Looking after parents in India from Saudi Arabia

For Indians in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam: the 2.5-hour clock, exit and re-entry visas, money and a daily check-in so you know your parents in India are fine.

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

What is different when you live in Saudi Arabia

More than two million Indians work in Saudi Arabia, many of them supporting parents at home in Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Telangana and Tamil Nadu. Home is a few hours away by air — but leaving at short notice is not always in your own hands.

That makes it even more important to hear about a problem early, and to have people near your parents who can act on the first day.

The clock: when their morning happens for you

India is 2.5 hours ahead of Saudi Arabia all year.

Where you are	Time difference	Their 8:00 AM check-in is your…	Good time for a live call
Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Makkah, Madinah	2.5 h	5:30 AM the same day	Before work, or after 6 PM (their late evening)

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.

The check-in is on your phone when you wake up. If your shift pattern makes calls hard, the daily tap still tells you every day that your parent is fine.

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.

If your travel depends on paperwork, the local circle has to cover more than the first day. Agree with a relative in India who will stay with your parent if they are admitted.

Time off work: what Saudi Arabia gives you

Saudi labour law provides annual leave and short paid leave for events such as a bereavement, but no general carer’s leave. Emergency travel is normally taken as annual or unpaid leave, by agreement with your employer.

Most expatriate workers need an exit and re-entry visa to travel. Know who issues it in your company and how long it normally takes, before you need one.

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 Saudi Arabia

Bank apps and exchange houses send money to India quickly. Keep an emergency float in India with a sibling or trusted relative, because a hospital may ask for a deposit before you can arrange anything.

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

Your employer’s health insurance in the Kingdom does not cover parents who live in India.

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

Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam have direct flights to Kochi, Kozhikode, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Lucknow and other cities, mostly 4 to 6 hours.

Keep your passport, iqama and exit/re-entry arrangements in order so that the flight is the only thing you have to book.

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

My parents speak only Malayalam. Will it work?

Yes. The daily message, the buttons and the phone call are in Malayalam. Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Punjabi and English are available too.

I work shifts and cannot take calls. Does that matter?

No. Alerts reach you in the app, by email and on WhatsApp, and you can add siblings who get the same alerts.

How do I pay?

By card in US dollars: $24 a month or $199 a year for the whole family.

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