UPI for Foreigners: How Visitors Pay by UPI in India

UPI, the Unified Payments Interface run by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), is how much of India pays: you scan a QR code at the counter and approve the payment on your phone. NPCI says UPI QR codes are available with most small merchants in India, which is why it matters to a visitor.

UPI One World is NPCI's name for the way in. Under the Reserve Bank of India's directions on prepaid payment instruments, banks and licensed non-bank issuers may give foreign nationals and Non-Resident Indians visiting India a rupee-denominated, full-KYC prepaid wallet linked to UPI. NPCI describes it as a UPI-powered wallet that lets NRIs and foreign visitors pay merchants and vendors, and says it can be used across more than 700 million UPI QR codes in India.

The RBI's direction says the facility was to start with travellers from the G20 countries arriving at selected international airports, and that wording is still in its master direction. NPCI's own pages now describe UPI One World for foreign visitors and NRIs without naming countries or airports. Check in the app whether your nationality and arrival point are accepted before you rely on it.

NPCI lists four prepaid wallet issuers for UPI One World, available through partners at money exchange counters that operate under RBI and FEMA rules:

• Pine Labs Private Limited
• Smart Payment Solutions Private Limited
• Transcorp International Limited
• Tri O Tech Solutions Private Ltd

On the same page NPCI names two apps as live on UPI One World, Cheq and Mony; an NPCI article on the service also names IDFC First and NamasPay. We do not recommend one over another: NPCI says the conditions of each are given to the traveller at the time of onboarding, so compare them before you sign up.

NPCI sets out the steps:

1. Download a UPI One World app from the Play Store or App Store and sign up with your international mobile number.
2. Complete KYC. The RBI requires the issuer to verify your passport and visa physically when the wallet is issued, so you visit the partner's counter with both; NPCI says carrying them is mandatory.
3. Once KYC is done, the service is activated on your international mobile number.
4. Load the wallet with rupees from an international credit, debit or forex card. The RBI allows loading against foreign exchange in cash or through any payment instrument, and only an entity authorised to deal in foreign exchange may convert it into rupees.

Your phone will need mobile data in India for the app to work; our eSIM and connectivity service covers getting connected on arrival.

Open the app, choose Scan and Pay, scan the merchant's QR code and approve with your UPI PIN. NPCI lists the kinds of place it works: shops, travel bookings, online shopping, groceries, entertainment, hotels, restaurants and transport.

The limits matter:

• Merchants only. The RBI allows these wallets for merchant payments only, so you cannot send money to a friend or another person's own UPI account.
• A cap on the balance. The amount held in the wallet at any time cannot exceed the limit for any full-KYC prepaid wallet in India.
• Fees. NPCI says UPI One World has no transaction fee and no onboarding fee. Your money is converted into rupees by an entity authorised to deal in foreign exchange, so check the rate each time you load.

Unspent rupees are not lost. The RBI says the unused balance can be paid out in foreign currency or sent back to the card or account it was loaded from, in line with foreign exchange rules, and NPCI says unused funds are refunded when the wallet is closed. Load what you expect to spend rather than a large sum, and close the wallet before you fly.

UPI One World is one tool among several. Keep an international card and some cash for places without a QR code; our guide to ATMs and cards in India covers the rest, and money in India brings it together. NRIs who hold Indian bank accounts may have other options through their own bank; see money and SIM cards for visitors.