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Money & duty free for Saudi Arabia

Currency information: 

Saudi Arabian Riyal (SAR) = 100 halala; 5 halala = 20 qurush. Notes are in denominations of SAR500, 100, 50, 10, 5 and 1. Coins are in denominations of 50, 25, 10, and 5 halala.

Credit cards: 

MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted. Major hotels, restaurants, and shops occasionally accept American Express and Discover.

ATM: 

ATMs are widely available and reliable.

Travellers cheques: 

Widely accepted although they can be hard to change. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take traveller's cheques in Saudi Riyal, Euros, US Dollars or Pounds Sterling and to carry the purchase receipt.

Banking hours: 

Most banks are open from Sat-Wed 0800-1200 and 1700-2000; Thurs 0800-1200. Money-changers often operate longer hours.

Currency restriction: 

There are no restrictions on the import or export of local or foreign currency, but amounts exceeding SAR60,000 must be declared.

Currency exchange: 

Most foreign currencies can be exchanged at commercial banks and money-changers, which stay open longer.

Saudi Arabia duty free

The following items may be imported into Saudi Arabia without incurring customs duty:

• 600 cigarettes or 100 cigars or 500g of tobacco.
• A reasonable amount of perfume.
• A reasonable amount of cultured pearls for personal use.

Note: Duty is levied on cameras and typewriters, but if these articles are re-exported within 90 days, the customs charges may be refunded. It is advisable not to put film into cameras. Digital devices can be subject to inspection – and often by officials who may not know how to properly operate such devices. The result can occasionally involve wiped hard drives but is more often just a delay. With the country’s ban on pornography, it is wise to remove risqué images from your devices.

Banned imports: 

Alcohol, all edible goods, narcotics and drugs (except medicines for personal use accompanied by a prescription), pornography, religious books (besides the Koran), pork, firearms, natural pearls, live animals and birds, all types of palm trees, most foods and items listed as prohibited by the Arab League (copy available from the Embassy).

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