SAUDI ARABIA. Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan has approved the rules governing duty free stores at the Kingdom’s entry ports, the Umm Al-Qura Official Gazette revealed on Friday.
His decision follows last September’s Cabinet approval for the creation of duty free shops in airport arrivals zones, land borders, and seaports.
Duty free stores currently trade at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, King Fahad International Airport in Dammam and Prince Muhammad bin Abdulaziz Airport in Madinah. Several more airports will be added in coming months.
The rules spell out provisions related to the requirements for operating licenses and other controls.
With specified exceptions, they allow the import to and export from duty free stores of foreign goods of any kind and of any origin without being subject to customs duties.
The exceptions include goods that are prohibited in the Kingdom, meaning that despite much recent market speculation, alcohol will not be a permissible category at this stage. Duty free retailers can operate 24 hours a day.
The rules come into effect 30 days from the date of their publication in the Umm Al-Qura Official Gazette. 
