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Setting Up Water in Portugal

Researched and written with AI tools from official sources. How we make our guides

How to put the water contract in your name in Portugal: finding your water company, documents, meter readings, social tariffs, and moving out.

The Portugal Brief 7 min read

Setting Up Water in Portugal

Last verified: October 2026.

Who this is for

  • You have rented or bought a home and need the water contract in your name.
  • You want to understand your water bill, meter readings, or a social or family tariff.
  • You are moving out and want to close the contract properly.

Not for you if: your home is not on the public water network and you want to drill for water. Read Sinking a Water Borehole in Portugal instead.

In Portugal, water is a municipal service. You cannot choose your provider: you sign with the water company or council department that serves your municipality (concelho). You bring an ID document, your tax number (NIF), proof that you occupy the home, and the current meter reading. In Porto and Lisbon, signing the contract is free. Your bill usually also covers sewage and waste collection. By law you get a monthly bill, and a provider cannot charge you for renting the meter.

How water supply works

Each municipality decides who runs its water. It may be a council department, the council's municipal services (serviços municipalizados), a municipal company, or a company the council appoints. That body is the only one that can sign a water contract for your address.

In some rentals, the landlord keeps the water contract and recharges you, or includes water in the rent. Agree which before you sign the lease. See Signing a Rental Lease in Portugal.

Step 1: find your water company

  • Ask the landlord or seller for a recent water bill. It names the provider and shows the customer and meter details.
  • Search your council's website for "contrato de água" or "serviço de águas".
  • Ask at the council's front desk or your parish council (junta de freguesia).

In Porto, for example, the provider is Águas do Porto. In Lisbon city, it is EPAL.

Step 2: gather your documents

Lists differ slightly between providers. These two examples show what to expect.

Águas do Porto asks for:

  • an ID document (Citizen Card or passport)
  • your NIF
  • proof that you occupy the home: deed, purchase agreement, or lease
  • the current meter reading, if you are taking over an existing supply
  • bank details, if you pay by bank transfer or direct debit

EPAL in Lisbon asks for:

  • an ID document (Citizen Card, passport, or driving licence) and your NIF
  • the meter reading, preferably as a photo, if a meter is installed
  • proof that you occupy the home, such as a lease, loan for use agreement (comodato), deed, or promissory purchase contract, with the property's tax registration reference and unit
  • the owner's name and NIF
  • your IBAN and a signed direct debit authorisation, if you pay that way

Someone else can sign for you as your representative.

Step 3: sign the contract

  1. Contact your water company. Águas do Porto signs contracts at its customer counters. EPAL has an online form and shops. Other councils may work online, by email, or in person.
  2. Photograph the meter on the day you get the keys, with the date visible, and give that reading.
  3. Choose how to pay. Direct debit avoids missed payments.
  4. Ask for bills by email if you prefer.
  5. If you qualify, ask for the social or family tariff at the same time (see below).
  6. Keep your contract and customer number.

Águas do Porto and EPAL both say the contract itself is free. Other providers set their own charges, so check your provider's page.

Your water bill

What it covers. The bill usually includes water supply, sewage (saneamento), and waste collection (resíduos). The water price per cubic metre usually rises in tiers (escalões) as you use more. One cubic metre is 1,000 litres.

Your rights on bills. The law on essential public services covers water, sewage, and waste. Under it:

  • You have the right to a monthly bill that lists each service and its tariff.
  • The provider cannot charge minimum consumption, or any rent, amortisation, or inspection charge for the meter.
  • It cannot refuse your payment for one service billed with others. It also cannot cut your water for an unpaid bill for another service, unless the two cannot work apart.
  • It must tell you in writing at least 10 working days before a payment deadline.

As an example of prices, EPAL's 2026 tariffs show a household using 5 m³ a month paying €8.14 for water and the meter charge, before sewage, waste, and taxes. Other providers charge more or less.

Meter readings and estimated bills

When no meter reading is available, your bill may be based on an estimate. To pay for what you really use, send your own reading regularly. Ask your provider how. EPAL, for example, takes readings through its online customer area and its app.

Your own readings do not replace the company's readings. EPAL says it may not accept a reading that is far from your usual use, and it tells you if it does not.

Old bills. A provider must claim payment within six months of supplying the water. If you underpaid, even by the provider's mistake, it has six months from that payment to claim the difference. Raise this with the provider in writing if an old bill arrives.

Social and family tariffs

Many water companies offer a social tariff (tarifa social) for low-income households and a family tariff (tarifa familiar) for large households. The rules differ by provider. EPAL's are an example.

EPAL's family tariff is for households of five or more people. Higher use is charged at lower tiers, so a large family is not pushed into the most expensive tier. You show your annual tax return (IRS) or a large family card (Cartão das Famílias Numerosas).

EPAL's social tariff is for households whose gross income is below 75% of the yearly minimum wage. The first 15 m³ a month are charged at the lowest tier, and the €5.82 monthly meter charge is waived. You show your IRS return and assessment note, or a certificate of your income from the tax office if you do not file. It must be renewed every two years.

Ask your own water company what it offers, and bring the same kind of proof.

Leaks and pipes

Pipes inside your home are not the water company's responsibility. In EPAL's area, for example, the owner or tenant looks after the pipes and taps inside the home, the pipe from the building's riser to the flat, and the area around the meter. EPAL looks after the public network and the connection up to the property boundary.

If your bill jumps, check for leaks: turn off every tap and see whether the meter still moves. Ask your provider whether it reduces the bill after a repaired hidden leak, and keep the plumber's invoice.

If your water is cut off

A provider cannot cut your supply without proper notice, except in an emergency. If you are behind on payment, it must warn you in writing at least 20 days before the cut. The warning must say why, how to avoid the cut, and how to get the water back. Pay or agree a payment plan as soon as you can.

Moving out

Close the contract formally. Do not just leave.

  1. Tell the water company in advance. EPAL asks for at least three days' notice, online, in a shop, or by letter.
  2. Give the date, the address, your customer number, and where to send the final bill.
  3. Be at the property if the company needs to close the supply. At EPAL, if it cannot get in, the contract stays open.
  4. Give a final meter reading, with a photo.

If you do not tell the company, you stay responsible for the bills at that address. When you move, see Changing Your Registered Address in Portugal.

If something goes wrong

  1. Complain to the water company in writing and keep a copy.
  2. Use the electronic complaints book (Livro de Reclamações) at livroreclamacoes.pt.
  3. If the problem is still not solved, contact ERSAR, the national water and waste regulator.

For electricity, gas, and internet at the same address, see Setting Up Utilities in Portugal. For piped gas, see Setting Up Natural Gas in Portugal.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Prices and rules change; check the official source and your water company's own page before you act.

Sources

This guide is written from official sources and, where relevant, organisations' own websites.

Last verified October 2026. Rules and fees change; check the official source before acting.

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