Updated 21 October 2026. We re-checked the embassy page, the SBI and ICICI loan pages, the RBI account FAQ and the Income Tax Department's non-resident FAQ on the day. The answers ranking today are short and undated. This guide gives the full Iqama document pack, the choice between an embassy and a notary power of attorney, the remittance trail and the tax check that catches zero-tax earners.

Step by step: buying from Riyadh, Jeddah or Al Khobar

  • Open or confirm your NRE account (and an NRO account if you have Indian income). RBI: NRE accounts are for NRIs and PIOs; NRO accounts for any person resident outside India (RBI FAQ, 16 January 2025). Our guide: Nre Nro Fcnr Accounts.
  • Shortlist with a budget that includes stamp duty, registration and GST, using True Cost Calculator.
  • Get loan eligibility in writing if you will borrow: Home Loan Eligibility Calculator.
  • Make a property power of attorney for the relative who will sign for you (next section).
  • Pay the booking amount and instalments from NRE or NRO by bank transfer. Keep every bank advice.
  • Your attorney signs the agreement, pays stamp duty and registers the sale deed in India.

How to make a power of attorney in Saudi Arabia for India

The embassy route is the one most people use. The Embassy of India, Riyadh lists these requirements for a power of attorney in property matters (page updated 20 October 2026):

  • Photocopy of the passport's inside cover pages and other relevant pages.
  • Copy of your Iqama.
  • Two recent passport-size photographs, 35 mm × 45 mm.
  • The original power of attorney and one photocopy, to be signed before the Consular Officer.
  • Fees: SAR 74 for property matters (SAR 37 for other matters), plus SAR 8 ICWF and SAR 15 VFS service fee.
  • Where and when: VFS Umm Al Hammam, Riyadh, 09:30–12:30 on working days; generally returned the same day.
  • Jeddah: our Saudi guide lists the same fee schedule at VFS on Hail Street (Saudi Arabia). The Jeddah consulate's own page did not load for us on 21 October, so confirm there before you go.

Is a Saudi notary POA with apostille valid in India?

Saudi Arabia joined the Hague Apostille Convention, which entered into force for it on 7 December 2022 (Conflict of Laws, 13 April 2022). A power of attorney signed before a Saudi notary and apostilled is therefore another route. In practice, the embassy route is simpler for an Indian buyer: it is in English, on a format Indian sub-registrars see often, and usually returned the same day. Whichever you use, the document must be stamped in the Indian state where the property is, within that state's time window. State rules: Power of Attorney for NRIs, Step by Step: Attestation Abroad, Adjudication in India, and State Rules for Karnataka, Haryana and Tamil Nadu and Power Of Attorney For Property.

What documents does an Iqama holder need for an Indian home loan?

Prepare this pack before you apply. It covers what SBI and ICICI ask for on their own pages.

  • Passport, and your visa or residence permit as proof of NRI status. ICICI accepts a visa, residence permit or OCI card; for Saudi residents that means the Iqama (ICICI Bank).
  • Valid work permit and employment contract. If the contract is in Arabic, an English translation attested by your employer, the consulate, an SBI foreign office or the embassy (SBI).
  • Last three months' salary certificate or slips, and the latest salary certificate in original (SBI).
  • Six months' overseas bank statements showing salary credits (SBI).
  • Copy of your employer ID card (SBI).
  • An overseas credit report, which in Saudi Arabia means SIMAH, not older than 45 days. ICICI requires it for Saudi residents.
  • PAN, which ICICI says is mandatory for NRIs.

Which Indian banks give home loans to NRIs in Saudi Arabia?

  • SBI: NRIs and PIOs aged 18–70; minimum loan ₹15 lakh; tenure up to 30 years; interest on a daily reducing balance. CERSAI charge ₹50 plus GST up to ₹5 lakh, or ₹100 plus GST above (SBI Home Loans).
  • ICICI Bank: minimum income for the GCC is AED 84,000 a year (about SAR 85,800 at the two pegs, our conversion); at least one year employed overseas, or three years in business if self-employed; tenure up to 30 years (ICICI Bank).
  • HDFC: NRI EMIs are paid through an NRE or NRO account in India; it typically lends 75–90% of the property cost (HDFC Bank).
  • Comparison of more lenders: NRI Home Loan in India 2026: Eligibility, Documents and How SBI, ICICI and HDFC Compare and Nri Home Loan.

Do I need to file an Indian income-tax return to get an NRI home loan?

Not with SBI if you are salaried or self-employed in a Middle East country: its document list asks for last year's return 'except for NRIs/PIOs located in Middle East countries' (SBI Home Loans). Other banks set their own lists, so check before you apply.

Sending the money and keeping the trail

The tax check for zero-tax earners

Saudi Arabia does not tax salary income, and that matters in India. Under the Income Tax Department's rules, an Indian citizen whose Indian income, excluding foreign-source income, exceeds ₹15 lakh and who is not liable to tax in any other country is deemed resident. For tax years beginning on or after 1 April 2026, this rule is section 6(7) of the Income Tax Act, 2025, carried over from section 6(1A) of the 1961 Act (Income Tax Department e-filing portal, non-resident FAQ). Rent from a flat plus interest on NRO deposits could push you over that line. Interest on NRE accounts stays exempt; the exemption now sits in Schedule IV of the 2025 Act (same FAQ). If your Indian income is near ₹15 lakh, speak to a CA before you buy a second flat.

Homes Saudi-based buyers are looking at

TVS Emerald Green Enclave, Paraniputhur, Porur, Chennai: listed as nearing possession. Tvs Emerald Green Enclave Paraniputhur Porur

SOBHA Athena, Thanisandra Main Road, Bengaluru: listed as nearing possession, on the airport side. Sobha Athena Thanisandra Main Road

Casagrand Hola Chennai, Sholinganallur, OMR: under construction. Casagrand Hola Chennai Sholinganallur Omr

Tata La Vida, Sector 113, Dwarka Expressway, Gurgaon: listed as nearing possession. Tata La Vida Sector 113 Dwarka Expressway

Our full Saudi guide, with both missions and their jurisdictions: Saudi Arabia. All Gulf countries: Gulf. The general Gulf buying guide: The Gulf NRI's Guide to Buying Property in India.