 7:30 AM to 2:00 PM
10.	Al Wasl Centre	Saturday to Thursday 7:30 AM to 8:00 PM
11.	Discovery Gardens Centre	Sunday to Thursday 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM
12.	Jebel Ali Industrial Area Centre	Sunday to Thursday 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM

Public Transport Versus Car

Before I start, I would just like to say thank you to everyone who has been reading this blog since I started it a couple months ago. If the stats are correct, hundreds have read it so far and I hope it’s been helpful in giving you an understanding of what the UAE is like.

Most people in the UAE prefer to use cars, the government has been doing its best over the last couple of years to encourage people to use the metro and bus system and it has been a somewhat successful campaign because of the economic advantages.

Using the metro is really good for the environment and should absolutely be encouraged, which is what I would like to do in this post. But I have to admit if you’ve got guests, you will need a car.

Also, after speaking to regular metro users a lot, I find saving cash is one of big advantages of taking the metro and bus system for the moment.

Personally, on average I use the metro to work two out of five days in the week. Some weeks I use it every day, but usually its not always possible because I regularly have out of town guests and its not convenient lugging them around on the metro.

The only reason I can use the metro with reasonable ease is that the station is a ten-minute walk from my apartment block and then a ten-minute walk from my stop to my offices.

This is one of the reasons why taking the metro is difficult in Dubai: the lack of pavements. There are very few places to walk in Dubai and doing so can be quite dangerous because you will encounter roadworks in quite a large part of the city, which also makes walking a dusty experience.

This means you will have to take one of the many feeder buses that the RTA provides, which aren’t always available because they’re tend to be quite late.

This is a serious hindrance to an otherwise excellent system, the metro itself is always on time, always clean and very cheap. The cheapest in the world, we were told when it started up two years ago, though I am not sure if this is still true.

Buses in the city have gotten better and even cheaper than the metro but they are possibly the slowest mode of transport in the UAE. The buses are clean, air-conditioned and women get priority seating. But this mode is for people who will leave home 2 hours before they need to get into work. Also, the RTA drivers are always falling asleep and they drive ridiculously fast, so avoid it if you’re prone to motion sickness.

In Abu Dhabi, the bus drivers are much nicer and the buses seem cleaner, possibly because they are newer. The bus service are fewer than in Dubai, but they are more likely to be on time.

I have no idea about Sharjah bus services, but am sure it’s awful. Sorry, ignore that. That’s just my Sharjah bias.

Of course, one could always hire a taxi if you don’t want to buy a car but because of the high monthly cost, you may as well buy a car.

If I lived in Bur Dubai but worked in Deira, I would take a water taxi across the creek to work, or an abra. They’re cheap, convenient and just a lovely way to travel.

What I would suggest if you’re moving over and would like to use public transport rather than buy a car is make sure your apartment is very close to a metro station with a good walking area, and if your office is too, that’s a bonus. The main malls and places you’re likely to go have metro stations attached to them, which is useful. And, if you get guests but not very often, just hire a car for the week or however long they’re staying. You could hire a car for around 1800 dirhams a month, which is quite affordable.

Transferring your drivers license:

Most European, South African, Australian driving licenses are transferable in the UAE. All you need is a valid eye test, both the card and paper part and a nominal amount of money for typing. If you go to one of the many conveniently located RTA license offices, you will be able to convert your license. If you can’t do an eye test anywhere, there should be facilities at the RTA office. Depending on the time of day, the entire process including eye test shouldn’t take more than an hour.