Ownership proof — sale deed, allotment letter, or rental agreement with NOC from owner. CNIC (front and back, original to be shown at site visit). Photo of the proposed meter location (the wall and the inside switchboard area). Two passport-sized photographs.

For rental connections, additionally: rental agreement notarised on Rs 100 stamp paper, NOC from the property owner, and the owner's CNIC copy. Some subdivisions also ask for the owner's mobile number for verification.

All documents are uploaded as scanned PDFs (under 2 MB each) on the online application or accepted in physical photocopies at the subdivision office. The application fee is currently Rs 20 (pay at the subdivision or via online card).

Within 5 working days of submitting the application and application fee, a MEPCO line superintendent visits the premise to verify the wiring, the proposed meter location, the requested sanctioned load, and the distance from the nearest service line.

After the site visit, MEPCO issues a Demand Notice listing the security deposit, any service-line extension cost (if the nearest pole is too far), and the meter rent. The Demand Notice is valid for 60 days; pay within this window or the application lapses.

Security deposit slabs (current): single-phase under 5 kW — Rs 500-2,500 depending on sanctioned load. Three-phase under 25 kW — Rs 5,000-15,000. The deposit is refundable on permanent disconnection and accrues interest at the rate notified by NEPRA each year. For an account opened in 2025 with a Rs 2,500 deposit, that's roughly Rs 200/year accrued interest.

After Demand Notice payment, MEPCO schedules the meter installation. For residential single-phase under 5 kW, this typically happens within 7-21 days. For three-phase or high-load connections that need a new transformer or extended service line, the timeline can extend to 60-90 days because the upstream-network work involves grid-substation approvals.

The meter is installed by a MEPCO line crew. You should be present (or have an adult representative) to receive the meter, verify the seal numbers, and photograph the initial reading. The crew issues a temporary commissioning slip; the formal connection certificate is mailed within a week.

MEPCO must commit to the NEPRA SoP-prescribed timeline; if MEPCO misses it without valid technical reason, you are entitled to compensation per the Standards of Performance — file via the SDO. Common reasons for delay: pending demand-notice payment, missing documents, neighbour disputes over service-line right-of-way.

If you have just bought a property or inherited a connection, file a Change of Name rather than a new connection. The CON fee is Rs 200, the deposit transfers from the previous owner, and the timeline is 15 working days.

Documents: sale deed or transfer letter, both buyer's and seller's CNICs, the previous month's paid bill (must be clear of arrears), and the CON application form. The application is filed at the subdivision; some subdivisions also accept online uploads via mepco.com.pk.

Tip: pay any outstanding arrears before filing CON. Otherwise the application is parked until the meter master is clean. Some subdivisions will let you pay the arrears as part of the CON filing and process both together.

If you intend to install rooftop solar, the new-connection form on mepco.com.pk has a separate Net Metering section. AEDB (Alternative Energy Development Board) registration of your installer is mandatory in Pakistan; MEPCO will not accept a net-metering application from a non-AEDB installer.

End-to-end timeline is 60-90 days: 5 days for site survey, 30-45 days for installation by your contractor, 7-15 days for MEPCO's witness test (a MEPCO engineer verifies the inverter synchronisation and seals the bi-directional meter), and 7-10 days for the agreement signing and grid commissioning.

Residential systems up to 25 kW are eligible. Most rooftop systems for households are 3-10 kW. The federal solar subsidy (current) applies to systems under 5 kW and covers approximately 30% of capital cost. Check with your AEDB installer for the current subsidy paperwork.

Two warnings. First, ensure your CSS registration (if applicable) accounts for net consumption — net-metered homes with sanctioned load above 1 kW may not qualify for the protected slab even if net units are below 200. Second, the inverter must be on the AEDB-approved list; non-listed inverters fail the witness test and the system is not commissioned.