Just this August, 2023, we moved to Muwailah Commercial, the New Muwailah. Coming from Old Muwailah with monthly rental tenancy, the application for SEWA for an annual tenancy is new for us. The office of our new place required us to process SEWA on our own. That means connection for water, electricity, and gas are all our part.
From the office instructions, everything seemed to be very easy.
And so I thought.
Until I started the legwork!
One thing was common from all the departments I was asked to go to: all their answers to my questions varied from person to person! They differ in their responses! Just when the officer you are talking to tells you that you only need this and that paper to present to the next department, you’d be surprised that the next department will ask something else instead!
So. Tons of patience, so I thought.
But for all of you who landed on my page and are really in need of some guidance, well, here’s your lucky day! Am not gonna let you experience what I experienced!
STEPS IN REQUESTING FOR THE CONNECTION AND ACTIVATION OF YOUR SEWA IN SHARJAH, UAE
1. Ask your landlord’s office for all the papers needed for SEWA application. They know it and they will give it. However, on my part, they had to wait for me to ask for the meter readings! And I only realized the necessity of these when I got to the Typing Center.
(All papers are in Arabic so use the Google Translate app and use the camera, focus it on the Arabic words and it will automatically translate it for you so you can read what’s written there.)
a. Tenancy Contract (in Arabic) - make sure this is signed by both the landlord and you. NOTE: Your signature must match your EID! The Sharjah Municipality via Tasheel rejected mine because the signature of my partner on the contract didn’t match her EID! She had to take a short break from work and hurry to where I was just to sign again!
b. Landlord’s EID
c. Tenant’s VISA and EID
d. Plotting (in Arabic)
e. Registration paper (in Arabic)
2. Go to the Typing Center! In my case, our landlord’s office did not tell me to do this! She said go to SEWA right after! So when I went to SEWA, the officer said ‘New applicant must do an application ONLINE first’. That means go to the Typing Center!
So I did. For 15aed, the Typing Center did the SEWA online application for me. But first, I was asked for meter readings! Electric meter reading, Water meter reading, and Gas meter reading!
So I had to message my landlord’s office secretary. She had to make me wait for about 15 minutes because she still had to ask the watchman to do the reading, wait for his message, and forward it to me. Then, I forwarded it to the Typing Center via WhatsApp. When the application was over, the Typing Center forwarded to me the receipt via WhatsApp. It shows the application number.
3. After the online registration, I went back to SEWA with the application number. I then showed the papers that I brought from the landlord’s office plus the Application receipt with the application number on it.
The SEWA officer then indicated on the 2nd page of the Contract the Electricity Account Number, indicating both the new and old numbers. Then I was asked to go to Sharjah Municipality. Luckily, a man standing in the queue heard it and told me to go instead to Tasheel as all processing for government papers are being done there.
4. Upon arrival at Tasheel, show all your papers to the Reception desk. You will be given a counter number and be told how much you are to pay later.
5. When it's your turn, this is where all the information on the papers will be checked and re-checked, especially the signatures. Signatures in the contract must match the signatures in the EID. Otherwise, the signee will have to repeat the signature beside the rejected one and sign also on the passport/EID copy.
6. Tasheel will then issue a tab with the amount you have to pay to the Cashier.
7. Present the tab to the Cashier who will ask if you have a Sharjah card that is being used in paying government transactions. If you don’t, you need to pay an additional 14aed for the card. Pay the fee to the Cashier and the payment will be reflected in the card.
8. Give the card to the Tasheel where you gave your papers.
9. Your attested tenancy contract will then be issued.
10. Go back to SEWA, and have the attested contract signed and stamped by the SEWA Head.
11. Go to SEWA 24/7 office and request the activation of electricity and water. Show your papers. It will be activated in 24 hours or less.
12. Call 991 and request for activation of Gas. They will book a gas serviceman who will call you for the scheduling of the visit.
13. NOTE: Our building closes its Gas room after 6 p.m. The Gas Service Men need to enter the Gas room so make sure that the gas room in your building is open when they come. Coordinate with your watchman and the Gas Service Men first.
After you have done all the above, you’ll be good to go! Congratulations on your hassle-free leg work!