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Saudi Arabia further relaxes alcohol rules for wealthy foreign residents

Tuesday 02 - 09:00

By: Sahili Aya

Saudi Arabia further relaxes alcohol rules for wealthy foreign residents

Saudi Arabia has quietly introduced a new relaxation of its strict alcohol regulations, allowing affluent non-Muslim expatriates to legally purchase alcohol in the kingdom, several residents in Riyadh told AFP.

According to six foreign residents interviewed, non-Muslim expatriates earning over 50,000 riyals per month (around 13,300 USD) can now access the country’s only licensed alcohol shop, located in Riyadh’s diplomatic quarter. Until recently, only non-Muslim diplomats or holders of special residency permits were allowed to shop there.

This change follows the late-November decision granting alcohol-buying privileges to non-Muslim holders of Premium Residency “Golden Visas,” a high-end residency status created in 2019 and costing up to 800,000 riyals (nearly €200,000).

Several expatriates confirmed that, after providing their residency ID numbers, store staff checked their salary information through a government platform before granting access. “We didn’t believe it at first,” one expatriate recounted, saying he and his friends verified the news through WhatsApp messages before trying it themselves.

Another resident described widespread excitement among expatriates: “People were acting like they’d never tasted alcohol before! It’s nice to be able to buy it legally in Riyadh.”

Saudi authorities have not commented on the policy change. However, a source inside the shop told AFP that more than 12,500 Golden Visa holders have purchased alcohol since the first easing earlier this year. Additional stores are reportedly planned for Jeddah and Dhahran, both home to large foreign communities.

The measure fits into Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s transformative Vision 2030, aimed at diversifying the economy and making the kingdom more attractive for foreign talent and investment.

Despite these exceptions, alcohol remains strictly prohibited for the country’s 35 million residents: possession, consumption, or distribution can still lead to fines, imprisonment, and deportation for foreigners. Saudi Arabia—home to Islam’s two holiest sites—has banned alcohol nationwide since the early 1950s.