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Riyadh is 2 h 30 min behind India

WhatsApp Business API for Indian exporters and services in Riyadh

Saudi Arabia is India's fifth largest trading partner, about 6,300 Indian companies are registered there and some 2.74 million Indians live in the Kingdom. In its capital, each order and booking from India is a chain of messages.

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Riyadh

A 10:00–18:00 IST working day is 07:30–15:30 in Riyadh (on 21 October 2026; daylight saving moves it).

Region
Riyadh Region
Country
Saudi Arabia
Clock
UTC+3 all year, no daylight saving: 2 h 30 min behind IST[5]
Indians in Saudi Arabia
About 2.74 million[2]
Indian companies registered
About 6,300[3]
India's mission
Embassy of India, Riyadh[1]
Numbers
+966; Riyadh landlines start +966 11

For Indian exporters, travel firms and service businesses with distributors, customers and Indian residents in Riyadh: how an order moves through its states and which message each state sends, which languages templates can use, when to send on Riyadh time, and what a +966 message costs in rupees.

See it work

One Riyadh order, state by state

An Indian basmati exporter sells to a distributor in Riyadh. Walk the order through its states and see the message each one sends.

Engineering goods, basmati rice and vehicles lead the Embassy's list of India's exports to Saudi Arabia, and LT Foods opened an office in Riyadh in 2024. The pattern is the same for an engineering supplier: the buyer wants to know where the order is without calling.

On InfiQ the developer API sends each template when your system changes state, and the distributor's questions land in the shared team inbox.

From a quote to a paid invoice

6 / 6
  • Quote sent to PO received: buyer confirms
  • PO received to Shipped: container sails
  • Shipped to Delayed: vessel or port delay
  • Shipped to Delivered in Riyadh: arrives on time
  • Delayed to Delivered in Riyadh: arrives late
  • Delivered in Riyadh to Payment due: credit period ends
  • Payment due to Paid: transfer received
  1. Quote sent
  2. PO received
  3. Shipped
  4. Delivered in Riyadh
  5. Payment due
  6. Paid

Step 6 of 6 · end of walk

Paid

Receipt confirmed, and the thread closes.

Arrived from Payment due via transfer received.

Can move to

Nothing — this is a final state.

Every state change after the purchase order is a utility template sent from your ERP; the quote is a service reply inside a conversation the buyer opened. The order and its states are illustrative.

Happy path, step 6 of 6: Paid (via transfer received). Receipt confirmed, and the thread closes.

India, Saudi Arabia and Riyadh

From the Embassy of India in Riyadh and the Expo 2030 Riyadh organisers.

Trade between India and Saudi Arabia was US$41.07 billion in 2025-26: Indian exports of US$10.28 billion and imports of US$30.79 billion.[2],[3]

Saudi Arabia is India's fifth largest trading partner.[3]

About 6,300 Indian companies are registered in the Kingdom as joint ventures or wholly owned entities, with Indian investment of US$3.21 billion in 2024.[3]

About 2.74 million Indians live in Saudi Arabia, a community the Embassy calls a living bridge between the two countries.[2]

The Embassy's Pravasi Parichay festival, held in Riyadh from 28 October to 3 November 2025, brought more than 1,000 artists from 20 Indian states.[2]

Expo 2030 Riyadh runs from 1 October 2030 to 31 March 2031 on a site of about 6 million square metres, with more than 42 million visits expected.[4]

Industries

Indian businesses with Riyadh on the other end

Who in India writes to a +966 number, and what they send first.

  1. 01

    Food and agricultural exporters

    Basmati rice is on the Embassy's list of leading exports, and LT Foods has had a Riyadh office since 2024.[3]

    On WhatsApp: Purchase order confirmation · Sailing, delay and delivery updates · Payment due reminders

  2. 02

    Engineering and vehicle suppliers

    Engineering goods and vehicles lead India's exports to the Kingdom.[3]

    On WhatsApp: Quotation follow-ups inside the service window · Dispatch and spare-parts notices · Site engineer questions in the team inbox

  3. 03

    Services for Indian residents

    About 2.74 million Indians live in Saudi Arabia; for travel, school and hospital desks in India, they are customers on +966 numbers.[2]

    On WhatsApp: Flight and holiday confirmations · Admission updates for children studying in India · Hospital appointment confirmations in India

  4. 04

    Travel and events, looking ahead

    Expo 2030 Riyadh expects more than 42 million visits between October 2030 and March 2031.[4]

    On WhatsApp: Opt-in collection for future trips · Group booking confirmations · Itinerary changes

Arabic, English and the languages of Riyadh's Indians

Meta approves each language version of a template separately. Choose by the reader, not by the country code.

Arabic and Urdu templates run right to left, so check the layout of buttons and variables before you submit. Inside the 24-hour window, agents can reply in whatever language the customer writes.

Meta template languages relevant to Riyadh
LanguageMeta codeUse it for
ArabicarSaudi customers and Arabic-speaking businesses
EnglishenB2B threads and many residents
HindihiIndian residents who read Hindi
MalayalammlIf your customers read it
UrduurRight to left, like Arabic

Prices in ₹ and SAR

What a message to a Riyadh number costs

Saudi Arabia has its own line on Meta's rate card: ₹5.05 for marketing, ₹0.9401 for utility, ₹0.9401 for authentication and ₹0.9401 for a service reply, in rupees before GST. Plans start at ₹999 a month.

Snapshot rates · as of 20 Oct 2026, 00:02 UTC

Lite

₹999 / month≈ SAR 39.41 SAR

₹833 / month, billed yearly≈ SAR 32.86 SAR

Growth

₹2,999 / month≈ SAR 118.31 SAR

₹2,499 / month, billed yearly≈ SAR 98.59 SAR

Enterprise

Custom volume pricing, custom SLA and dedicated infrastructure.

Per message to Riyadh · Saudi Arabia

InfiQ per-message rates for Riyadh in rupees and SAR
Category₹ INRSAR
Marketing₹5.0537SAR 0.199
Utility₹0.9401SAR 0.0371
Authentication₹0.9401SAR 0.0371
Service₹0.9401SAR 0.0371
Per-message rates for all 47 markets, in ₹ and SAR
Per-message rates by market, effective 1 October 2026
MarketMarketingUtilityAuthenticationService
ArgentinaSAR 0.214₹5.4352SAR 0.0902₹2.2874SAR 0.0902₹2.2874SAR 0.0902₹2.2874
BangladeshSAR 0.254₹6.4397SAR 0.0128₹0.3254SAR 0.0128₹0.3254SAR 0.0128₹0.3254
BrazilSAR 0.217₹5.4970SAR 0.0236₹0.5981SAR 0.0236₹0.5981SAR 0.0236₹0.5981
ChileSAR 0.308₹7.8162SAR 0.0694₹1.7585SAR 0.0694₹1.7585SAR 0.0694₹1.7585
ColombiaSAR 0.0434₹1.0993SAR 0.0028₹0.0706SAR 0.0028₹0.0706SAR 0.0028₹0.0706
EgyptSAR 0.223₹5.6629SAR 0.0125₹0.3167SAR 0.0125₹0.3167SAR 0.0125₹0.3167
FranceSAR 0.298₹7.5588SAR 0.104₹2.6393SAR 0.104₹2.6393SAR 0.104₹2.6393
GermanySAR 0.474₹12.0088SAR 0.191₹4.8386SAR 0.191₹4.8386SAR 0.191₹4.8386
Hong KongSAR 0.254₹6.4397SAR 0.0902₹2.2867SAR 0.0902₹2.2867SAR 0.0902₹2.2867
HungarySAR 0.298₹7.5596SAR 0.121₹3.0700SAR 0.121₹3.0700SAR 0.121₹3.0700
IndiaSAR 0.0372₹0.9435SAR 0.0077₹0.1941SAR 0.0055₹0.1402SAR 0.0057₹0.1450
IndonesiaSAR 0.143₹3.6133SAR 0.0867₹2.1979SAR 0.0867₹2.1979SAR 0.0867₹2.1979
IraqSAR 0.118₹2.9992SAR 0.0274₹0.6943SAR 0.0274₹0.6943SAR 0.0274₹0.6943
IsraelSAR 0.122₹3.1045SAR 0.0184₹0.4662SAR 0.0184₹0.4662SAR 0.0184₹0.4662
ItalySAR 0.276₹6.9847SAR 0.104₹2.6369SAR 0.104₹2.6369SAR 0.104₹2.6369
KazakhstanSAR 0.209₹5.3098SAR 0.0624₹1.5824SAR 0.0624₹1.5824SAR 0.0624₹1.5824
KuwaitSAR 0.275₹6.9671SAR 0.153₹3.8671SAR 0.153₹3.8671SAR 0.153₹3.8671
MalaysiaSAR 0.298₹7.5644SAR 0.0486₹1.2314SAR 0.0486₹1.2314SAR 0.0486₹1.2314
MexicoSAR 0.138₹3.4877SAR 0.0295₹0.7471SAR 0.0295₹0.7471SAR 0.0295₹0.7471
MoroccoSAR 0.144₹3.6425SAR 0.0798₹2.0218SAR 0.0798₹2.0218SAR 0.0798₹2.0218
NetherlandsSAR 0.554₹14.0494SAR 0.174₹4.3987SAR 0.174₹4.3987SAR 0.174₹4.3987
NepalSAR 0.254₹6.4397SAR 0.0118₹0.2990SAR 0.0118₹0.2990SAR 0.0118₹0.2990
NigeriaSAR 0.179₹4.5421SAR 0.0233₹0.5898SAR 0.0233₹0.5898SAR 0.0233₹0.5898
OmanSAR 0.118₹2.9992SAR 0.0856₹2.1709SAR 0.0856₹2.1709SAR 0.0856₹2.1709
PakistanSAR 0.164₹4.1620SAR 0.0521₹1.3200SAR 0.0521₹1.3200SAR 0.0521₹1.3200
PeruSAR 0.244₹6.1843SAR 0.104₹2.6392SAR 0.104₹2.6392SAR 0.104₹2.6392
PolandSAR 0.127₹3.2105SAR 0.0422₹1.0702SAR 0.0422₹1.0702SAR 0.0422₹1.0702
QatarSAR 0.118₹2.9992SAR 0.0416₹1.0547SAR 0.0416₹1.0547SAR 0.0416₹1.0547
RomaniaSAR 0.298₹7.5596SAR 0.100₹2.5436SAR 0.100₹2.5436SAR 0.100₹2.5436
RussiaSAR 0.278₹7.0520SAR 0.139₹3.5173SAR 0.139₹3.5173SAR 0.139₹3.5173
Saudi ArabiaSAR 0.199₹5.0537SAR 0.0371₹0.9401SAR 0.0371₹0.9401SAR 0.0371₹0.9401
SingaporeSAR 0.254₹6.4397SAR 0.0555₹1.4072SAR 0.0555₹1.4072SAR 0.0555₹1.4072
South AfricaSAR 0.132₹3.3385SAR 0.0330₹0.8369SAR 0.0330₹0.8369SAR 0.0330₹0.8369
SpainSAR 0.245₹6.2161SAR 0.0693₹1.7578SAR 0.0693₹1.7578SAR 0.0693₹1.7578
Sri LankaSAR 0.254₹6.4397SAR 0.0069₹0.1759SAR 0.0069₹0.1759SAR 0.0069₹0.1759
TurkeySAR 0.0378₹0.9587SAR 0.0031₹0.0792SAR 0.0031₹0.0792SAR 0.0031₹0.0792
UkraineSAR 0.298₹7.5596SAR 0.103₹2.6138SAR 0.103₹2.6138SAR 0.103₹2.6138
United Arab EmiratesSAR 0.199₹5.0537SAR 0.0545₹1.3811SAR 0.0545₹1.3811SAR 0.0545₹1.3811
United KingdomSAR 0.220₹5.5795SAR 0.0763₹1.9346SAR 0.0763₹1.9346SAR 0.0763₹1.9346
North AmericaSAR 0.0867₹2.1976SAR 0.0118₹0.2989SAR 0.0118₹0.2989SAR 0.0118₹0.2989
Rest of AfricaSAR 0.0781₹1.9796SAR 0.0139₹0.3516SAR 0.0139₹0.3516SAR 0.0139₹0.3516
Rest of Asia PacificSAR 0.292₹7.4057SAR 0.0392₹0.9938SAR 0.0392₹0.9938SAR 0.0392₹0.9938
Rest of Central & Eastern EuropeSAR 0.298₹7.5596SAR 0.0734₹1.8595SAR 0.0734₹1.8595SAR 0.0734₹1.8595
Rest of Latin AmericaSAR 0.257₹6.5048SAR 0.0392₹0.9934SAR 0.0392₹0.9934SAR 0.0392₹0.9934
Rest of Middle EastSAR 0.136₹3.4490SAR 0.0316₹0.7998SAR 0.0316₹0.7998SAR 0.0316₹0.7998
Rest of Western EuropeSAR 0.205₹5.2054SAR 0.0592₹1.5019SAR 0.0592₹1.5019SAR 0.0592₹1.5019
OtherSAR 0.209₹5.3098SAR 0.0267₹0.6769SAR 0.0267₹0.6769SAR 0.0267₹0.6769
Currency converter

SAR 39.41 SAR

Indicative conversion at reference rates (ExchangeRate-API snapshot). InfiQ sets and invoices prices in Indian rupees, excluding GST; your bank’s rate on the day you pay will differ. Rates By Exchange Rate API.

Plan prices are monthly, in rupees, excluding GST; yearly billing is two months free. Messages are charged per delivered message on top of the plan, at the rate for the recipient’s country. Full details: InfiQ pricing. A family member at home on a +91 number is charged the India rate, ₹0.19 for a utility message. The riyal column is indicative; InfiQ invoices in rupees.

Work out your own monthly cost by message type.

Calculate your exact cost

On InfiQ

What an Indian team runs for Riyadh

Order updates from your systems, one inbox, and an honest answer on data location.

  • Developer API and webhooks

    A REST API with scoped keys, idempotency keys and per-key rate limits, plus HMAC-SHA256-signed webhooks retried for 24 hours. Included on Growth, an add-on on Lite.

    Your ERP's order states trigger the matching template to the Riyadh distributor, from purchase order to payment.

  • Shared team inbox

    One WhatsApp number answered by a team: 10 users on Lite and 25 on Growth, agent and manager roles, transfers, private notes, labels and canned replies.

    Export, logistics and accounts staff answer a distributor's thread together, with transfers and private notes.

  • Template manager and library

    Draft, submit and track WhatsApp message templates for Meta's approval, starting from a library of 1,000+ ready templates in 27 categories.

    Keep ar, en and Indian-language versions of each update and track every one through Meta's approval.

  • Customer data hosted in India

    InfiQ processes customer data in data centres located in India; website telemetry vendors are listed separately in the subprocessor list.

    Customer data is processed in data centres in India; say so plainly when a Saudi buyer's procurement team asks.

Nearby

City pages near Riyadh

The nearest city guides on this site, in Saudi Arabia and across the Gulf.

The PDPL, consent rules and the Saudi rate apply across the Kingdom; the Saudi Arabia guide covers them in full.

Guides for Riyadh teams

Questions Riyadh businesses ask

Our basmati shipments go to a distributor in Riyadh. Which updates are utility messages and which are marketing?+
Updates about the distributor's own orders, confirmation, sailing, delay, delivery and payment due, are utility templates at ₹0.9401. A new-crop price list or a promotion on another grade is marketing at ₹5.05, and needs the distributor's opt-in to promotional messages.
Our Kochi team works 09:30 to 18:30 IST. Which part of the Riyadh business day does that cover?+
Riyadh is two and a half hours behind India all year, so your day runs from 07:00 to 16:00 in Riyadh. The Riyadh morning is fully covered; for messages that arrive in the Riyadh evening, set a short rota or let them wait for your next morning.
Many of our customers in Riyadh are Indian residents who read Malayalam or Urdu. Can templates be in those languages?+
Yes. Malayalam (ml) and Urdu (ur) are on Meta's template list, as are Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. Messages to their Saudi numbers are charged at the Saudi rate, ₹0.9401 for a utility template, whatever language they are written in.
Expo 2030 is coming to Riyadh. Can a travel firm in India start collecting WhatsApp opt-ins from future visitors now?+
Yes, as long as each opt-in is real and recorded: a form or QR code that says what you will send, stored with its source and time. Offers sent later are marketing messages. The [Saudi Arabia guide](/whatsapp-business-api/countries/saudi-arabia) explains what the PDPL asks before direct marketing.
We sell engineering goods to contractors in Riyadh. Can a site engineer's question reach the right specialist on our side?+
Yes. The question arrives in the shared team inbox, where an agent can transfer it to the product specialist with a private note; a reply within 24 hours is a service message at ₹0.9401. Labels keep each contractor's threads together.
We also have a company registered in Riyadh. Which of our two companies should hold the InfiQ account?+
InfiQ serves India-based businesses: it bills in rupees with GST and processes customer data in India, so the Indian company is the natural account holder and can message +966 numbers at the Saudi rate. If the account must belong to the business based in Riyadh, talk to sales about whether InfiQ fits.
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Sources

Facts on this page were checked against these sources on the dates shown. Page updated 2026-10-20.

  1. [1]Embassy of India, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (home page) · Embassy of India, Riyadh · read 2026-10-20
  2. [2]India-Saudi Bilateral Relations · Embassy of India, Riyadh · read 2026-10-20
  3. [3]India-Saudi Arabia Economic and Commercial Brief · Embassy of India, Riyadh · read 2026-10-20
  4. [4]Expo 2030 Riyadh (home page) · Expo 2030 Riyadh · read 2026-10-20
  5. [5]tzdb 'asia' file: Asia/Riyadh · IANA Time Zone Database · read 2026-10-20

Send your Riyadh order updates from India

Start a 7-day Lite trial, no card needed, and send your first ar or en templates once Meta business verification is complete. If your business is based in Riyadh, talk to sales about whether InfiQ fits.

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Riyadh

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