Drug tests on foreigners marrying Saudi women

The Saudi government has made it mandatory for foreign nationals to undergo drug testing before marriage, reported Arab News.

The new rules, endorsed by the government, will discourage marriages with foreign nationals, while ensuring that couples don’t face social problems because of drug addiction and intoxication.

Foreigners — men and women — willing to marry Saudis will be required to undergo medical examinations, and their reports will carry the information about the results of the drug test. This will be one of the eligibility criteria for foreigners taking Saudi brides or vice versa.

Head of communications at the Ministry of Health (MoH) Mishaal Al-Rabian said: “A drug test has been added to the compulsory marital medical test for foreigners seeking marriage with Saudi women.”

He also clarified that “the drug test is only for foreigners and, the test has been applied since the issuance of the circular a few months back.”

Al-Rabian’s clarifications reportedly came following rumours on social media that the MoH has started drug testing for citizens before marriage.

Marriages between Saudis and non-Saudis have increased over the years. The Ministry of Justice revealed statistics from early this year which showed that the number of marriage contracts between Saudi men and non-Saudi women reached 3,596, while female Saudi marriage contracts with non-Saudi males totalled 3,352.