Georgina Rodríguez, Cristiano Ronaldo’s partner, if she wanted, could live in Riyadh with the Portuguese star after he signed for the Saudi club Al Nassr.
Even if they are not married – the country prohibits by law that a couple live under the same roof without having previously married– the authority could turn a “blind eye” and allow them to reside together.
This was confirmed to EFE by two Saudi lawyers specialized in Civil Law, who preferred to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the issue, since the Saudi Arabia’s strict conservative Islamic laws expressly prohibit the cohabitation of a couple without a marriage contract.
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“Although the laws of the kingdom still prohibit cohabitation without a marriage contract, the authorities have recently started to turn a blind eye and no longer persecute anyone, although these laws are used when there is a problem or a crime,” one noted. of the lawyers.
Another of the lawyers indicated that regarding On the issue of coexistence, the Saudi authorities “today no longer interfere in this matter – for expatriates-, even though the law prohibits cohabitation without marriage”, he highlighted.
In this regard, and expressly referring to foreigners living and working in Saudi Arabia, he added that “The Police no longer investigate or persecute anyone.”
This was unthinkable a few years agoin a country that is still governed by a strict interpretation of Islamic law or “sharia”.
But since Mohamed bin Salman was appointed crown prince in 2017, sThere have been advances in the recognition of rights especially for women although, on the other hand, the abuses and detentions of human rights activists continue.
In addition, the kingdom’s prime minister has also carried out numerous reforms, especially in the field of sports and entertainment, in order to modernize the country within the framework of Vision 2030.
In any case, and under no circumstances, the freedoms that are allowed to foreigners residing in the Arab country, particularly Westerners, apply to Saudi nationals.
HOW WILL GEORGINA STAY IN ARABIA?
Georgina, mother of two children in common with Cristianohas several options to stay in Saudi Arabia, despite not being married.
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According to the Saudi lawyers consulted, “there are several options for Georgina to come to the kingdom, one of which is for Georgina to come personally. sponsored by Al Nassr (Cristiano Ronaldo’s club), with a visa issued separatelyand can reside wherever you want.
And the second option is to “get a one year tourist visathat allows you to reside in the country during 90 days in a row at each visit.”
However, as one of the practitioners notes, “Saudi Arabia labor laws require that any woman who obtains an entry visa to the kingdom be the wife, worker, or first-degree relative of a man residing” in Saudi Arabia.
“Diplomatic missions cannot grant a visa to a woman without a marriage contract, but for example, it turns a blind eye. Women enter on a tourist visa, as a man and a woman can get it separately without having to reveal the nature of their relationship,” she noted.
The most important of all these options is that this Georgina’s situation is neither new nor unusual in the kingdom.since many former foreign professional players enjoyed exceptional treatment and brought their partners in one way or another and lived with them without problem, concluded one of the lawyers.
