Which premises must install CCTV under Saudi law?

Under Saudi Arabia's Law of the Use of Security Surveillance Cameras, issued in 2022, cameras are required at ministries and public bodies, power, desalination, oil and petrochemical sites, commercial and residential buildings, banks, hospitals, schools, mosques, stadiums, transport, food outlets and museums, plus sites the Ministry of Interior adds.

Where are CCTV cameras prohibited in Saudi Arabia?

Saudi law prohibits surveillance cameras in medical operating, examination and inpatient rooms, physical therapy rooms, changing rooms, toilets, women's salons and clubs, and private rooms in tourist accommodation. Cameras inside private residential units are outside the law. Areas with cameras must display visible signs.

How long must CCTV recordings be kept in Saudi Arabia?

The Saudi camera law requires recordings to be kept for the period set in the terms and conditions for each activity, and preserved unaltered until investigations end when an incident is reported. Failing to keep recordings can bring a fine of up to SAR 5,000, so confirm the period before sizing storage.

Do CCTV cameras need SABER certificates in Saudi Arabia?

CCTV cameras and recorders covered by a SASO technical regulation need a Product Certificate of Conformity on SABER and a Shipment Certificate for each consignment. The camera law separately requires Ministry of Interior approval to import, sell or install cameras, so ask the supplier about both.

Is face recognition on CCTV allowed in Saudi Arabia?

Face recognition on CCTV in Saudi Arabia processes biometric data, which the Personal Data Protection Law treats as sensitive data under SDAIA oversight. Owners should document the purpose, limit retention and take legal advice before enabling it, and must also respect the camera law's prohibited locations.

What cameras suit Saudi oil and gas facilities?

Oil, gas and petrochemical facilities in Saudi Arabia usually need thermal cameras for perimeters and explosion-protected cameras certified for the hazardous zone inside process areas. The facility owner's specification and HCIS security directives decide which models and integrators are accepted, so check them before quoting.

CCTV and IP Cameras Suppliers in Saudi Arabia

What are CCTV and IP surveillance cameras in the Saudi market?

CCTV and IP surveillance cameras in Saudi Arabia are the network cameras, recorders and video management software that monitor government buildings, hospitals, malls, mosques, plants, ports and residential compounds. They are part of ICT hardware supplied to Saudi projects, and since 2022 their use at many types of premises is governed by the Law of the Use of Security Surveillance Cameras.

Saudi buyers range from a single shop owner meeting the camera law to giga-projects and plants with thousands of channels and operation rooms.

Equipment	Saudi applications	Specify
Dome and turret cameras	Shops, clinics, schools, office floors, mosque interiors where permitted	Resolution, lens angle, IR, vandal resistance, audio disabled where not allowed
Bullet and long-range cameras	Compound walls, warehouse yards, car parks, highways	Focal length, pixel density at the fence line, sunshield, temperature rating
PTZ cameras	Stadiums, ports, event venues, city surveillance	Zoom, tracking analytics, wiper, PoE class or separate power
Thermal and explosion-protected cameras	Oil, gas and petrochemical sites in the Eastern Province, Jubail and Yanbu	Hazardous area certification for the zone, detection range, owner approval
Recorders, servers and VMS	All systems; operation rooms for sensitive sites	Retention capacity, failover, secure link to the operation room, Arabic client

Storage-heavy systems rely on enterprise servers and storage, cameras connect through structured cabling and fibre backbones, and entrances are usually paired with access control readers and turnstiles. Perimeter camera lines are planned with perimeter fencing and vehicle barriers.

What does the Saudi surveillance camera law require?

The Law of the Use of Security Surveillance Cameras, issued by Royal Decree on 3 October 2022, makes cameras mandatory at listed premises, bans them in private spaces, and gives the Ministry of Interior access to footage. Saudipedia's summary of the law, checked in October 2026, sets out the main points below.

Where cameras are required. Ministries and public bodies, power and desalination plants, oil and petrochemical facilities, commercial and residential buildings, banks, hospitals, schools, mosques, stadiums, transport, food outlets, museums and other sites the Ministry of Interior adds.
Where they are banned. Operating, examination and inpatient rooms, physical therapy rooms, changing rooms, toilets, women's salons and clubs, and private rooms in tourist accommodation.
Prior approval. Manufacturing, importing, selling, installing or operating cameras requires prior Ministry of Interior approval, and covered areas need visible signs.
Sensitivity levels. High-sensitivity sites link cameras to operation rooms over secure networks, medium sites over open networks, and low-sensitivity sites need no direct link.
Footage. Recordings must be kept for the period set in the site's terms and conditions and preserved unaltered when an incident is reported, and handed to the Ministry of Interior or State Security Presidency on request.
Penalties. Fines include SAR 500 per camera that fails the technical specification, SAR 1,000 per camera not installed as required, up to SAR 5,000 for failing to keep recordings, and up to SAR 20,000 for unlawful publishing or damage.

The law does not apply to cameras inside private residential units. Because retention and specification details sit in the terms and conditions for each activity, confirm them with the Ministry of Interior or your licensing authority before sizing storage.

Which other approvals and standards apply to cameras in Saudi Arabia?

As of October 2026, cameras and recorders are imported under SASO's SABER conformity system where a technical regulation applies, footage of identifiable people is personal data under the PDPL, and industrial sites add HCIS security directives.

Requirement	Scope	Body
Law of the Use of Security Surveillance Cameras	Mandatory and prohibited locations, approvals, retention, access to footage	Ministry of Interior
SABER PCoC and SCoC	Regulated electrical and electronic products, per model and shipment	SASO and approved certification bodies
Personal Data Protection Law	Recorded images of people; biometric data such as face templates counts as sensitive data	SDAIA
HCIS security directives	Security systems at industrial and critical facilities	High Commission for Industrial Security
IEC 62676-4 pixel density targets	Design: 25, 63, 125 and 250 px/m for detect, observe, recognise, identify (per Axis's summary of the 2014 edition)	IEC
ONVIF profiles S, T, G, M	Interoperability of cameras, recorders and VMS	ONVIF

Face recognition analytics turn ordinary footage into biometric processing, so involve the data protection officer before switching them on. The guide to SASO and SABER certificates covers the import paperwork.

How should Saudi buyers handle heat, dust and coastal sites?

Choose cameras rated for the real surface temperature in direct sun, protect them from dust, and use corrosion-resistant hardware on the coasts. Then keep them clean: a dusty dome loses detail long before it fails.

Interior heat. Riyadh, Qassim and Al Ahsa summers push wall-mounted cameras past shade temperature; use sunshields and check rated limits.
Dust storms. Schedule lens and dome cleaning after storms and choose housings with good sealing.
Coasts. Jeddah, Yanbu, Jubail and Dammam need sealed housings, stainless brackets and glands that stop condensation.
Remote power. Pipeline and highway cameras may run on solar and battery systems; size them for summer heat and dust on panels.

Who supplies CCTV cameras in Saudi Arabia, and what drives price?

Saudi buyers buy through manufacturer offices in Riyadh, distributors holding SABER registrations, and integrators approved by the site owner. Brands carried here include Axis Communications, Avigilon, Pelco, Hanwha Vision, Bosch Security Systems, Hikvision, Dahua Technology and Uniview (UNV), with Genetec for open video management.

Price and lead time depend on channel count, retention days (which set storage), VMS licences, special cameras such as thermal or explosion-protected units, and whether models already hold a PCoC. Uncertified goods are held at Jeddah Islamic Port or King Abdulaziz Port. Ask each bidder for firmware support periods and a hardening guide, since NCA-regulated owners will ask for them. To receive quotes from several Saudi suppliers, post your requirement with the camera schedule and sensitivity level of the site.

Sources

Saudipedia, Law of the Use of Security Surveillance Cameras in Saudi Arabia (checked October 2026)
Intertek, SALEEM and SABER product conformity (intertek.com)
DLA Piper, Data protection laws: Saudi Arabia (2026)
Axis Communications, pixel density based on IEC 62676-4:2014
ONVIF, profiles overview

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