Parents in India, you in Europe: Netherlands, Ireland, France, Italy and beyond

For Indians across Europe: time differences by country, flight hubs, residence-permit cautions and a daily WhatsApp check-in for parents in India.

By the Athnova Care team · Updated 2026-09-29

What is different when you live in Europe

Indians now live and work in every part of Europe — Amsterdam and Eindhoven, Dublin, Paris, Milan, Stockholm, Zurich, Warsaw. The details of leave and residence differ from country to country, but the shape of the problem is the same.

You are a few hours behind India, a flight and a connection away, and you hear about your parent’s week on Sunday.

The clock: when their morning happens for you

Most of continental Europe is 4.5 hours behind India in winter and 3.5 hours behind in summer. Ireland and Portugal are an hour further behind.

Where you are	Time difference	Their 8:00 AM check-in is your…	Good time for a live call
Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Poland	4.5 h (winter) · 3.5 h (summer)	3:30 AM or 4:30 AM	Your early morning or lunch break
Ireland, Portugal	5.5 h · 4.5 h	2:30 AM or 3:30 AM	Your early morning or lunch break
Finland, Greece, Romania	3.5 h · 2.5 h	4:30 AM or 5:30 AM	Before work or lunch break

Set up a daily signal, not a weekly call

A weekly call tells you how your parent sounded on Sunday. It tells you nothing about Tuesday. The signal you want every day is small: my parent is reachable, took their medicines, and is not feeling unwell.

Across Europe the check-in happens while you sleep and the result is waiting when you wake.

Pick one fixed time in their morning, after they are normally up and before the day gets busy.
Ask one question with buttons — "Yes, taken", "Not yet", "Please call me" — instead of asking them to type.
Decide in advance what happens when there is no reply: a reminder, then a phone call, then a message to you, then a neighbour.

Build a local circle of two

Every parent who lives alone, or as a couple, needs at least two people nearby who can physically go to the door: a neighbour, a relative, the society manager, a trusted driver. Ask them plainly whether you may message them if your parent does not respond for a few hours, and save their WhatsApp numbers.

From most European cities you need a connection to reach your parent’s city. Assume 14 to 20 hours door to door and let the local circle cover the first day.

Time off work: what Europe gives you

The EU’s work-life balance rules give workers a right to at least five working days of carers’ leave a year, and each country has put that into its own law with its own conditions. Ireland, for example, has leave for medical care purposes; the Netherlands has short- and long-term care leave.

Whether the leave applies to a parent who lives outside the country depends on national rules and your employer. Ask HR, and ask what evidence they need from the doctor in India.

Leave rules change and depend on your contract. Treat this as a starting point and confirm with HR before you book a ticket.

Money from Europe

Euro transfers to Indian bank accounts usually arrive within a day. Keep a small emergency float in India that a relative can reach.

Many Indian banks now let NRE and NRO account holders use UPI with an international mobile number from a list of countries that has grown since 2023. If your bank offers it, you can pay a chemist, a lab or a hospital counter in India directly from your phone — ask your bank whether your number qualifies.

Health cover for your parents

European public and private health insurance does not cover parents who live in India. Parents visiting the Schengen area need travel medical insurance for the visa.

Look at an Indian health policy in your parent’s own name. Since April 2024 the insurance regulator has removed the old upper age limit of 65 for buying a new policy, and the longest waiting period for existing illnesses is three years — so a policy bought now starts covering a known condition sooner than it used to. Parents aged 70 or over can also enrol for the government’s Ayushman Bharat senior-citizen cover in states that have joined the scheme.

When you have to fly

Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Milan and Rome have non-stop flights to Delhi or Mumbai, and some to Bengaluru. From Dublin, Lisbon and most smaller cities you connect through a European or Gulf hub.

If you hold a residence permit, check how long you may stay outside the country before it lapses. Six months is a common limit.

Keep the medical basics in one place

Current medicine list with strengths and timings — a photo of the latest prescription is a good start.
The last 12 months of lab reports, in date order, so trends are visible.
Blood group, allergies, main doctor, preferred hospital and its emergency number.
A one-page emergency card you can send on WhatsApp in one tap.

How Athnova Care fits in

Your parent gets one WhatsApp message a day in their own language and answers with one tap. If they do not reply we remind them, then phone them. If they still do not answer we alert you, and then the local contacts you chose. Reports they photograph are read and trended, refills are arranged with your approval, and you get a doctor-ready summary every month. It costs $24 a month for the whole family, and your parent installs nothing.

Athnova Care tracks and coordinates. It does not diagnose, prescribe or replace a doctor, and it is not an emergency service.

Questions families ask

I live in Ireland. Is there a direct flight to India?

Not at the time of writing. Most people connect through London, a European hub or the Gulf, in 11 to 15 hours.

Will the app work in my country?

Yes. The family app works anywhere; you sign in with your email or Google account. Your parent only needs WhatsApp in India.

Can two siblings in different countries share one plan?

Yes. One plan covers up to four family members, wherever they live, and up to two parents.

Athnova Care tracks and coordinates care. It does not diagnose, prescribe or replace a doctor. In a medical emergency in India call 112.