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From buying coffee in Singapore to paying a restaurant bill in Nepal or scanning a QR code at a souvenir shop in Cambodia, Indian travellers can now use UPI beyond India's borders.
India's homegrown digital payments network is now live in nine countries, allowing Indian users to make merchant payments overseas using the same UPI apps they use back home.
Countries where UPI payments are currently accepted:
The expansion of UPI's global footprint comes alongside India's broader push to export its digital public infrastructure (DPI) model. The government has informed Parliament that it has signed cooperation agreements with 23 countries for sharing and adopting elements of India Stack, the technology backbone behind platforms such as Aadhaar, UPI and DigiLocker.
The countries that have signed DPI cooperation agreements with India include Armenia, Sierra Leone, Suriname, Antigua and Barbuda, Papua New Guinea, Trinidad and Tobago, Tanzania, Kenya, Cuba, Colombia, Laos, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Ethiopia, Jamaica, Gambia, Fiji, Guyana, Venezuela, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Lesotho, Maldives and Mongolia.
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The government has also signed DigiLocker-specific agreements with Cuba, Kenya, the UAE and Laos.
Officials say the growing international acceptance of UPI is helping simplify cross-border payments for travellers, support remittances and strengthen India's standing as a global digital payments innovator.
The details were shared by Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Jitin Prasada in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
As more countries explore partnerships around India's digital public infrastructure, the list of destinations where Indian travellers can pay through UPI is expected to expand further.
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India's homegrown digital payments network is now live in nine countries, allowing Indian users to make merchant payments overseas using the same UPI apps they use back home.
Countries where UPI payments are currently accepted:
- UAE
- Singapore
- Bhutan
- Nepal
- Sri Lanka
- France
- Mauritius
- Qatar
- Cambodia (latest addition)
The expansion of UPI's global footprint comes alongside India's broader push to export its digital public infrastructure (DPI) model. The government has informed Parliament that it has signed cooperation agreements with 23 countries for sharing and adopting elements of India Stack, the technology backbone behind platforms such as Aadhaar, UPI and DigiLocker.
The countries that have signed DPI cooperation agreements with India include Armenia, Sierra Leone, Suriname, Antigua and Barbuda, Papua New Guinea, Trinidad and Tobago, Tanzania, Kenya, Cuba, Colombia, Laos, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Ethiopia, Jamaica, Gambia, Fiji, Guyana, Venezuela, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Lesotho, Maldives and Mongolia.
ALSO READ | IRCTC bets on tourism boom and 200 new trains to drive next phase of growth
The government has also signed DigiLocker-specific agreements with Cuba, Kenya, the UAE and Laos.
Officials say the growing international acceptance of UPI is helping simplify cross-border payments for travellers, support remittances and strengthen India's standing as a global digital payments innovator.
The details were shared by Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Jitin Prasada in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
As more countries explore partnerships around India's digital public infrastructure, the list of destinations where Indian travellers can pay through UPI is expected to expand further.
ALSO READ | From Morocco's blue alleys to Italy's rainbow homes: 10 colourful streets to visit
