Saudi Arabia

Saudi authorities may blood-test arriving travelers for drugs and can detain you even for drug use that happened before you entered the country.

Arrest and detention even for substances consumed abroad before arrival.

Verified Jul 11, 2026

Cannabis is illegal in Saudi Arabia and there is no medical or CBD exception. Possessing or using it for yourself carries a prison sentence of six months to two years, and six months is the minimum, not the maximum. A non-Saudi convicted of any drug offence is deported after serving the sentence and permanently barred from returning, apart from Hajj and Umrah. Smuggling is a separate and far graver offence that carries the death penalty on the face of the law, with no quantity threshold at all.

Possession or use for personal use: six months to two years in prison. Deportation of a convicted non-Saudi is mandatory and the re-entry ban is permanent, apart from Hajj and Umrah. Smuggling carries the death penalty. Possession or transport with intent to traffic or promote carries five to fifteen years with lashes and a fine.

Verified Aug 21, 2026

Many common prescription medications require prior approval before you bring them into or out of Saudi Arabia — register listed drugs on the SFDA Controlled Drug System (CDS), which can take several weeks.

Unauthorized controlled medications may be confiscated and can lead to detention.

Verified Jul 11, 2026

Do not carry weapons or ammunition into Saudi Arabia. ZATCA lists "weapons and ammunition" among the items prohibited to travellers at customs ports, together with electric shock devices of all types, fireworks of all kinds, eavesdropping devices, and anything containing a hidden camera. Only one red laser pen up to 5 milliwatts is allowed.

ZATCA introduces the prohibited list as issued together with "the fines that are imposed on anyone who attempts to enter them", but publishes no fine amounts, no schedule and no link to a schedule. No monetary figure should be asserted. The underlying Minister of Finance Decision No. 2597 (24 Rajab 1439 AH) was not locatable on a .gov.sa host.

Verified Sep 1, 2026

You must declare cash, gold, precious metals, jewelry, or negotiable financial instruments worth 40,000 Saudi riyals (about USD $10,600) or more when entering or leaving Saudi Arabia — the threshold was lowered from 60,000 riyals.

Failure to declare can bring fines of 10–25% of the value (up to 50% for repeat offenses) and seizure of the assets.

Verified Jul 11, 2026

Pork, alcohol, drugs, weapons, ammunition, hidden cameras, pornography, and non-Islamic religious items are prohibited imports and strictly enforced; even playing cards or poker chips have caused entry trouble.

Items are confiscated and offenses can bring criminal penalties.

Verified Jul 11, 2026

Alcohol is completely illegal in Saudi Arabia — importing, making, possessing, or drinking it is a serious crime that customs enforces strictly on all visitors.

Long jail sentences, heavy fines, public floggings, and deportation.

Verified Jul 11, 2026

Declare any vape, e-cigarette or e-liquid at Saudi customs. ZATCA taxes electronic smoking devices and their liquids — with or without nicotine — as excise goods, and excise goods must be declared on arrival. They are not on ZATCA's traveller prohibited list, but Saudi Arabia publishes no duty-free quantity for them at all, so carry personal amounts only and expect to pay.

Verified Sep 1, 2026

Declare tobacco at Saudi customs. Up to 200 cigarettes is free of customs duty and tax. Between 200 and 2,400 cigarettes you pay duty and tax on the ENTIRE quantity, not just the excess, and you need Saudi Food and Drug Authority approval. Above 2,400 cigarettes is handled as a commercial import.

ZATCA states a quantity above 200 and below 2,400 cigarettes is admitted only "with the imposition of customs duties and taxes on the entire quantity", and requires Saudi Food and Drug Authority approval; above 2,400 cigarettes it becomes subject to commercial importation procedures. No fine amount is published on this page.

Verified Sep 1, 2026

With a valid tourist visa and US or international license, visitors may drive a rental car for the duration of their visa; women may legally drive, and traffic fines must be paid before leaving the country.

Outstanding traffic fines must be paid before departure.

Verified Jul 22, 2026

In Saudi Arabia it is illegal to photograph government/military buildings, embassies, police or security personnel, and women in public.

Detention, arrest and criminal charges.

Verified Jul 22, 2026

Drones are generally illegal in Saudi Arabia; check the General Authority for Civil Aviation for restrictions and import/use options.

Verified Jul 22, 2026

Consensual same-sex sexual relations are illegal in Saudi Arabia; you may be punished for engaging in, discussing, or supporting them, including on social media even if posted before travel, and same-sex dating apps may draw scrutiny.

Fines, jail, and the death penalty.

Verified Jul 22, 2026

Saudi Arabia's public-decency law covers clothing; women should cover shoulders and knees and men should wear shirts, with loose-fitting clothing recommended for all. Police or guards may comment on attire.

Police enforcement; harassment or denial of entry to public spaces.

Verified Jul 22, 2026