Who supplies water in a Portuguese municipality?

There is no single national water company in Portugal. The operator depends on the municipality, and the way to request a new connection (ramal de ligação) is set by that operator.

Who can be the operator

In the municipalities covered by this site, water is supplied in one of four ways. Always check which one applies to your address before you start.

A municipal service or the city council itself, for example the Municipality of Espinho or the Municipality of Loulé.
A municipal water service (serviços municipalizados, SMAS), for example SMAS de Sintra.
A municipal company, for example Águas e Energia do Porto, AGERE in Braga or EMARP in Portimão.
A company running the service under a concession or partnership with the municipality, for example Águas de Alenquer or the Aveiro regional system described by the municipality of Estarreja.

The regulator, ERSAR, publishes a list of the operators it oversees. It is a good place to check the exact name of your operator: ERSAR operator list.

How a new connection usually starts

The first step is almost always a request to the operator, made online, by phone or at a counter. Examples from the operators on this site:

Sintra: the request for the water branch (ramal de abastecimento de água) is made on the digital counter or at a SMAS counter.
Portimão: owners must request the connection branch with the operator's form, and the request is subject to payment.
Lisboa: EPAL handles new connections through a connection file (processo ou ficha de ligação), with a quote to pay before the branch is built.
Espinho: the branch request (requerimento de pedido de ramal) comes first, then the contract form.
Porto: a new contract can be requested on the digital counter, by phone or in person, and building works are treated as a separate case with their own documents.

What operators usually ask for

Each operator publishes its own list. Items that appear on several pages include:

An identity document and tax number (and a commercial certificate for companies).
A location plan of the property.
An up-to-date property record (caderneta predial).
For a building under construction or renovation: the works licence or the reply to the prior communication of works.

Rules and fees can differ from one municipality to the next, so use the tariff page of your own operator. Each municipality page on this site links to it where the operator publishes one.

Who builds the branch

Some operators carry out the branch themselves and quote the price. Others allow direct execution under their rules. For example, Vimágua publishes a procedure for authorisation to build branches by direct administration. Ask your operator which option applies to you.

Where the water comes from

In some regions municipalities belong to a regional multi-municipal system. The municipality of São Brás de Alportel, for example, describes its membership of the multi-municipal water supply system of the Algarve. Your own operator, shown on the municipality page, is the contact for a house connection. See the São Brás de Alportel water page.

Find your municipality

This site covers 30 municipalities in the districts of Porto, Braga, Aveiro, Lisboa and Faro. Pick yours from the list to see the operator, the official page for a connection request and the phone number published by the operator.