Diplomats and premium visa-holders in Saudi Arabia told AFP that the conservative kingdom has quietly relaxed restrictions on purchasing alcohol for select foreign residents.
Although the government has not issued any statements regarding alcohol sales in recent days, sources said non-Muslim individuals with so-called premium residency status are now able to buy alcohol at the country's sole liquor shop in Riyadh, which was previously reserved for diplomats.
AFP spoke with four people who confirmed the rules had changed, including two diplomatic sources and two residents with premium visas.
"I heard about it from friends who tried it. I went there two days ago and it actually worked," one premium visa-holder told AFP on condition of anonymity.
"It saved me a lot of money compared with buying from the black market. Prices are reasonable, and we can finally purchase alcohol."
AFP contacted Saudi authorities for comment on the reports, but they had not responded by the time the story was published.
Introduced in 2019, premium residency status in Saudi Arabia is available to a select group of foreigners who meet various requirements, including making a one-off payment of 800,000 riyals (£168,000).
The visa allows holders to live, work, and invest freely in Saudi Arabia without a local "sponsor" — a guarantor otherwise required for non-nationals to reside in the kingdom.
A premium residency-holder told AFP that he visited the liquor shop and saw another man with the same status purchase alcohol before buying bottles himself.
"It actually worked for me, it's so easy," he said.
'Walking out with 30 bottles'
A Western diplomat told AFP that acquaintances with premium residency had managed to buy alcohol in recent days.
"Expat WhatsApp groups are being flooded with the news," he added.
Another diplomat said the liquor shop was "packed" on Saturday, when she saw "people walking out with 30 bottles".
The apparent easing of alcohol regulations comes nearly two years after the kingdom opened its first and only liquor shop in January 2024 in the capital's diplomatic quarter, catering exclusively to non-Muslim foreign envoys.
There was no official announcement at the time, though two sources confirmed the reports to AFP.
Since the rise to power of Crown Prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia has undergone steady changes in line with its plan to diversify the economy and attract tourists and international business.
Women are now permitted to drive, foreign tourists are welcomed, and cinemas have reopened.
Alcohol, however, has remained a contentious issue in the kingdom — the birthplace of Islam and home to two of its holiest cities.
Alcohol has been banned in Saudi Arabia since 1952, shortly after the son of then-King Abdulaziz became drunk and, in a rage, shot dead a British diplomat.
The ban remains in place, a measure not uncommon in Muslim countries where alcohol consumption is often restricted.