Are tattoos allowed in Saudi Arabia?

Many foreigners want to know if they can have tattoos in Saudi Arabia. How would Saudis behave if someone has tattoos on their bodies?

Tattoos in Islam

Saudi Arabia is an Islamic country, and therefore, it is essential to understand if Islam allows having tattoos on the body. Having Tattoos on the body is Haram in Islam as per the following Hadith.

• Prophet Muhammad ﷺ cursed the woman who does tattoos and the one who has them done. – Sunan Ibn Majah 1989
• Prophet Muhammad ﷺ prohibited tattooing. – Sahih al-Bukhari 5740
• Abdullah رضي الله عنه said if my wife had tattoos on her body, I would not have kept her with me. – Sunan Ibn Majah 1989

Are tattoos allowed in Saudi Arabia?

Even though having tattoos is not allowed in Islam, people living in Saudi Arabia have tattoos on their bodies, and it is not a great deal for Saudis.

You won’t be mistreated here because of your tattoos. Having tattoos is your choice; it’s your body, and you can do whatever you want to do with it. 

The only thing is that when they are at offices, the tattoo shall be covered up. This is not a specific rule in Saudi Arabia concerning Tattoos.

Offensive Tattoos

However, if one is tattooed with offensive stuff, that might cause a problem here. Well, one thing I don’t understand is why people like to get inked with offensive and rude stuff. Such tattoos would indeed cause a problem in other countries as well, not just KSA.

Religious Tattoos

The only kinds of tattoos that I believe will cause a bit of trouble in Saudi Arabia are religious tattoos, such as a cross ✞. If you have such religious tattoos, it’s better not to make them visible. 

Sexy Tattoos

Tattoos that are of a sexy nature, such as naked men and women, tattoos depicting kisses, or other such stuff, might also cause a problem here. Therefore, it is recommended not to display them in public.