If you live in Saudi Arabia and have Indian income, you may need to file an Indian return as a non-resident, especially after selling property or where tax deducted exceeds your liability. Because Saudi Arabia does not tax personal income, Indian citizens with Indian income above ₹15 lakh may be treated as deemed residents in some cases. Treaty benefits under the India-Saudi Arabia tax treaty need a Saudi tax residency certificate and Form 10F.
- Document route
- Saudi notary (including Najiz e-notarisation), then apostille from the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or signing at the Indian mission
- Time difference
- IST is 2h30 ahead of Saudi time all year (no daylight saving)
- Law
- Income-tax Act 2025, from 1 April 2026
- Main test
- 182 days in the tax year
NRI Income Tax & DTAA from Saudi Arabia: how it works
We check your residential status by counting days in India and applying the deemed residency rule for Indian citizens not liable to tax elsewhere. Deemed residents are generally not ordinarily resident, so Saudi salary remains outside Indian tax, but the label affects some other income. We list Indian income and the tax deducted at source and compute any capital gains correctly.
Filing a return lets you claim refunds of excess tax deducted by buyers, banks and tenants. Treaty relief needs a tax residency certificate from the Saudi authorities, used with Form 10F online. We respond to Indian tax notices for you and keep your filings consistent, which matters because the Indian department matches property registration and bank data automatically. Refunds are paid only into a pre-validated Indian bank account, so we make sure your NRO account is linked on the portal before the return is filed.
What clients in Saudi Arabia should know
- Many Saudi-based clients receive Indian tax notices about high-value property transactions reported by sub-registrars; a timely reply avoids penalties.
- NRE interest is exempt in India; NRO interest is taxable with tax deducted at source.
- The Income-tax Act 2025 applies from 1 April 2026; older references and form numbers are changing.
Step by step from Saudi Arabia
Video consultation
A call at a time that suits Saudi Arabia, after we have read your documents.
Documents signed in Saudi Arabia
Saudi notary (including Najiz e-notarisation), then apostille from the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or signing at the Indian mission
Work in India
Our team files, appears and follows up in India, and shares scans of everything filed.
Result and handover
Certified copies and originals are couriered to you in Saudi Arabia where needed.
The full guide
This page covers what changes when you are in Saudi Arabia. For the law, the documents and the step-by-step procedure, read our main page on NRI Income Tax & DTAA, or see all services for clients in Saudi Arabia and the Cross-Border Tax & Money practice area.
Questions from clients in Saudi Arabia
Is my Saudi salary taxable in India?
Generally not, if you are non-resident or deemed resident but not ordinarily resident.
Do I need to file if I only have NRE interest?
No. NRE interest is exempt; other Indian income may require a return.
Why did I get a notice about my flat purchase?
Sub-registrars report high-value transactions. We check the notice and reply with the source of funds.