Indian ancestry for Indians in the UAE and the Gulf
Upload your 23andMe or AncestryDNA raw data and see which Indian states and communities your ancestry is most similar to, in 1-2 days. Priced in dirhams.
No new kit needed · Results within 1-2 days · Your data stays in India
Already tested with 23andMe or AncestryDNA?
Many Indian families in the Gulf have a 23andMe or AncestryDNA result, often bought on a trip abroad or given as a gift. The raw data file behind it can tell you much more about where in India your family comes from.
23andMe often stops at "Broadly South Asian" or one large region. AncestryDNA's October 2026 update now names several Indian regions, such as Gujarat, Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Helixline is a companion to whatever your original company shows: we read the same raw file against 7,600+ global reference samples, with the South Asian side organised into 140+ community reference groups, and add community-level similarity and an ANI / ASI breakdown, which neither of them reports.
Which Indian states and regions your ancestry is most similar to, read alongside your original report.
Your closest matches among 140+ South Asian community reference groups, with a shortlist of the nearest ones.
Your Ancestral North Indian and Ancestral South Indian balance, plus steppe and AASI components.
Your paternal Y-DNA and maternal mtDNA lineages, where your file includes those markers.
Results describe genetic similarity to reference groups. DNA cannot identify or prove a caste.
Three steps
- Download your raw data from 23andMe, AncestryDNA, MyHeritage, FamilyTreeDNA or LivingDNA. It takes a few minutes (steps below).
- Upload it at helixline.in/upload and pay in dirhams (or US dollars from elsewhere in the Gulf).
- Read your report in your Helixline dashboard. We email you when it is ready, within 1-2 days.
Pricing in UAE dirhams
One-time payment, no subscription, no new kit. Results within 1-2 days of your file arriving.
- State-level ancestry breakdown
- Similarity to 140+ South Asian community reference groups
- ANI / ASI composition, steppe and AASI components
- Y-DNA and mtDNA haplogroups (where your file has the markers)
- Everything in Upload Ancestry
- 30+ health and wellness traits
- Carrier screening
- Pharmacogenomics (how genes relate to medicine response)
Charged in dirhams by card at checkout. From Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman or Bahrain, choose dirhams (AED 92 or AED 184) or US dollars ($25 or $50) at checkout. PayPal is also offered and charges in US dollars. Full refund until your analysis starts.
How to download your raw data
Menus change from time to time, but the path is usually this. You can upload the .zip as it is, or the .txt or .csv file inside it.
- Sign in at 23andme.com and open Settings from your profile icon.
- Find 23andMe Data and choose Download Raw Data.
- Confirm with your password and the verification email.
- Save the .zip file.
- Sign in at ancestry.com and open your DNA page.
- Click the Settings gear and scroll to Download Raw DNA Data.
- Confirm, then open the email AncestryDNA sends you.
- Use the link before it expires and save the .zip.
- Sign in at myheritage.com, open the DNA menu and choose Manage DNA kits.
- Click Actions next to your kit, then Download raw DNA data.
- Confirm your identity and wait for the email.
- Save the .zip (it holds a .csv file).
FamilyTreeDNA and LivingDNA files work too. Accepted formats: .txt, .csv, .zip, .vcf and .gz, up to 250 MB. More on 23andMe files: upload your 23andMe data.
Indians in the UAE and the Gulf
India's Ministry of External Affairs puts the number of overseas Indians in the UAE at about 4.3 million (January 2026 figures), with about 2.75 million in Saudi Arabia, over a million in Kuwait and around 830,000 in Qatar.
Kerala's Malayalee families are among the best known in the Gulf, alongside Tamil, Telugu, Karnataka, Goan and Mangalorean families. Sindhi and Gujarati trading families have been in Dubai and Muscat for generations.
Many Gulf Indians are only one flight from their home state, yet know little about the deeper roots of their community. A state-level and community-level reading of your DNA adds that layer.
Gift a kit to your parents in India
If your parents live back home in India, you can send them a kit without leaving the Gulf. A Helixline saliva kit is delivered to their door in India, and the sample is collected from the same door with free doorstep pickup. Kit in 3-4 days. Results in 2-3 weeks from the moment sample reaches lab.
You pay in rupees with your UAE or Gulf card at helixline.in/buy. At checkout choose "Someone in India" and enter their Indian address and mobile number.
Your data stays in India
Your uploaded raw DNA file is stored encrypted in India while your account is open, so your analysis can be re-run as our reference panels improve. You stay in control: delete the file instantly, any time, from your dashboard, and it is deleted with your account. Your file is held in India, not passed to a third-party lab abroad.
We never sell your personal or genetic data. Helixline Data Science Private Limited follows India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. Read the full privacy policy.
Questions from Indians in the UAE and the Gulf
Can I pay in dirhams?
Yes. Upload Ancestry is AED 92 and Upload Complete is AED 184, charged in dirhams by card at checkout. PayPal is also offered and charges in US dollars ($25 or $50).
I live in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman or Bahrain. How do I pay?
Choose UAE dirhams (AED 92 or AED 184) or US dollars ($25 or $50) at checkout. We do not charge in riyals or dinars.
Which DNA files work?
Raw data files from 23andMe (all chip versions), AncestryDNA, MyHeritage, FamilyTreeDNA and LivingDNA. You can upload the .zip as it is, or the .txt, .csv, .vcf or .gz file inside it, up to 250 MB.
How long do results take?
Results arrive within 1-2 days of your file being received and validated, and we email you when they are ready. Upload Complete gets an extra review by a Helixline expert before release, so it can take a day or two longer.
Is this different from my 23andMe or AncestryDNA results?
It uses the same raw file, read a different way. Your original company shows its own regional estimate. Helixline compares your data with 7,600+ global reference samples and 140+ South Asian community reference groups, and adds community-level similarity, an ANI / ASI breakdown with steppe and AASI components, and haplogroups. Think of it as a companion to your original report. Results show similarity to reference groups; DNA cannot identify or prove a caste.
Can I order a Helixline kit to the UAE?
Helixline kits ship within India as standard; delivery to other countries is arranged on request, with a quote, through our international page. From the UAE and the Gulf, the two quickest options are: upload the raw file from a test you have already taken (from AED 92), or gift a kit to family in India. You pay in rupees at helixline.in/buy, choose "Someone in India", and the kit is delivered and collected at their door.
Where is my DNA data stored, and can I delete it?
Your raw file is stored encrypted in India while your account is open. You can delete it instantly from your dashboard at any time, and it is deleted with your account. We never sell your personal or genetic data.
See where in India your family comes from
Upload the file you already have and see your Indian roots in 1-2 days. From AED 92.