Which Countries Accept UPI Payments in 2026? The Full List for Indian Travellers

As of September 2026, UPI works for Indian travellers and senders in eleven countries: Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, France, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Qatar, Cambodia, Greece and the Maldives. Prime Minister Narendra Modi confirmed the count himself while addressing the Global Fintech Fest in Mumbai on September 8, 2026, where he called on the industry to push UPI further by linking it directly with other countries' domestic payment systems rather than simply adding merchant acceptance one country at a time.

Not every one of these eleven works the same way, and that distinction matters if you are packing a bag this festive season. In nine of them — Singapore, the UAE, France, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Qatar and Cambodia — you can actually scan a merchant's QR code and pay, the way you would at a shop in Bengaluru. Greece, the tenth addition, went live on June 30, 2026 through a tie-up between Eurobank and NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL), with acceptance limited to participating merchants rather than being country-wide. Cambodia became the ninth market that same month via the KHQR network, run jointly by ACLEDA Bank, the National Bank of Cambodia and NIPL, reportedly covering more than 4.5 million merchant QR points.

The Maldives, the newest and eleventh addition, is different in kind, not just degree. On July 30, 2026, the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) launched the "Favara-UPI" corridor, linking its domestic instant-payment system Favara to UPI, in partnership with NIPL and the Reserve Bank of India. Bank of Maldives and Maldives Islamic Bank are the first two banks live on it. But this is a person-to-person remittance link, not a tap-and-pay feature: it only supports transfers for approved purposes — education costs, medical expenses for long-term visa holders, and family support — capped at ₹24,000 (roughly $250) per customer per month, with individual banks free to set lower limits. The MMA described the transfer experience as "as easy and secure as sending money between two local accounts." A second phase, allowing Maldivian travellers to pay Indian merchants by scanning a UPI QR code, is still in development, according to Maldivian state broadcaster PSM News.

How to actually switch it on

UPI International is not active by default on any app. On PhonePe, you go to your profile icon, then Payment Settings, then UPI International, and tap Activate next to the bank account you want to use, confirming with your UPI PIN. On Google Pay, the prompt to activate international payments typically surfaces the first time you scan a foreign merchant's QR code, after which the app shows the real-time INR conversion and any bank charges before you confirm. Only a limited set of banks currently support the feature, so your own bank may need to approve the activation before it works, and multiple retailer guides note that banks can and do apply a foreign-exchange markup on top of the UPI transaction itself — estimates for that markup vary across bank disclosures, generally in the 1.5%–3.5% range over the mid-market rate, so it is worth checking your specific bank's UPI international terms rather than assuming it is free.

Crucially, UPI abroad only works where a merchant is actually signed up and displaying a UPI or partner QR code — it is not a universal substitute for a card. Industry guides consistently advise carrying a backup international debit or forex card, since acceptance even within a "live" country is patchy outside big cities, airports, malls and tourist clusters.

Why Delhi is pushing this so hard

The scale that makes UPI worth exporting is domestic. NPCI data shows the network processed a record 24.51 billion transactions worth ₹29.82 lakh crore in August 2026 alone, up roughly 20–22% year-on-year and edging close to May's all-time value record. At Global Fintech Fest, Modi pointed to the Singapore link — built on an interoperable connection with Singapore's PayNow — as the template he wants replicated with other countries that have large Indian diasporas and deep trade ties with India. NPCI CEO Dilip Asbe said in August that the organisation is targeting an additional 15 to 20 markets over the next decade, with NPCI International reportedly in bilateral talks covering Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Japan, where NTT Data is working with NPCI on a trial UPI acceptance programme aimed initially at Indian tourists.

Remittances are the other half of the pitch. India remained the world's largest recipient of remittances in FY25, with inflows of $135.4 billion, according to the Economic Survey 2025-26 and RBI bulletin data. Modi explicitly linked UPI's cross-border push to that flow, arguing that cheaper, faster rails could let "Indians save on these costs" of sending money home, with "the money also reaching Indian families faster" — a direct jab at the fees traditional remittance corridors charge.

What it means for you

If you are travelling to Singapore, the UAE, France, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Qatar, Cambodia or Greece, activate UPI International in your app before you leave India, not at the airport gate, since some banks take time to approve it. Treat it as a supplement to cash and cards rather than a replacement: look for a UPI or partner QR sticker at the till, and don't assume every shop, especially outside tourist districts, will take it. Budget for a possible forex markup from your bank, since UPI itself typically doesn't charge a fee but your bank can.

If you have family in the Maldives, the new Favara-UPI link is useful only for specific, capped transfers — education, medical bills for visa holders, or family support up to ₹24,000 a month — not for everyday spending money or merchant payments yet, so don't plan around it for a shopping trip just yet. And because this list has grown from seven countries to eleven within about two years, and NPCI is actively negotiating more, it's worth checking your UPI app's own country list immediately before you travel rather than relying on any single article, including this one, as the final word.

Sources: Inc42, Vajiram & Ravi, ixigo, Maldives Voice, PSM News, Free Press Journal, and the Economic Survey 2025-26 remittance data via Drishti IAS.