SAUDI Arabia has seen many rapid changes in the past decades. One that is becoming more obvious is that of Saudi women who are increasingly opting to marry foreigners. Recent statistics issued by the Interior Ministry showed that 20,000 marriages have been registered between Saudi women and foreign men in the past five years.Saudi women are prohibited from marrying non-Saudis, except with special permission from higher authorities. Permission is also required before a Saudi woman is able to marry an Arab, who is not a citizen of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
According to Majed Al-Sharif from RiyadhÂ’s Marriage Court, the year 2007 has seen, in comparison to previous years, a higher number of cross-nationality marriages.