NPCI to Permit NRIs with International Numbers from 10 Countries to Use UPI Payments

Written by: Arjita Gupta

Edited by: Krutarth

Last Updated: January 12, 2023

NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India) will allow Non-resident Indians (NRIs) from 10 countries to transfer funds easily through UPI (Unified Payments Interface) from an international mobile number. The countries that fall into consideration are the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Canada, UAE, Singapore, Qatar, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, and Oman. But to use this facility, people have to use Non-Resident Ordinary (NRO) or Non-Resident (External) Rupee (NRE) account. However, without an Indian mobile number, they can enjoy making digital payments.

An NRO account allows NRIs to manage the earned income in India while an NRE account permits the NRIs to transfer to India their foreign earnings. The Payments Corporation has announced 30 April as the deadline for the partner banks to comply with the instructions. The UPI move will not just assist local businesses abroad, but even the family, individuals, and international students.

Earlier the NRIs were unable to operate the UPI network because the same is dependable on SIM. The feature was to date accessible to only Indian SIM card phones. However, non-resident Indians can now utilize international SIM linked to their NRO or NRE accounts and make transactions online from their mobile UPI interface. Also, no charges will apply for such transactions. In December 2022 alone, UPI transactions saw a record high of Rs. 12.82 lakh crore. With the current step, the transactional amount will soar higher.

So, the NPCI will enable UPI transactions from mobile numbers bearing the country codes of the mentioned 10 nations along with the existing domestic country code. In the future, the facility can extend to other countries as well. UPI helps to instantly transfer money through mobile phones in easy steps. The partner banks have to make sure that the NRE and NRO accounts comply with the guidelines of the RBI (Reserve Bank of India) and FEMA (Foreign Exchange Management Act).

The beneficiary and remitter banks will keep in check all the transactions to combat money laundering and any act of terrorism so that the UPI system remains transparent and risk-free. NPCI has been receiving several requests from NRIs and customers to include a such facility for some time now, and finally, international numbers from the 10 countries will be able to benefit from the instant and seamless payment on UPI.