NPCI seeks RBI nod for UPI service for foreign travellers visiting India: Report

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) is close to making it easier for foreign visitors to use UPI payments in the country, reported Economic Times.

UPI One World is a service that was launched in 2023 that allows tourists and other international travellers to pay using UPI — like scanning QR codes at shops, restaurants, or hotels — without needing a bank account in India.

Right now, foreign nationals must do a physical KYC (Know Your Customer) check. This means going in person to show documents, which is obviously inconvenient and costly for companies offering the service. They often have to send staff to meet customers, so not many people use it.

NPCI ran a pilot for a simpler, fully digital version recently at the India AI Impact Summit.

Foreign nationals from nearly 40 countries could upload scanned passport copies through an app after arriving in India. This pilot worked well.

Now, NPCI has asked the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) for final approval to roll out this digital KYC process everywhere. After it is approved, travellers can just download an app, register, and upload their passport scan to get started quickly.

Even with this change, foreigners can only pay merchants (shops, etc.) — not send money person-to-person (P2P). That limitation causes issues, especially with small sellers who use personal accounts for payments. This digital step is likely to make UPI much more welcoming and useful for visitors to India.

UPI transactions in Dec

It is worth mentioning that UPI transactions till Dec 2025 touched a record high of ₹230 trillion, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary, said in the Parliament last month. He also said that the value of transactions through UPI was expanding at a fast pace as it hit a record high, compared to ₹139 trillion in the financial year 2022-23.

“As far as domestic transactions are concerned, transactions worth a total value of ₹230 lakh crore have been made till December in the year 2025-26. This is against total transaction value of ₹139 lakh crore in the year 2022-23,” the minister told the House.

Article Sources:

1. Economic Times. "Digital onboarding to ease KYC for foreigners"

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