Saudi Arabia Unveils Plan for First Alcohol Store

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For the first time in its history, Saudi Arabia will be opening an alcohol store in its capital, Riyadh, that will cater to non-Muslim diplomats, according to a familiar source and a document.

The move is considered a milestone in the ultraconservative Islamic kingdom's efforts, led by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, to open the country to tourism and business and implement its wider plans known as Vision 2030. Vision 2030 seeks to build a post-oil economy in one of the world’s largest oil producers.

The new store will be located in Riyadh's Diplomatic Quarter, a neighborhood where embassies and diplomats reside, and will be "strictly restricted" to non-Muslims. A source familiar with the plan told Reuters that the store is expected to open in the coming weeks.

Customers must register through a mobile app, get a clearance code from Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry, and observe monthly quotas with their purchases. However, it remains unclear if other non-Muslim expatriates in Saudi Arabia will have access to the store. Millions of expatriates live in Saudi Arabia, and while many of them are Muslim workers from Asia and Egypt, there are also non-Muslim expatriates working in the country coming from places such as the Philippines and India.

Because alcohol is forbidden in Islam, Saudi Arabia has strict laws against alcohol, which can be punishable by hundreds of lashes, fines, or imprisonment, while expatriates could face deportation. As part of the broader reforms under Mohammad Bin Salman, whipping has been largely replaced by jail sentences.

Alcohol has only been available in Saudi Arabia either through diplomatic mail or the black market.

The Saudi Arabian government confirmed on January 24th that it would be imposing new restrictions on alcoholic imports within diplomatic consignments. Its Center of International Communication (CIC) said these new regulations have been introduced to counter the illicit trade of alcohol goods and products received by diplomatic missions.

"This new process will continue to grant and ensure that all diplomats of non-Muslim embassies have access to these products in specified quotas," the CIC said in a statement to Reuters.

Although the statement did not mention the new alcohol store planned to be opened in Riyadh, it stated that the framework respected international diplomatic conventions. 

In recent years, Saudi Arabia has relaxed its strict social codes, such as segregating men and women in public places and requiring women to wear all-covering black robes, also called abayas.

Mohammed Bin Salman’s tightening grip on power has been accompanied by changes aimed at modernizing and opening up the kingdom, which has been relatively closed off for decades. These changes included opening the country to non-religious tourism, allowing women to drive, and allowing Western and South Korean international artists to perform at concerts.

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