Saudi Arabia will open its first liquor store for non-Muslim diplomats

An informed source said, and a document showed on Wednesday, that Saudi Arabia is preparing to open the first store in the capital, Riyadh, to sell alcoholic beverages, which will provide its services exclusively to non-Muslim diplomats.

The document stated that customers will have to register via a mobile application to obtain an access code from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and they will also have to respect the monthly quotas allocated for their purchases.

The step represents a milestone in the Kingdom’s efforts, led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in pushing the conservative Gulf country towards openness to enhance tourism and attract business activities.

The move is also part of broader plans known as Vision 2030 to build an economy that moves away from heavy dependence on oil.

The document stated that the new store is located in the Diplomatic Quarter in Riyadh, where embassies are located and diplomats reside, and its sales will be limited “exclusively and strictly” to non-Muslims.

It’s not yet clear whether other non-Muslim residents will be allowed to purchase from the store.

Millions of expatriates live in Saudi Arabia, but most of them are Muslims from Asia and Egypt.

A source familiar with the plans said that the store is expected to open its doors in the coming weeks.

Saudi Arabia applies strict laws on drinking alcohol, and the penalties include flogging, fines, and imprisonment, and expatriates and expatriates may be deported for this reason.

As part of the amendments, the punishment of flogging was mostly replaced by periods of imprisonment.