AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Reports indicate that Saudi Arabia has further loosened restrictions on alcohol sales for foreign residents. The move comes just days after the kingdom, for the first time, allowed non-diplomatic foreign nationals to purchase alcohol in Riyadh.
According to AFP, non-Muslim foreign residents earning at least 50,000 Saudi riyals per month are now permitted to buy alcohol from the only licensed store operating in the capital. Previously, only premium visa holders had access to the shop, a rule that, until recently, marked the first legal avenue for non-diplomatic foreigners to obtain alcohol in the kingdom.
Local sources say that under the new mechanism, customers must present their residency information to store staff, after which their monthly income is verified through Saudi digital systems before any purchase is approved.
Saudi Arabia’s premium residence program, launched in 2019, requires applicants to meet several conditions, including a one-time payment of roughly 800,000 riyals. Despite earlier restrictions, many foreign residents had for years relied on homemade alcohol or costly black-market purchases.
The latest policy shift is part of Saudi Arabia’s broader social and economic reform agenda under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030, a plan aimed at diversifying the economy, boosting tourism, and attracting international investment.
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