Rules, Regulations and Laws in Saudi Arabia
Living and Working in Saudi Arabia (KSA) is nothing like anywhere else in the world that I have ever had the opportunity to work, they enforce their rules to the letter and the punishments are severe (for a foreigner anyway, most Saudis in the Kingdom would just get their wrists slapped and be told to be good!)
It is also one of the most Hypocritical societies that I have ever encountered, for a society that preaches constantly about not using alcohol and the sanctity of the virtue of their women, the queue to leave the country at the end of the working week over the bridge between Khobar and Bahrain is at least 4 to 5 hours long. The queue is mainly Saudis, and I don’t think they are all going to Bahrain to visit the Mosques there. Maybe the fact that there are many bars and nightclubs where they can drink and chase women (not the sort of women you can take home to mother I hasten to add) I think has more to do with the length of the queue. But maybe I am wrong, maybe if you visit the bars there you can let me know!
Even within the kingdom it is very easy to find just about anything you want, on or off the compounds where most expats live. Most Saudis that I know have a bottle of two of the strong stuff hidden away for when they have visitors. So it is very much a case of “do as we say, not as we do” when working in Saudi Arabia.
That being said; with high wages and generous benefits it is a hard place to ignore for employment and many expats (myself included) would rather endure the restrictions placed on us to work there and make that extra tax free cash.
Working in Saudi Arabia
Just in case you are ever fortunate enough to visit Saudi Arabia or are going to be working in Saudi Arabia I summarize the main rules, regulations and laws that you need to know below;
Please whatever you do follow these rules, especially in public places as Saudis take their traditions and their religion very seriously. They are not known for their leniency towards foreigners who break their laws and their prisons are for punishment not reform.
You Want to work in Saudi Arabia?
If after reading this you still want to work for a company in Saudi Arabia earning high wages and paying no tax; you can read this article by the same author.
Working as a Saudi Expat, a full guide to living and working in Saudi Arabia.
ID, Regulations – don’t forget when working in Saudi Arabia
You have to carry your passport/visa with
you at all times unless you have your residency card (Iqama), once you have
this you must keep it with you at all times. If you get stopped with no valid
ID you will be treated like an illegal and taken off to jail, most of the
police officers do not speak (or choose not to speak) English and will not
generally be helpful.
If you are with a woman, she best be your
wife and you must either have an Iqama that shows this or carry your marriage
certificate.
Prayer Time Rules
Prayer; Muslims pray 5 times per day, here
in Saudi Arabia EVERYTHING stops and shuts for prayer, this takes 20-30minutes
each time. So if you are going out check the prayer times before you go or you
will end up sat waiting! You will know when it is prayer time as every mosque
will start to call for prayer, the first compound I stayed on had 4 mosques
close, one just off each wall. They call for prayer starting at dawn, if you
are a light sleeper this will be when you get up everyday!
When prayer is called every business will
close, you will be asked to leave smaller shops but large supermarkets will
allow you to wander and fill your trolleys during prayer, although I did
witness once in Riyadh
a group of matawa (religious police types) drive everyone out of a supermarket
at prayer time, but that was once!
What to wear Laws in Saudi Arabia
When working in Saudi Arabia you have to dress
respectfully, no vests or shorts in public as a man and women must wear an
Abaya (Long black dress/cloak covering the entire body) at all times outside
and cover their hair. Most foreign women do not cover their hair, however it is
good practice to bring a headscarf at all times and if requested to cover your
hair do so without argument!
Pornography against the law in Saudi Arabia
No pornography, this can cover a surprising range of items, whatever you do don ’t bring any with you when you arrive to work in KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), glossy magazines with scantily clad women will be classed under this category. Remember this country goes around cereal boxes and other items in the supermarket covering up naked flesh using a big black marker pen!
I often get asked about whether your laptop and other devices will be searched when you come into the country; I have yet to find anyone who has ever had this done or even knows anyone that it has been done to. While this is not a likely thing to happen to you it is probably best to ensure that anything out of the ordinary is hidden away from the usual directories on your computer.
I have however known several women who have had cell phones snatched and searched by religious police or mutawa; quite frankly most of these guys are just looking for an excuse to take women from less well off countries away and abuse them. Be very careful with what you have on your cell phone if you are a woman and in an area known for predatory mutawa.
Regulations about Pork; Saudi Arabia, a free land for Pigs
No Bacon Sandwiches in Saudi Arabia, they don’t just not eat pork it is illegal as are all pork products. If you are caught with pork the pigs will throw you in the slammer!
If you know someone however able to open a tin can without leaving any evidence you can easily smuggle in bacon in a can disguised as fruit or something else. Not that I have ever done this (too often)! Forget banning alcohol, this is the biggest problem when living in Saudi Arabia.
Dating in Saudi Arabia
If you can’t mix with the opposite sex you may be asking yourself how you will ever meet the partner of your dreams. This guide to dating in Saudi Arabia is the answer.
Laws Regarding Mixing with the Opposite Sex in Saudi Arabia
Unless you are
married or a direct blood relative you are not allowed to mix in private with
someone of the opposite sex, however this is also generally extended to in
public also, so walking and talking to someone of the opposite sex is likely to
get you into very hot water, if not jailed and deported. Again, your origin
will also affect how you are treated here, as a westerner I have never been
stopped or questioned with any woman nor have any of my friends, but it does happen so beware (I hasten to
add that I am actually married!) However I have both seen and heard frequent
reports of Filipinos and Indians and the like being stopped and arrested.
If you want some additional information about dating in Saudi Arabia you can have a look at my hub about this subject using this link.
Rules regarding Segregation of the Sexes in Saudi Arabia
Segregation of the sexes is upheld
“religiously”, if you go to a restaurant, even a fast food joint such as
McDonalds, there is a “single ’s section” which is for the men, and a family
section which is for women, and for families. Even within the family section
there are often screens arranged so that one table cannot see another so that
everyone is isolated.
When working in Saudi Arabia you will find that the sexes rarely mix in the workplace, the women being required to have their own areas within the workplace.
Strict Laws about Adultery in Saudi Arabia
If you have an affair be warned, the
penalty for adultery here is death and the penalties for a woman even
“consorting” with a man can run to many lashes! Even a rape victim here
recently was lashed and the husband called for the death penalty for her
“infidelity”!
Regulations and Rules about Public shows of affection in Saudi Arabia
When Saudi men meet they will often kiss
each other on the cheek, as will the women. However do not think that this
gives you the right to kiss your wife in public! Affection between men and
women is not tolerated in public. It is ok to walk hand in hand with your wife,
but no kissing and cuddling, even if meeting in the airport for the first time
in a year, control yourself until you get somewhere private.
If someone tells you to stop doing something
stop straight away, do not argue the right or wrong of it! It is best to remove
yourself from the area as quickly as possible in these situations in case
people decide that further action than telling you to stop doing something is
required!
Rules to follow about Bad Language and Gestures
Do not swear or make obscene gestures,
people are easily offended (or choose to be offended just to give you trouble)
and things can escalate out of control, if someone takes a dislike to you
remove yourself from the situation as quickly as possible. The general rule
here is that a Saudi is always right, as a foreigner even if you are in the
“right” in a dispute, if the dispute is with a Saudi you are wrong! Otherwise
the decision tends to go along the origin route, a middle eastern gentlemen
will always be given preferential treatment over a westerner (unless possible
diplomatic fallout), and the westerner will always win out over a Filipino or
an Indian and so on. There is a very definite pecking order here in Saudi Arabia.
Do not even give the finger when you are
driving, no matter how bad the Saudi is driving, this is not your country and
you will be in the wrong!
And 100% do not blaspheme in any way mentioning god or the prophet!
Regulations to be followed by Women Drivers in Saudi Arabia
Women cannot drive
here in Saudi Arabia,
therefore you have to have a driver, however you also cannot be in private with
a man who is not your direct blood relative or your husband. There is a very
real danger that you can be accused of having been in an improper situation
with your driver if the police want to cause you a problem – it happens! Some
men will not allow their wives to have a driver for this reason. (I have seen very
young boys as young as 10 or 11 driving their mothers around!)
Want to know more about the treatment of women in Saudi Arabia?
If you would like to know more about how women are treated in Saudi Arabia and the many rules that they have to follow then have a read of; Women in Saudi Arabia.
Women in Saudi Arabia have very restricted lives that are nothing like those of women in the west, you may be surprised and horrified as to how they have to live.
Rules about Women Alone in Saudi Arabia
Women in Saudi Arabia traveling and walking alone are generally regarded with suspicion, most think that she is a prostitute and will treat her as such! My wife occasionally walks from our apartment to the hospital opposite where she used to work (around 100 yards away), she often has cars with men stopping and beckoning to her to get in, and we live in a “nice” neighborhood!
She has one occasion in the past (Several years ago) been grabbed and dragged into a car by a man who tried to hold something over her nose and mouth to knock her out – luckily she carries a knife and the man stopped and let her out when she started to stab his seats and threaten him! My wife is a Filipina not western, I have not heard of western women being treated in this way but have heard several similar reports regarding Filipinas and Indonesian girls which have ended in rape and beatings!
Alcohol in Saudi Arabia is against the Law
Alcohol is not allowed at all, not even in
mouthwash and perfumes so be careful what you bring into the country. It is not
difficult to find Alcohol in the kingdom, but don ’t go asking Saudis unless you
know them very very well!
Making your own is not exactly hard,
alcohol is easily made when sugar is fermented by yeast, ordinary baking yeast
being sufficient. So sugar and yeast added to non alcoholic beers or to fruit
juices will quickly ferment to produce an alcoholic version. Normally taking
about a week or two to ferment and another 2-3 weeks for the cloudiness to
clear. Or so I am told as this is strictly illegal!
Finding on the compound is very easy, some
compounds having their own residents bar. Non-homemade quality stuff is harder
to come by but not impossible, but expect to pay up to as much as $250 for a
bottle of Jack or Smirnoff when supplies are low.
Penalties for having alcohol are stiff, so
don ’t travel off compound with it, you are likely to get sent home unless you
are very lucky and someone manages to smooth talk the police for you – if you
have Saudi friends let them transport the alcohol, they will only get their
wrists slapped! (Most Saudis I know drink and have supplies of many types!)
Whatever you do; do not sell booze under any
circumstances! If you are caught you will be so deep in excrement you will not
see the light of day for a long time!
Illegal Drugs in Saudi Arabia, Don’t break this Law
Drugs, a big problem
in Saudi Arabia,
Hashish is a major problem with people here, many of the Saudis smoking far too
much as well as other drugs! I am not in any way shape or form a drug taker but
I know that they are freely available. But the penalty here for trafficking
drugs is DEATH, so before you bring some with you, or try to pass to your
“friends” remember this!
Rules, Regulations and Censorship in Saudi Arabia
Censorship, if you travel on Saudi airlines
and watch a film, you may be surprised to see women ’s legs and cleavages
“fuzzed” out as if they were someone that should not be identified on some news
program, and then the kissing scene where the hero steals a little peck from
the heroine, missing! I am not talking sex scene here, I am talking peck on the
cheek – censored!
As to the internet, if it is to do with
sex, drink, gambling, anti-Muslim, scantily clad women, news about Saudi Arabia
they don ’t like, etc. you can ’t access it.
Even the newspapers, you just know when you read
them that there is just too much good news about how wonderful it is in Saudi Arabia!
Rules about Having Fun in Saudi Arabia
Basically, if you think it is fun then
there is a good chance that it will be illegal here in Saudi! Working in Saudi Arabia may seem very restrictive, but at the end of the day we are here for the money and the lack of taxes to pay!
But remember if it goes on behind closed doors quietly without disturbing anyone, no one will stop you!
Working in Saudi Arabia; Additional Information
If you are still considering working in Saudi Arabia then my full guide to working as an expat in Saudi Arabia will tell you everything you need to know.
Saudi Arabia is not somewhere to visit or work in unless you have done your homework! There are just too many things that you could do wrong and too many ways to easily offend the Saudis; always do your research and understand what it is that you are letting yourself in for. Punishment in Saudi Arabia can be severe!
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