India's UPI is now live in seven countries. The latest addition is France, which went live in March 2026 with the SBI-BPCE partnership covering Paris and major tourist sites.
The 7 countries where UPI works
1. Singapore — Live since Feb 2023. Use PayNow QR codes at any merchant. Most Bharat-friendly destination after Bhutan and Nepal.
2. UAE — Live since 2023. Accepted at NEOPAY-enabled merchants across Dubai and Abu Dhabi (malls, airports, hotels, taxis). LuLu Group, Carrefour, and most tourism vendors take UPI.
3. Mauritius — Live since 2024. UPI QR at MauBank / SBI Mauritius merchant network. Useful in Port Louis and Grand Bay tourist circuit.
4. Bhutan — First international corridor. Almost universal acceptance in Thimphu and Paro. Often the best payment option (no forex conversion).
5. Nepal — Live since 2024. NIPL-Fonepay integration covers most retail and dining merchants in Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Chitwan.
6. Sri Lanka — Activated late 2024 via LankaPay. Works in Colombo retail, hotels, and tour operators. Ground coverage still patchy outside metros.
7. France — Newest entrant, March 2026. Accepted at the Eiffel Tower, Galeries Lafayette, selected Paris hotels and museums via the Lyra-NPCI partnership. Coverage is still limited — carry a forex card as backup.
How to enable international UPI
Open your bank app (any of HDFC, SBI, ICICI, Axis, BoB, Kotak):
1. Go to UPI section 2. Tap "International Payments" or "UPI Global" 3. Toggle on 4. Enter destination country 5. OTP verification
Some banks need a one-time tier-3 KYC re-verification for international transactions. Allow 24 hours.
Transaction limits
- Per-transaction: Up to ₹1,00,000 equivalent (varies by destination)
- Per-day: Typically ₹2,00,000 equivalent
- Per-month: Bank-specific, usually ₹10,00,000 equivalent
- TCS threshold under LRS: ₹7,00,000/year aggregate
TCS LRS implications
The Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) covers all foreign exchange transactions by Indian residents. TCS at 5% applies on the amount above ₹7 lakh per financial year, except for education and medical (where it's 0.5%).
UPI international payments count toward your LRS limit. So do forex card loads, international debit/credit card spends, and bank wire transfers.
If you spend ₹3 lakh on a Europe trip via UPI + ₹5 lakh on a forex card later in the year = ₹8 lakh total → TCS on the ₹1 lakh excess = ₹5,000 collected by your bank.
The TCS is not lost. It's adjusted against your final income tax liability when you file your ITR. But it's a cash-flow drag, so plan large foreign spends across two financial years if possible.
When UPI beats a forex card
- Small purchases under ₹5,000 — UPI charges no fee, forex cards have flat ₹50-100 charges per transaction
- Restaurants and street food — UPI is faster, and Bhutan/Nepal/Sri Lanka give better INR conversion
- Solo travellers — no need to load and reload a separate card
- Last-minute trips — UPI activation is instant; forex card loading takes 2-4 hours
When forex card still wins
- High-value purchases (over ₹50,000) — locked exchange rate beats UPI's day-of conversion
- Country not in the UPI list — forex cards work in 150+ countries
- Patchy connectivity — forex cards work offline at chip-and-PIN POS terminals
- Cash withdrawals — UPI doesn't give you ATM cash; forex cards do
- Hotel pre-authorisations — almost no hotel takes UPI for the security hold; you need a card
Bottom line
For trips to any of the 7 listed countries, enable UPI international before you leave. Use it for small payments, food, taxis, and tickets. Keep a forex card for hotels, large purchases, and ATM cash. Track total foreign spend across UPI + cards to stay under the ₹7 lakh TCS threshold.