Decree Amending the Law Regulating the Installation and Operation of Security Surveillance Cameras and Devices

Decree-Law No. 76 of 2026 amending certain provisions of Law No. 61 of 2015 concerning the regulation and installation of security surveillance cameras and devices has been issued, stipulating the following:

Article 1

The text of Article 5 of Law No. 61 of 2015 concerning the regulation and installation of security surveillance cameras and devices is hereby replaced with the following:

All establishments subject to the provisions of this Law must retain recordings from security surveillance cameras and devices for a period of no less than 120 consecutive days. During this period, any modification, erasure, deletion, or processing of such recordings by any means is prohibited.

These establishments may, after the expiration of the retention period mentioned in the preceding paragraph, adopt a specific retention system tailored to the nature of their activity and the size of their establishment, provided that this does not conflict with the security or regulatory requirements determined by the competent authority.

Article 2

Two new articles, numbered (8 bis) and (8 ter), are added to Law No. 61 of 2015 mentioned above, with the following texts:

(Article 8 bis)

The competent authority may, upon request by the violating establishment, accept a settlement in cases where the establishment has violated the provisions of Articles (2, 4, 5, or 7) of the Law.

The settlement request must be submitted within seven working days from the date the violation report is issued.

In the event of accepting the settlement, the violating establishment is granted a period not exceeding 30 days from the date of acceptance to rectify the violation, remove its effects, and pay the specified settlement amount. The Minister shall determine the conditions and procedures for the settlement by decree.

If the establishment fails to rectify the violation, remove its effects, and pay the settlement amount within the specified period, the competent authority may refer the case to the competent investigative authority to take the necessary legal measures against it.

The completion of the settlement results in the termination of the criminal case against the violating establishment.

(Article 8 ter)

The settlement amount, in the event of accepting the settlement, is determined as follows:

1. Payment of 1,000 dinars in case of violating the provisions of Article (5).

2. Payment of 500 dinars in case of violating the provisions of Articles (2 and 7).

3. Payment of 250 dinars in case of violating the provisions of Article (4).

This amount shall be paid to the competent authority within the period specified in Article (8 bis).

Article 3

The Ministers are each responsible, within their respective jurisdictions, for implementing this Decree-Law, which shall enter into force from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.

The explanatory memorandum stated that Law No. 61 of 2015 concerning the regulation and installation of security surveillance cameras and devices was issued on 7/7/2015. Certain deficiencies in the provisions of this Law have necessitated some amendments. Given that the Emiri Order was issued on 10/5/2024, and Article (4) thereof stipulates that laws are to be issued by decree-laws, the draft Decree-Law was prepared to replace the text of Article (5) with new legislative text, as well as to add several articles corresponding to those in the existing Law, as required by working conditions and their imperatives.

The amendments included replacing the text of Article (5) of the current Law. The new text stipulates that the retention period for security surveillance camera recordings shall be 120 days, considering that the retention period in the existing text is relatively short, and given practical realities observed in the event of any incident or threat. This accounts for the possibility of rare cases where the victim might experience delays in filing a complaint or report due to factors related to the nature or circumstances of the incident. Consequently, upon issuance of an order by the competent investigative authority or court, as provided in Article (6) of this Law, the relevant portion of the recordings documented by security surveillance cameras and devices at the scene must be delivered if necessary for the performance of their duties.

This aligns with the objective of the proposed amendment to the recording duration, which aims to simplify procedures and facilitate access to security surveillance camera and device recordings if needed after the expiration of the 120-day period, while also allowing each establishment subject to the Law to adopt a retention period appropriate to the nature of its work.

Furthermore, two new articles, numbered (8 bis), were added, granting the General Administration of Security Systems, as the competent authority, the immediate authority to approve or deny the 30-day period specified for rectifying the violation, in the event that a settlement request is submitted by interested parties, namely the owners of establishments subject to the provisions of this Law, within seven working days from the date the violation report is drawn up, except for the prohibitions stipulated in Articles (6 and 9) thereof.

Accepting the settlement results in the termination of the criminal case against the violator. Article (8 ter) addresses the civil liability of owners of establishments subject to the Law to pay the settlement amount after the competent authority accepts the settlement order, for damages arising from the non-application of the provisions of this Law at the time of its enforcement.

Article 3 obligates the Ministers, each within their respective jurisdictions, to implement this Decree-Law, which shall enter into force from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.