Everything an Abu Dhabi business needs to know about legal CCTV — the ADMCC regulator, who must install, how long footage must be kept, the camera specifications, the TAMM approval process and the penalties. We build every Abu Dhabi system to the MCC Manual of Standards.
💬 Free compliance survey UAE-wide guideAbu Dhabi's CCTV and monitoring systems are governed by the Abu Dhabi Monitoring and Control Centre (ADMCC) — the emirate arm of the Monitoring and Control Centre (MCC), part of the Supreme Council for National Security — under Abu Dhabi Law No. 5 of 2011. ADMCC issues permits, NOCs and installer accreditations, and enforces the technical rulebook: the MCC Manual of Standards for Surveillance Devices v2.0 (2023) — the same country-level standard SIRA uses in Dubai.
Don't confuse ADMCC with adcmc.gov.ae — that's the Emergencies, Crises & Disasters Management Centre, a different body. The CCTV regulator is ADMCC / MCC.
The MCC standard lists the regulated categories: commercial shops, warehouses (incl. precious/hazardous/medical), banks, money exchanges, gold & jewellery shops, schools/universities/nurseries, hospitals & clinics, hotels & hotel apartments, shopping malls, residential & commercial buildings, fuel stations, parking buildings, event halls, cinemas, museums, places of worship, labour camps, public-transport places and government authorities. ADMCC may add further categories.
Source: MCC Manual of Standards for Surveillance Devices v2.0 (2023), "Groupings and Video Storage Duration."
| Retention | Premises type |
|---|---|
| 30 days | Government offices, financial institutions, commercial shops, event halls, cinemas, hospitals, parking, places of worship. |
| 90 days | Schools & universities, gold & jewellery, money exchanges, fuel stations, residential/commercial buildings, museums, labour camps, transport. |
| 180 days | Hotels & hotel apartments, shopping malls, banks, data-storage/video-recording centres. |
Source: MCC Manual of Standards v2.0 (2023), §5. Same camera specs as Dubai — min 1920×1080, IP66, ONVIF Profile S, 500 px/m at entrances, Arabic/English/Urdu signage.
Process per ADMCC/TAMM guidance; confirm current portal steps and fees on TAMM at time of application.
Operating a monitoring/surveillance system without MCC/ADMCC approval is reported to carry up to two years' imprisonment and/or a fine of AED 50,000–200,000, plus possible seizure of equipment, under Abu Dhabi Law No. 5 of 2011. As in Dubai, non-compliance can also hold up trade-licence and building approvals.
Penalty figures per Abu Dhabi Law No. 5 of 2011 (as widely reported); confirm current amounts with ADMCC.
Servia is a SIRA-licensed UAE security provider. In Abu Dhabi we deliver ADMCC-compliant, approved installations through our ADMCC-accredited installation partners — so your system is designed, approved and inspection-ready end to end. Get a free compliance survey and fixed quote.
💬 WhatsApp us See packagesADMCC / the Monitoring and Control Centre (MCC) under Abu Dhabi Law No. 5 of 2011 — it issues permits, NOCs and installer accreditations and sets the technical standard.
30 days minimum, up to 90 (schools, jewellers, exchanges, fuel, residential/commercial) and 180 (hotels, malls, banks, data centres).
Reported up to 2 years' imprisonment and/or AED 50,000–200,000, plus equipment seizure, for operating without MCC/ADMCC approval.
Yes — we deliver ADMCC-compliant, approved systems in Abu Dhabi through our ADMCC-accredited installation partners, coordinated end to end by Servia. Message us for a free survey. See also our UAE compliance guide.