Saudi Arabia quietly allows sale of booze — but to rich foreigners – Firstpost

Foreign residents in Saudi Arabia say the kingdom has quietly relaxed its longstanding restrictions on alcohol sales, extending access to a broader group of non-Muslim expats.

According to several expatriates interviewed by AFP, non-Muslim foreigners who earn at least 50,000 riyals per month (about $13,300) are now able to purchase alcoholic drinks at the country’s only authorised liquor shop in Riyadh.

This is the latest in a series of gradual policy shifts that began when premium visa holders—once the only non-diplomats allowed to buy alcohol—gained access last month.

An expatriate purchasing from the shop described the change with surprise: “We were surprised and didn’t believe it at the beginning,” he told AFP. “We entered (the store) after checking and succeeded in buying alcohol.”  A female resident shared a similar experience, saying she too was able to buy alcohol in recent days. “People around us went crazy when they heard the news as if they haven’t tried alcohol before!” she said.

Since this loosening began, demand appears to have surged. A source familiar with the matter told AFP that more than 12,500 residents holding premium visas have bought alcohol from the Riyadh shop.

The development comes roughly two years after the kingdom opened its first official alcohol shop for foreign diplomats in the capital’s Diplomatic Quarter—the first legal retail point since Saudi Arabia imposed its alcohol ban in 1952.

While the government has not formally commented on the relaxation, the new rules appear to reflect a broader shift aimed at attracting foreign workers, investors, and tourists under the umbrella of the kingdom’s economic and social reforms.

Meanwhile, plans are reportedly underway to open additional alcohol outlets in other major cities, with prospective stores slated for Jeddah and Dhahran by 2026.