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Dress modestly, and don't initiate contact across genders

Dress modestly in public regardless of gender, and let someone of the opposite gender initiate a handshake or physical greeting rather than offering one yourself, a nod or hand-over-heart gesture is a safe default.

Saudi ArabiaSocialstrictUpdated September 2, 2026

Cover shoulders and knees at minimum in public; looser, non-revealing clothing is the safer default for both men and women, particularly outside international hotels and tourist zones. Women aren’t required to wear an abaya as a visitor today, but many still choose loose, modest layers, and it’s worth having one on hand for more traditional or religious settings.

When meeting someone of the opposite gender, don’t extend your hand first, the standard rule is to let the woman decide whether to offer hers. A nod, a hand over the heart, or a verbal greeting works as the default, and you can shake hands if she offers first.

Why it matters

Public dress and cross-gender interaction norms are more conservative than in much of the West, rooted in local religious and cultural practice. Rules have genuinely loosened in recent years, Saudi Arabia dropped the mandatory abaya requirement for foreign women in 2019, replacing strict enforcement with a general "public decorum" standard of covering shoulders and knees. Even so, erring conservative on a first meeting avoids putting someone in an awkward position.

Source: Saudi Arabian Culture: Greetings – Cultural Atlas

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