Security company licence from SIRA
No company may provide security services in Dubai without a SIRA licence, and each guard holds an individual licence too.
Facility services
- Usual route
- Mainland (DET)
- Extra approval
- SIRA
- Timeline
- Set by SIRA
- AML
- Not a DNFBP activity
Security services in Dubai sit under Law 12 of 2016, and no company may provide them without a SIRA licence, which follows the trade licence. Guards hold individual SIRA licences and work only through a licensed company. Fire alarm systems sit with a different regulator, Dubai Civil Defence. Executive regulations issued in 2026 replaced the 2018 rules.
- Covers
- Guarding, systems, monitoring, consultancy and training, among 23 SIRA licence types
- Not covered
- Software and data cybersecurity (an IT activity) and fire alarm systems
- Premises
- Premises suited to the licence type, which SIRA checks
- Timeline
- SIRA decides once staff, equipment and premises are ready
Which security activities SIRA licenses
SIRA treats each security service as its own activity, so the licence follows the services you will sell.
Covered
Not covered
- Covered by a fire safety activity (Dubai Civil Defence)
- Covered by IT services
- Covered by Technical services
- Covered by Cleaning services
Tick what you plan to do. The result shows here.
We fix the wording before you apply. Send us your list on WhatsApp
The 2026 regulations list systems auditing as its own licence type and drop the 2018 rule that kept it apart from other activities. A company works only within the activities on its security licence.
Choosing a base for security services
Guards and installers work on sites across Dubai, so most founders take a DET licence, and SIRA licensing applies on every route.
| If most of your clients are | Likely route | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Buildings, malls and events across Dubai | Mainland (DET) | Site work for mainland clients sits naturally on a DET licence |
| Sites inside one free zone | Either route | SIRA licenses the activity whichever authority issues the trade licence |
| Clients in free zones and on the mainland | Either route | A free zone company reaches mainland sites through a DET branch |
A free zone company can serve mainland clients through a DET branch licence or permit under Executive Council Resolution 11 of 2025. Mainland income can affect its QFZP status, and SIRA licensing applies either way.
Several free zones license this activity; we match the zone to your visas, office and banking. Compare free zones
Three questions. The closest row is marked in the table above.
Your likely route shows here.
Who licenses a security company
DET issues the trade licence first, because the 2026 regulations make it a condition of the SIRA licence. SIRA then reviews staff, equipment and premises, and guards are licensed through the company.
Before the licence
- Trade name and initial approvalDET
The licence
- Trade licenceDET
After the licence
- SIRA security licenceSIRA
- Individual guard licencesSIRA
- Fire alarm work, if offeredDubai Civil Defence
- Corporate bank accountThe bank
- Work permits and visasMOHRE and GDRFA Dubai
The SIRA licence runs for one year, so we keep it and the trade licence renewing together.
What each security line adds
Each service line below shows what SIRA expects on top of the company licence.
The duty officer applies to guarding, cash transport, command and control, vehicle tracking, tourist sites, events and close protection.
Tick each service you plan to sell.
| What you plan | Points to |
|---|---|
| Licensed security consultants | |
| Licensed engineers, technicians or auditors | |
| Licensed engineers, technicians or auditors | |
| A 24-hour duty officer | |
| Licensed guards and a duty officer | |
| Licensed guards and a duty officer | |
| Licensed guards and a duty officer |
Tick a line to see where your plan points.
How banks read a security company
Bank viewCloser look for guarding; specialist appetite for cash transport
Guarding companies run large payrolls and often hold contracts with hotels, malls and government sites, so banks look at the client contracts and how wages run through WPS. Cash and valuables transport draws a specialist review, because the company handles other people's cash. Systems and consultancy firms read closer to a standard file. We put the SIRA approval, the contracts and the staffing plan into the bank file together.
AMLNot a DNFBP activity; the bank's own customer checks still apply.
Where security licences get held up
Guards borrowed without a supply contract
SIRA lets a company deploy only people on its own employment contracts and registered with SIRA, or supplied under a contract with another licensed provider. Event security organisers are the one exception.
Guards posted before their own licences
A guard works only under an individual SIRA licence, held through a licensed company. SIRA can grant a temporary licence of up to 90 days while a new guard completes training, and the company answers for that guard meanwhile.
Ownership assumed from another market
Market sources disagree on who may own a guarding company on the Dubai mainland, and SIRA's 2026 regulations are silent on nationality. Ownership is confirmed with DET and SIRA before any shareholder agreement is signed.
Questions about a security services licence
A question about your plan? Describe your security services plan and an advisor replies on WhatsApp.
Ask on WhatsAppWhat is a SIRA licence and who needs one in Dubai?
Can foreigners own a security company in Dubai?
Do security guards need their own licence in Dubai?
Can one company install CCTV and audit security systems in Dubai?
Can a free zone company provide security services in Dubai?
Related pages
ActivityTechnical services licence for maintenance tradesA DET licence covers routine maintenance in clients' buildings.
JurisdictionDubai mainland setup with DETSuits businesses that sell to UAE customers or bid for Dubai tenders.
ServicePRO services for visas, permits and renewalsPRO services in Dubai for companies: visas, Emirates ID, labour permits, licence renewals and approvals run on a calendar, not chased at the deadline.
Check your services against the SIRA activity list before guards or clients are signed
Thirty minutes with a senior advisor on the services you plan, the sites and the people you will post. You leave with the SIRA activities, the route and the ownership questions to settle first.
On the call
- The activity wording that fits your plan
- The route, and the approvals in order
- A written scope, agreed before any work starts
