Setting Up Electricity, Water, Gas and Internet in Türkiye as a Foreigner: Step-by-Step Guide for Muğla

Getting the keys is only half of moving in. You also need electricity, water and internet in your own name, and in Türkiye each is a separate subscription (abonelik) with its own company, documents and deposit. This guide works through setting up utilities as a foreigner step by step, with the companies that serve Fethiye and the rest of Muğla.

What the bills cost over a year is covered in our guide to the annual costs of owning property in Türkiye.

Step 1: Gather your documents

One pack of papers opens almost every account:

– **Identity.** Your passport and, if you have one, your residence permit card. The card carries your foreign identity number (yabancı kimlik numarası), an 11-digit number usually starting with 99, which works like a Turkish ID number for subscriptions. – **Tax number.** If you bought property you already have a Turkish tax number (vergi numarası). Bring it, especially if you have no residence permit yet. – **Proof that you may use the home.** For owners, the title deed (tapu). For tenants, the rental contract. MUSKİ also accepts a residence certificate (yerleşim yeri belgesi); see our guide to address registration for foreigners. – **DASK policy.** Compulsory earthquake insurance is needed for both electricity and water. Tenants use the landlord’s policy number; Alo DASK 125 can find a lost one. – **Meter or installation number.** The tesisat numarası from an old bill, or a photo of the meter. – **A Turkish bank account,** for direct debit and deposit refunds.

Anyone applying for you needs a notarised power of attorney (vekaletname). Bring originals.

Step 2: Open electricity in your name

Electricity involves two companies:

– **The distribution company** owns the cables and meters, reads the meter, connects and cuts the power, and fixes outages. In Muğla, Aydın and Denizli this is **ADM Elektrik Dağıtım**. – **The supplier** signs the contract with you, bills you and holds your deposit. Households in Muğla that have not chosen another supplier are served by **Aydem Perakende** (Aydem Elektrik Perakende Satış), which has supplied the three provinces since 2008.

**How to apply.** Aydem accepts applications at its customer relations centres (book a slot at randevu.aydemperakende.com.tr to avoid queues), through its call centre on 0850 800 0 186, its online operations centre and, for homes with no active subscription, through e-Devlet on a computer. If you do not yet have e-Devlet access, see our guide to getting an e-Devlet password as a foreigner.

**What Aydem asks for.** The installation number or an old bill, ID, a DASK policy number and, for tenants, the owner’s name and ID or tax number. If the home still has an active subscription in someone else’s name, you also need proof that you live there, such as the notarised lease, a current water bill or a residence certificate.

**Deposit (güvence bedeli).** The supplier can take a deposit to cover bills left unpaid when a contract ends. It is not a flat fee: it is calculated per kilowatt of the home’s contracted power, at a unit rate for your consumer group. Aydem’s website has a "Güvence Bedeli Sorgula" tool for your figure. Expect a connection fee (waived if the power is already on) and stamp duty.

**How fast.** Aydem signs a complete application the same day; power is then connected within 24 hours in urban areas or 48 hours outside them.

Step 3: Open water with MUSKİ

In Fethiye and across Muğla, water and sewerage are run by **MUSKİ** (Muğla Su ve Kanalizasyon İdaresi), the metropolitan water administration. MUSKİ’s subscription page lists a title deed, lease, residence certificate, allocation document or consent letter as proof of use, plus an identity document and the DASK policy.

Apply at a MUSKİ office or through e-Devlet ("Yeni Abonelik Başvurusu ve Takibi"), where you can also pay bills, report a meter reading, object to a bill and cancel a contract. MUSKİ’s 24-hour line for faults and outages is ALO 185.

MUSKİ does not publish a deposit amount on its subscription page, so ask about deposit and fees when you apply. For a newly built home with no water subscription yet, MUSKİ asks for extra building documents. From 1 July 2022 this means the occupancy permit (yapı kullanım izin belgesi, or iskan), which is one more reason to check it before buying.

Step 4: Mains gas, or bottled gas

Natural gas reaches only part of Muğla. Menteşe (the city of Muğla), Yatağan and Kavaklıdere have it, and buildings in Milas began connecting from late 2024. In **Fethiye, Seydikemer, Ortaca and Dalaman** gas is still being built. BOTAŞ has largely finished the Elmalı–Ortaca main line and the local distributor is laying pipes in some Fethiye neighbourhoods. As of October 2026 no supply date had been set, and Fethiye’s representative of the Chamber of Mechanical Engineers said districts may be connected at different times.

– Many coastal homes cook with **bottled LPG** (tüp) from local dealers and heat with air conditioning, electric heaters or wood stoves. – Do not have gas pipes installed inside your home until supply is confirmed. Use only installers authorised by the distributor and ask to see the authorisation. – Where mains gas exists, you open the account with the licensed distributor for that area. e-Devlet lists each one under "Doğalgaz Dağıtım Şirketlerinin Sunduğu e-Hizmetler".

Step 5: Choose internet

**Fixed broadband.** Most homes connect over the fixed network by fibre, VDSL or ADSL. Speed depends on your street, so check your exact address on a provider’s infrastructure page (altyapı sorgulama) before signing.

**Mobile and home 4.5G.** Mobile data is a popular backup and, in some rural spots, the main option. A phone bought abroad must be registered for IMEI or it will be blocked; see our IMEI registration guide.

**Contracts and commitments.** Most packages come with a commitment period (taahhüt) in exchange for a lower monthly price. Under the BTK consumer rights rules:

– A commitment cannot exceed 24 months. – If you leave early, the provider can charge no more than the discounts and device benefits you received, or the remaining payments if that is lower. – If you move to an address where the same service cannot be provided, you can leave without that charge.

Since 25 June 2026 operators must verify identity electronically; for foreigners they keep a passport copy. Take your passport and residence permit when you sign up.

Step 6: Buying a resale home: take over the accounts cleanly

Agree in writing, before completion, that:

1. **The seller closes their electricity contract.** The distributor takes a final reading and the last bill goes to the seller. Under the electricity consumer services regulation, old debt is taken from the previous customer’s deposit and the rest pursued from that customer. 2. **The seller cancels the water contract** with MUSKİ (in person or through e-Devlet). MUSKİ warns that a subscriber who leaves without cancelling stays liable for bills that build up. 3. **You photograph every meter** on handover day, with the date, and keep the pictures. 4. **You open new accounts** in your name within days, not months.

Before completion, ask the seller for the latest paid bills, or check the balance yourself with Aydem’s "Borç Sorgula" tool (it needs the contract account number from the bill). If a water account cannot be closed because of arrears, hold back part of the price until it is settled.

Tenant vs owner: what changes

– **Owners** show the title deed and their own DASK policy, and stay responsible for DASK renewal. A lapsed policy blocks new subscriptions. – **Tenants** show the lease, give the landlord’s name and ID or tax number, and use the landlord’s DASK policy number. The account should be in the tenant’s name, as the actual user. – **When a tenancy ends,** the tenant closes the accounts and recovers the deposit; landlords should check this happened.

Reading your bill

An Aydem bill shows your contract account number (top left), installation number, previous and current readings, kWh used, and the total split into energy, distribution, taxes and VAT. A MUSKİ bill shows cubic metres used, water and wastewater charges, VAT and the environmental cleaning tax (çevre temizlik vergisi). If a reading looks wrong, compare it with the meter and object; MUSKİ accepts objections through e-Devlet.

Before a long absence

– **Set up automatic payment** (otomatik ödeme talimatı) through your Turkish bank’s app or branch, for electricity, water and internet. Aydem’s site lets you check an existing instruction. – **Install the supplier apps** (Aydem has one) and use e-Devlet to watch bills from abroad. – **Shut off the water** at the main valve, and ask a neighbour or manager to check the meter for leaks. – **Do not cancel** contracts for a few months away: reopening means a new deposit and new paperwork.

Smart meters

ADM Elektrik’s automatic meter reading system (OSOS) covers about 32,000 meters, mainly large consumers, generating sites and street lighting, so most household meters are still read on site. If your meter is replaced, photograph the old meter’s final reading and check it on your next bill.

Quick checklist

– Passport, residence permit, tax number, title deed or lease, DASK number – Electricity: Aydem Perakende (contract), ADM Elektrik (meter and faults) – Water: MUSKİ, office or e-Devlet; faults on ALO 185 – Gas: bottled LPG on the Fethiye coast for now – Internet: check infrastructure for your address; read the commitment terms – Resale: seller closes accounts, final readings, meter photos – Automatic payment set up before you travel

Frequently asked questions

Q: Can I set up utilities without a residence permit?

A: Usually, with your passport and tax number, but ask the office first which number it will record. A residence permit’s foreign identity number makes e-Devlet and later changes easier.

Q: Will I have to pay the previous owner’s unpaid bills?

A: For electricity, old debt is taken from the previous customer’s deposit and then pursued from that customer. Still, make the seller close every account and keep your own meter photos.

Q: Is there mains gas in Fethiye?

A: Not yet. Pipes are being laid and the main line is largely built, but no supply date had been announced as of October 2026.

Q: Can I end an internet contract early?

A: Yes, but you may pay back the discounts received during the commitment, capped by the remaining payments. Moving to an address where the service is not available lets you leave without that charge.

For more on buying, permits and life on the coast, download our free property guide.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Procedures, documents and fees change; confirm them with Aydem, ADM Elektrik, MUSKİ or your provider before you apply.

Sources

• Aydem Perakende: new home electricity subscription
• Aydem Perakende: ending a home subscription
• Aydem Perakende: supply in Aydın, Denizli and Muğla
• ADM Elektrik Dağıtım: corporate history and service region
• ADM Elektrik Dağıtım: OSOS automatic meter reading
• MUSKİ: subscription services and required documents
• MUSKİ new subscription application on e-Devlet
• e-Devlet: e-services of natural gas distribution companies
• MMO Fethiye representative on natural gas works, October 2026 (Son Dakika 48)
• Natural gas in Muğla districts, December 2024 (Hamle Gazetesi)
• Subscription transfer, previous debts and final readings (Av. Kazım Ceylan)
• Early termination fees in commitment contracts (Hukukçular Evi)
• June 2026 amendment to the electronic communications consumer rights regulation (Alo Maliye)
• Foreign identity number explained (Harbiye Hukuk)

Photo: Hayden Schiff / CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons