Saudi residents say booze ban eased for more foreigners

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman listens as a reporter asks a question during a meeting with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Foreign residents living in Saudi Arabia told AFP that restrictions on the sale of alcohol have been further relaxed, just days after non-diplomats were first able to buy booze in the conservative kingdom.

Non-Muslim foreign residents earning at least 50,000 riyals a month ($13,300) are now able to purchase drinks at the country’s sole alcohol shop in Riyadh, according to six people who spoke to AFP.

Late last month, premium visa-holders were able to buy booze in Riyadh, marking the first time residents who were not foreign diplomats were able to purchase alcohol at the shop in the capital’s diplomatic quarter.

And then the rules were quietly eased again.

In recent days, individuals said they provided their residency documents to staff at the shop, who then checked their salary information using a Saudi platform, before selling them alcohol.

“We were surprised and didn’t believe it at the beginning,” one expatriate told AFP after receiving messages from friends via WhatsApp about the eased restrictions.

“We entered (the store) after checking and succeeded in buying alcohol,” he added.

Another expat in Riyadh said she was also able to purchase alcohol in recent days.

“People around us went crazy when they heard the news as if they haven’t tried alcohol before!” she told AFP.

Sales have soared at the alcohol shop in Riyadh, with a source familiar with the matter telling AFP that over 12,500 residents with premium visa status have made purchases at the shop since the initial loosening of the ban.

Started in 2019, premium resident status in Saudi Arabia is available to a select group of foreigners who meet a variety of requirements, including making a one-time payment of 800,000 riyals.

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AFP reached out to Saudi authorities for comment on the issue, but they did not respond by the time the story was published.

Reports have also circulated about the opening of additional alcohol shops in other major cities in Saudi Arabia.

A source with knowledge of the process told AFP plans are in place to open shops in Jeddah and Dhahran -- an oil-producing hub where many foreigners are based -- in 2026 but did not provide further details or specifics.

The apparent loosening of the alcohol regulations comes nearly two years after the kingdom opened its first and only booze shop in January 2024 in the capital’s diplomatic quarter, catering exclusively to non-Muslim foreign envoys.

There was no official announcement then, with two sources confirming the reports to AFP at the time.

For years, some residents of the city have been known to make their own bootleg wine.

Others turn to the black market, where a bottle of whisky can fetch several hundred dollars.

Since the rise to power of Saudi Crown Prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom has undergone steady changes in accordance with its plan to diversify the economy and attract tourists and international business.

Booze, however, remains a sticking point in the kingdom, the birthplace of Islam and home to two of its holiest cities.

The ban on alcohol in Saudi Arabia has been in effect since 1952 -- a measure not uncommon in Muslim countries, where alcohol use is often restricted.