Non-residents From 10 Countries Will Soon Be Able to Use UPI Payment- Check Here

Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) will soon be able to digitally transfer funds from NRE (non-resident external) or NRO (non-resident ordinary) accounts using the UPI platform. The NPCI has allowed non-residents from ten countries, including the United States, Canada, and the United Arab Emirates, to digitally transfer funds from NRE/NRO accounts using the UPI platform.

In a circular, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) stated that it has received requests to allow non-residents to use international mobile numbers to transact in the Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

As a result, the NPCI, in a circular dated January 10, has asked UPI participants to put in place a mechanism by April 30 that will allow non-residents with NRE/NRO accounts to transfer funds using their international mobile numbers.

NRIs with NRE or NRO accounts in ten countries - Singapore, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Oman, Qatar, the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom - can use their international mobile numbers to access UPI services for transactions.

While NRIs and PIOs can open Non-Resident (External) Rupee (NRE) bank accounts, any person residing outside India can open Non-Resident Ordinary (NRO) accounts for legitimate rupee transactions.

First and foremost, transactions from mobile numbers with the country code of (10 nations) that run the UPI platform will be enabled, with other country codes to follow in the near future, according to the NPCI.

Payments Council of India Chairman Vishwas Patel said the most important convenience factor would be in the form of 'payment or money transfer convenience' for NRIs on visiting India.

Sarvatra Technologies Founder MD Mandar Agashe stated that NRIs had been unable to access the UPI network for many years because SIM binding, an important security feature of UPI, was only available to Indian SIM card phones.

NRIs will be able to simply link their NRE and NRO accounts linked to their international SIM to UPI and then they will be able use it like any other Indian UPI user for merchant and peer-to-peer payments, Agashe explained.