Multiple reports surfacing this weekend indicated that the government of Saudi Arabia has expanded access to alcohol sales, for decades banned as haram, to foreigners who can prove they make over $13,300 a month.
Saudi Arabia, home to the holiest sites in Islam, has long banned consumption of alcohol due to its forbidden status in the religion. Riyadh had also imposed onerous social restrictions on its citizens for decades, and continues to do so, particularly limiting the rights of women. Following the rise of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) to power, many of these restrictions have been loosened, most prominently the ban on women driving in 2017. The country remains an Islamic state ruled by sharia, however, and government officials have refused to confirm any of a growing list of reports indicating that the crown price is open to expanding alcohol sales in the country.
The American establishment outlet Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing anonymous “people familiar,” that the one liquor store in the country, once serving only foreign diplomats, began allowing wealthy foreign citizens outside of the diplomatic world to buy alcoholic products this weekend. The Riyadh store, reportedly located in a nondescript building and not accessible to Saudi citizens, has only been operable for about a year, according to multiple reports.
“Residents must prove their income by showing a salary certificate to gain entry to the country’s only liquor outlet, located in Riyadh, said the people,” according to Bloomberg. “The store opened last year for sales to foreign diplomats and recently extended access to non-Muslims with so-called premium residency status.”
The Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported the same this weekend, citing six anonymous people who confirmed that wealthy “premium visa” holders could now buy alcohol there. AFP also reported that the minimum monthly salary to be allowed to buy alcohol was $13,300, or 50,000 Saudi riyals – effectively banning the large numbers of impoverished migrant workers in the country from accessing the store. Human rights organizations have repeatedly accused the Saudi government of allowing, and even encouraging, the abuse of domestic laborers, construction workers, and others in low-level jobs that often go to migrants.
“We were surprised and didn’t believe it at the beginning,” one of AFP’s sources said about the alcohol sale expansion. “We entered (the store) after checking and succeeded in buying alcohol.”
The government of Saudi Arabia has not publicly addressed the Bloomberg or AFP reports at press time, neither confirming nor denying the reports. Riyadh similarly did not comment when, in late November, multiple outlets published reports that the government had greenlit the construction of two more liquor stores in the country: one for diplomats in Jeddah, where the Saudis often host global engagements; and one in Dhahran province intended to service a community of workers with the Saudi national oil company Aramco. According to Reuters, both stores will serve only non-Muslim foreigners.
“Both stores were expected to open in 2026, but no timelines had been released, two of the sources said,” the news agency shared on November 24. “The government media office did not immediately reply to questions over the plans for the stores in both locations, which were previously unreported. Aramco declined to comment.”
Reuters also reported at the time that the Riyadh store had already begun selling alcohol to “premium residency” foreigners.
The Financial Times reported the news of the two new alleged liquor stores two days later, also citing anonymous officials and also providing no government confirmation or denial. The Times added the detail that, despite the decades-old ban on alcohol in the country, “a large number of hotels and restaurants developed in the kingdom over the past few years have built-in bars that at present offer virgin cocktails and other non-alcoholic drinks” which could be easily outfitted to stock alcohol.
Under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s “Vision 2030” plan, meant to diversify the Saudi economy away from oil, Saudi Arabia has dramatically expanded national efforts to become a tourist destination and cultural powerhouse. Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in professional sports, particularly soccer and golf, and won an uncontested bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. Following the announcement that Saudi Arabia would host the World Cup, rumors began circulating that the government would allow alcohol sales at the event — but officials rapidly denied them.
Saudi Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki al-Faisal said at the time that he believed banning alcohol at the event, despite alcohol being nearly synonymous with soccer in much of the rest of the world, would be an added benefit to fans, as the atmosphere would be safer and more family-friendly.
“We don’t see it as an issue, honestly,” he told interviewer Piers Morgan. “I think some of the fans, they want it [alcohol]… to be part of their experience. (But) I think the stats also reflect in a positive way that, you know, some of the chaos that happens around some fans [who drink at games].”
“We’ve hosted more than 100 international events… everyone has come and enjoyed it, and it’s become really a family environment,” the sports minister added.
The crown prince is also investing billions of dollars in the creation of an entirely new city, “Neom,” in the northwest of the country that he has said he expects to be home to some of the world’s largest music festivals, high technology companies, luxury beach resorts, and sports and wellness retreats.
“Neom will compete with Miami in terms of entertainment, culture, sports, and retail,” MBS said in an interview in June 2023.
A major advantage that Miami, Florida, would have over any site in Saudi Arabia is that Miami has an international reputation for its vibrant nightlife and alcohol is abundant there. Unlike with the World Cup, where officials rapidly dismissed the possibility of alcohol sales, officials in charge of the development of Neom have not rejected the idea. Some reports suggest that Neom’s seaside resort neighborhood, Sindalah, which opened to select visitors last year, will sell cocktails and wine.
“I have not seen the specifics of the law in regards to [alcohol],” Joseph Bradley, CEO of NEOM’s Tech and Digital Holding Company, said in 2021. “But I can tell you very, very clearly that everyone understands that we’re going to build a founding law that attracts the tourism market, that attracts the tech market, that attracts the manufacturing market.”