Ramadan in Saudi Arabia: A Practical Guide for Expats

Your first Ramadan in Saudi Arabia, whether you're Muslim or not, is a genuinely different rhythm of daily life than what most expats are used to elsewhere — and knowing what to expect ahead of time makes it far easier to settle into rather than feeling caught off guard by the shift.

Work Life During Ramadan

As covered in more detail in our guide to Saudi working hours, Muslim employees are legally entitled to reduced working hours during Ramadan — a maximum 6-hour day rather than the standard 8. Many workplaces shift their entire office schedule during the month regardless of individual employee religion, simply because the overall rhythm of business, traffic, and daily life across the country moves later in the day, making a shifted schedule more practical for everyone, not just a legal requirement for some.

Expect meetings, deliveries, and general business pace to feel noticeably different — many things simply move slower and later during fasting hours, then pick up again significantly after Iftar (the sunset meal breaking the fast).

The Daily Rhythm Shifts

Across the country, the entire day essentially flips. Streets and malls that would be quiet in the late morning elsewhere become genuinely quiet during Ramadan daytime hours too, but the evening — after Iftar — comes alive in a way that's hard to fully appreciate until you experience it: restaurants, malls, and family gatherings run late into the night, often until the pre-dawn Suhoor meal. If you're not used to this pattern, it's worth deliberately adjusting your own sleep and errand-running schedule rather than fighting against the flow of the whole city around you.

Eating, Drinking, and Public Etiquette

During fasting hours (dawn to sunset), eating, drinking, or smoking in public is not permitted, and this applies broadly in public spaces regardless of an individual's own religion or fasting status — the expectation is about public conduct during the holy month, not a requirement that non-Muslims personally fast. Most workplaces designate a private space where non-fasting employees can eat or drink discreetly during the day if needed, and it's worth asking your HR or manager where that is during your first Ramadan if it isn't already obvious.

Restaurants generally remain closed to walk-in dining during daytime hours, though many offer delivery or reopen specifically for Iftar and continue operating well into the evening.

Shopping and Business Hours

Retail hours shift meaningfully: many shops close for a period in the late afternoon ahead of Iftar, then reopen and stay open much later into the night than usual, sometimes past midnight, reflecting the demand for evening and late-night shopping once the fast breaks. Grocery stores in particular tend to see their busiest hours shift to right before Iftar (last-minute meal prep) and again later in the evening.

If you need to run errands, the smartest approach during Ramadan is generally either well before midday, or well after Iftar — the mid-to-late afternoon stretch tends to be the quietest, least convenient window for both opening hours and personal energy levels if you happen to be fasting yourself.

If You're Not Muslim

Non-Muslim expats aren't expected to fast, but the public-conduct expectations (no eating/drinking/smoking in public during fasting hours) still apply as a matter of respecting the shared public space during the holy month. Beyond that, it's simply a month of noticing and adapting to a different collective rhythm — quieter days, livelier nights, and a genuine, warm sense of communal spirit that's worth appreciating even if you're observing from outside the practice itself. Many non-Muslim expats find themselves invited to an Iftar gathering by Muslim friends or colleagues at some point, and it's generally a wonderful, welcoming experience worth saying yes to.

Eid and the Days After

Ramadan ends with Eid al-Fitr, a multi-day public holiday marked by family gatherings, new clothes, gift-giving (especially to children), and a noticeably festive atmosphere across the country. Expect many businesses to close entirely for the Eid holiday period itself, with normal hours and rhythm gradually returning over the following week or so. If you're planning travel or major errands, it's worth checking specific Eid holiday dates each year, since they follow the lunar calendar and shift by roughly 10-11 days annually relative to the standard calendar.

Settling Into the Rhythm

Your first Ramadan in Saudi Arabia takes a little adjustment, but most expats find that once they stop expecting the month to feel like an ordinary one and instead lean into its genuinely different pace, it becomes one of the more memorable, community-oriented periods of the year to experience living here.