RIYADH: Foreign residents living in Saudi Arabia said that restrictions on the sale of alcohol have been further relaxed, just days after non-diplomats were first able to buy booze in the country.

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 in the locality.

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. 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.

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

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2025