How NRIs can make UPI payments living in abroad (2024)

Singapore, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Oman, Qatar, USA, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and the UK are the ten countries that will support UPI payments. So if you are an Indian living outside of India, you can now make payments via UPI hassle-free with your international number. That means you won’t need your old Indian number to make transactions.

It is a news that will bring smiles to Non-Resident Indians because now they can send money back to India to their family and make merchant payments conveniently through UPI.

Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is a “Made In India” payment solution and is also one of the largest payment networks in the world. UPI is spreading its roots now and currently, it is made limited to just 10 countries but it is surely just the beginning.

You must have a lot of questions going on in your mind like who is eligible to avail of this facility, how will it work, how to make UPI payments and when will this facility be open. We have answered all your queries so read through.

How will this work?

The current scenario is that to make payments through UPI, one needs to have a UPI ID which needs to be activated through apps like GooglePay, Paytm, PhonePe, AmazonPay, etc.

To activate a UPI Id one also needs to have an Indian number that is currently active as well as should be in the phone. This is where NRIs have headaches. The cost of keeping Indian numbers active by international roaming is way too expensive. That’s why people often get a new local number and open a new local bank account rather than paying costly roaming fees.

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), the organization in charge of managing India's retail payment and settlement systems, regulated a circular instructing members of the UPI to enable non-resident account types, such as non-resident external (NRE) and non-resident ordinary (NRO) accounts with international mobile numbers, to sign up and conduct UPI transactions.

Now the NPCI has announced that NRIs won’t need to have an Indian mobile number to make UPI payments and transactions. It will be possible with an international number.

It is all because of the demand from the users. The demand and requests were so high that eventually, UPI is coming to different countries.

The member banks will only be required to ensure that the UPI account is permitted in accordance with "the extant Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) regulations and adherence to the guidelines/instructions issued by the concerned regulatory departments of Reserve Bank of India from time to time" in order to enable this facility.

These bank accounts must also pass the required Anti-Money Laundering (AML)/ Combating of Financing of Terrorism (CT) checks and compliance validations/account level validations as per the extent.

Who are eligible to avail this facility?

First, you must be residing in any of the above-mentioned 10 countries. If you are not living there then sorry for now it is only applicable in those countries. Maybe in the future, you might be able to use UPI.

Second, to use this option, NRIs must have an NRE or NRO account. An NRO account is a bank account registered in India in the name of an NRI to manage the money produced by him or her in India, whereas an NRE account is a bank account opened in India in the name of an NRI to park his overseas profits and earnings.

And third is to add your international phone number to your NRE/NRO bank account.

When is this facility going to start?

The UPI facility for the NRI will start soon. The official date has not been revealed yet but all the member banks of the NPCI have been given a due date of April 30 to onboard all the non-resident account types in India for UPI payments.

How to make UPI payments abroad?

Let's summarize, first, you need to be living in Singapore, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Oman, Qatar, the USA, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, or the United Kingdom.

Second, must have either NRO or NRE bank account in India.

Third, link your international mobile number to your NRE/NRO bank account.

Fourth, just install any UPI-supporting payment app like Google Pay, or Paytm, log in through your international mobile number and you are good to go. You can just use it like you normally do.

FAQs

Can NRI account use UPI?

Yes, if you are an NRI from Singapore, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Oman, Qatar, USA, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and the UK.

How to use UPI from my international number?

You need to add your current international number to your NRE or NRO bank account. Then when in India, you can use an Indian mobile number, and when abroad you can use your international number.

Can I use UPI in my international i.e local bank account?

No. You cannot use UPI in a local bank account. You must have a bank account in India and the bank account must be NRE or NRO type. Normal bank accounts won’t work.

How to know if my account is NRE or NRO?

The answer is simple. Contact your bank. If your account is not NRO or NRE then simply ask your bank to make it so. You will need to fill in some forms and write applications and your account will be NRE/NRO online.

How to make UPI payments through GooglePAy abroad?

Be it google Pay, Paytm, or any other UPI-supporting app, you will need to log in with your international mobile number, add your bank account, and there you go you can make UPI payments and transactions. But note that your international number must be linked with your NRE/NRO bank account.