A DEWA clearance certificate confirms that nothing is owed on a Dubai premises, and DEWA sends it to your registered email automatically once the final bill is settled. Move-out deactivation starts from AED 125 for small meters, and DEWA disconnects the supply within 24 working hours of the date you choose.
The trap in a Dubai move-out is not the certificate. It is the gap between the day you plan to leave and the day DEWA actually reads the meter — because the final bill only starts moving after the disconnection, and the certificate only moves after the bill is paid.
Three sequential waits, each measured in working hours, stacked against a handover date your landlord already has in writing. Get the order right and the whole exit fits inside a few days.
What is a DEWA clearance certificate in Dubai?
DEWA describes the clearance certificate as a request to issue a certificate, on the customer's request, confirming that all outstanding bills related to the premises have been cleared. Landlords, property managers and buyers treat it as proof that the property carries no utility debt.
DEWA's Request for Clearance Certificate page offers four routes: customers with an online user ID, customers with no online user ID, non-DEWA customers requesting a certificate for submission to courts, and a separate service for verifying a certificate that has already been issued.
How do you get a DEWA clearance certificate when you move out?
On a normal move-out you do not request it at all. DEWA states plainly on its move-out service page that the clearance certificate will be sent automatically upon settlement of the final bill.
What you submit instead is the deactivation request, which can be done with a login or without one.
- With login — sign in with a DEWA user ID or UAE PASS, pick the contract account, pay anything outstanding, then choose the move-out date and time and the refund method for the security deposit.
- Without login — enter the DEWA contract account number and the nine-digit premise number, take the verification code sent to your registered email or mobile, then complete the same steps.
How long does a DEWA move-out take in Dubai?
DEWA publishes each step separately, and the three waits run one after another rather than at the same time.
The final bill is immediately due on receipt, so the certificate is gated on how fast you pay rather than on how fast DEWA works.
How much does a DEWA move-out cost in Dubai?
DEWA lists the deactivation charge from AED 125 for disconnecting electricity and water on small meters, with a higher charge for large meters, alongside a knowledge fee and an innovation fee. Thukher cardholders and Sanad cardholders are entitled to a 50 per cent discount on the deactivation charge. Every figure here is from DEWA's own Deactivation of Electricity/Water (Move-out) page.
Does Ejari cancellation or the DEWA move-out come first in Dubai?
For a residential property with a single premise number, the Ejari cancellation comes first and DEWA follows it. DEWA states that once the property owner requests the Ejari cancellation, it proactively sends the tenant a link to settle the balance, select the deactivation date and time, and choose the refund method.
Our guide to cancelling Ejari in Dubai covers the Dubai Land Department side, including which channel is open to you and when the landlord's letter is genuinely required.
What state does the property have to be in before the final reading?
DEWA takes a final meter reading on the date you choose, which means the flat has to be empty and done with by then. In practice the move-out clean is booked against the DEWA date, not against the handover date, because there is no second chance once the power is off.
That order matters for the deposit too. Our guide to Dubai security deposit and move-out cleaning rules sets out what a Dubai landlord can and cannot deduct at handover, and why an invoice from the company that did the work is worth more in a deposit argument than a receipt from a friend with a van.
Booking that clean is where most people lose money, because they call two numbers off a Google search and take the cheaper one without knowing what either should cost.
TaskRight is a verified, zero-commission home services platform in the UAE. Describe the job once, and RightPro-verified companies come back with their own prices. Nobody takes a cut of their work, so nothing is added to yours. You hire whoever you want, directly — and it costs nothing to find out what the job should cost.
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Frequently asked questions about the DEWA clearance certificate in Dubai
What is a DEWA clearance certificate in Dubai?
A DEWA clearance certificate is the document confirming that all outstanding bills related to a Dubai premises have been cleared. DEWA describes it as a certificate issued on the customer's request after clearing the outstanding bills for the property, and landlords, property managers and buyers ask for it before a handover, a sale or an Ejari cancellation.
How do I get a DEWA clearance certificate in Dubai?
Most people never request one. DEWA states that on a move-out, the clearance certificate is sent automatically once the final bill is settled. Where a standalone certificate is needed, DEWA offers separate routes for customers with an online user ID, customers without one, and non-DEWA customers requesting a certificate for submission to courts.
How much does a DEWA move-out cost in Dubai?
DEWA's move-out service page lists disconnection of electricity and water from AED 125 for small meters, with a separate charge for large meters, plus a knowledge fee and an innovation fee. Thukher and Sanad cardholders are entitled to a 50 per cent discount on the deactivation charge.
How long does a DEWA clearance certificate take in Dubai?
DEWA deactivates the supply within 24 working hours of the date and time you select, then sends the final bill by email and SMS within 24 working hours of that disconnection. The clearance certificate follows automatically once the final bill is settled. DEWA counts working hours as Monday to Saturday, 7am to 8pm.
What happens to the DEWA security deposit when you move out of Dubai?
DEWA adjusts the security deposit against the final bill. Where the final bill is larger than the deposit you pay the difference, and where the deposit is larger you are refunded by IBAN, by cheque, or by transfer to another active DEWA account. The refund method is chosen when the move-out request is submitted.
