SIRA CCTV Compliance in Dubai: A Practical Guide to the 2025 Manual
Start with the current manual and the activity
Dubai's Security Industry Regulatory Agency publishes technical specifications and activity-specific requirements for preventive security systems. The current reference for this article is Administrative Resolution No. 13 of 2025 approving the Preventive Systems Manual.
Compliance is not a universal camera shopping list. The required views, control room, alarm interfaces, monitoring services and operating controls depend on the facility's licensed activity and risk. A warehouse, pharmacy, hotel, data centre and vehicle-rental office can have different coverage obligations. Confirm the applicable chapter and obtain the required approvals before equipment is ordered.
Core IP camera and recording requirements
The manual's general IP-system specifications establish an important baseline:
- Cameras and recording resolution must be at least 1080p Full HD.
- Live view must be at least 25 frames per second per camera.
- Recording must be retained for at least 31 days at high quality and at least 10 frames per second, subject to any stricter activity-specific requirement.
- Storage calculations must include 20% additional capacity.
- Outdoor cameras or housings must be at least IP66.
- Cameras facing direct or reflected light require wide dynamic range of at least 110 dB or equivalent.
- Recorders must support simultaneous live view, recording and playback, usable search, export to standard media and automatic recording recovery after restart.
These are minimum technical controls, not a complete design. The manual also defines inspection, identification, recognition, observation, detection, monitoring and number-plate views. Camera position and lens selection must achieve the required view at the target location; megapixels alone do not demonstrate compliance.
Power, network and system management
Security systems must be connected to an uninterruptible power supply capable of autonomous operation for at least 30 minutes, with recording devices connected to UPS power. Some alarm systems and activity-specific chapters require different backup durations, so the approved design remains decisive.
The security network must be dedicated, resilient and documented. Copper-clad aluminium and copper-clad iron cabling are prohibited. The manual also requires network-management capability above stated device thresholds, IPv4 and IPv6 compatibility, capacity headroom, labelled connections and drawings that match the installed system.
A VMS is required when a VSS installation reaches 64 cameras or four recording devices. Integrations between surveillance, access control, alarms and building systems may require a PSIM approach and prior written SIRA approval. Do not assume that a vendor's integration feature automatically satisfies the approval path.
A practical compliance workflow
- Classify the activity and facility. Identify every applicable manual chapter and any activity-specific retention or coverage requirement.
- Survey the site. Record entrances, exits, counters, corridors, vehicle approaches, lighting, obstructions and protected areas.
- Prepare the security plan. Show camera identifiers, view categories, fields of view, cable routes, equipment locations, storage and UPS calculations.
- Submit for the required approval. SIRA's Security Plans Certification service lists the application process and required drawings.
- Install to the approved documents. Record changes and obtain approval where a design variation affects coverage or system architecture.
- Commission with evidence. Verify day and night images, timestamps, retention, export, storage alerts, UPS operation, user permissions and fault reporting.
- Maintain the system. Keep health checks, asset records and corrective actions available for operational and inspection review.
Avoid guarantees
No integrator can responsibly promise first-attempt approval or zero licensing delay without controlling the design information, site conditions, authority review and client decisions. The useful commitment is a traceable process: current requirements, approved plans, documented calculations, certified installation and recorded commissioning results.
Vexus can survey and design a Dubai CCTV system against the applicable SIRA activity requirements, but the authority's published manual and project approval remain the controlling references.
Sources and further reading
Reference Installation Media
Sample equipment, control setups, and field cabling references.
