UPI Now Works in 10+ Countries — The Indian Traveller's Complete Guide to Cashless Travel Abroad
India's UPI payment system has expanded to 10+ countries. You can now scan a QR code and pay in Singapore, UAE, France, Mauritius, Sri Lanka and more — directly from your Indian bank account. Here's the full list and how to set it up.
If you've travelled internationally in the last five years, you know the drill: airport money exchange at terrible rates, carrying thick envelopes of foreign cash, paying 3–5% conversion fees every time you swipe your card. That experience is quietly being dismantled — and India is leading it.
UPI (Unified Payments Interface) is now accepted in over 10 countries, with more coming online every quarter. For Indian travellers, this is a bigger quality-of-life upgrade than any new visa policy.
Countries where UPI currently works (as of April 2026)
Singapore: UPI-PayNow linkage is live and works everywhere PayNow is accepted — which is essentially all retail in Singapore. Scan the SGQR code at hawker centres, shopping malls, taxis and convenience stores. This one has been running since 2023 and is rock solid.
UAE: NPCI International has partnerships with Mashreq Bank and LuLu Exchange. Works at major retail points. Given how many Indians live in and travel to the UAE, this is significant — though coverage is still expanding beyond major retail chains.
Mauritius: Full UPI acceptance at major retailers, restaurants and tourist sites. Particularly useful given the high cost of forex in Mauritius and the Indian government's focus on the India-Mauritius corridor.
Sri Lanka: Live since early 2025. Works at most tourist-facing retailers in Colombo, Galle and Kandy. Extremely useful given Sri Lanka's dollarised tourist economy.
Malaysia: Limited rollout underway. Works at DuitNow QR-enabled merchants — growing rapidly. Not yet universal.
France (select merchants): UPI acceptance via NPCI's European rollout. Currently limited to Indian-tourist-heavy areas like Paris luxury retail and a few tourist sites, but the infrastructure is being built.
Also active to varying degrees: Nepal, Bhutan, Bahrain, and Oman.
How to use UPI abroad
You don't need a separate app or account. Open your existing UPI app (GPay, PhonePe, Paytm, BHIM — all work). Scan the merchant's QR code. Enter the amount in the foreign currency — your app will show the INR equivalent at the live exchange rate before you confirm. That rate is typically better than what you'd get at an airport kiosk.
The transaction settles from your Indian bank account. No foreign currency needed, no conversion fee beyond the interbank exchange rate margin (usually 0.5–1%, far better than the 3–5% on credit cards).
Keep a small amount of local cash for situations where UPI isn't accepted — tuk-tuks, small street vendors, toll booths. But for anything in a proper commercial setting, UPI should now be your default.
What's coming next
NPCI International has announced plans to take UPI to 20+ countries by end of 2026. Thailand is in active discussions — which would be transformative for Indian tourists. Japan and South Korea have been mentioned in NPCI roadmaps. The UK and other European markets are expected to follow France.
The direction of travel is clear: within 2–3 years, Indian travellers will be able to use UPI in most countries they actually visit. The era of the airport money exchange booth is ending.
Explore Destination
Singapore Packages from India
