General guidance, not legal advice. Requirements depend on your licence activity and SIRA updates them. Confirm the current specification on the SIRA website or with a SIRA-licensed company before buying equipment. Last reviewed: 28 October 2026.
In Dubai, CCTV for regulated commercial premises falls under SIRA, the Security Industry Regulatory Agency. If your activity is covered, the system has to be designed, installed and maintained to SIRA's standard. This guide turns that into a practical checklist.
Who is affected
Retail, hospitality, warehouses, healthcare, education, buildings with public access and higher-risk activities such as jewellers and exchange houses are commonly covered. The deciding factor is your licence activity, not your business size. Our page on SIRA CCTV in Dubai explains the basics in short form.
What the system is generally expected to do
Published industry guidance points to the following, although you must confirm the figures for your activity:
- Coverage: entrances, exits, cash points and other areas named for your activity, with no cameras in private spaces such as toilets or changing rooms.
- Image quality: colour, high-definition cameras good enough to identify people; entrances often need the best cameras.
- Recording: continuous recording kept for a minimum number of days. About 31 days is the commonly cited baseline; high-risk activities are expected to keep more.
- Security: protected storage and password-controlled access.
- Licensed work: design, installation and maintenance by a SIRA-licensed company.
Video Guard
SIRA's Video Guard monitors CCTV systems for faults such as camera loss and recording problems. Whether your premises must connect depends on your activity. We cover the device and what to prepare in SIRA Video Guard explained.
Practical checklist before you call an installer
- Find your licence activity and ask what SIRA requires for it.
- Count entrances, cash points and areas to cover.
- Calculate storage for the required days: storage calculator guide.
- Add a UPS and a locked recorder location.
- Arrange maintenance so faults are caught early.
Common reasons systems fail inspection
- Not enough storage for the required days, or overwrite switched off
- Entrance cameras too low-quality or backlit
- Offline cameras nobody noticed
- Wrong date and time on the recorder
- No maintenance record
Most of these are about upkeep, not cost.
What we can do for Dubai clients
We survey and audit existing systems, upgrade cameras and storage, fix faults and maintain systems across Dubai. We do not hold a SIRA licence, so where a job must be done by a SIRA-licensed company, we will say so rather than promise approval. See CCTV installation in Dubai and CCTV maintenance in Dubai.
Official sources
The box below lists the official starting points.
Conclusion
SIRA compliance is mostly planning and upkeep: the right cameras at the right places, enough storage, a licensed company and regular checks. Start from the specification for your activity, not from a generic price.
Frequently asked questions
Does Noor Al Khair Computer hold a SIRA licence?
No. We do not currently hold a SIRA licence. We can survey, upgrade and maintain Dubai systems, and we will tell you when a job needs a SIRA-licensed company.
Do I need SIRA approval for a villa?
SIRA's rules focus on commercial and regulated premises. Villas do not normally go through that process, but cameras must respect neighbours' privacy.
How long does Dubai CCTV footage need to be kept?
Many sources report a baseline of about 31 days for commercial premises, with longer periods for higher-risk activities. The figure for your activity is set by SIRA, so confirm it before you size storage.
