UPI in UAE: Indians may soon need only phones, passports to travel

Dubai: Indians travelling to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) may soon need nothing more than their passports and mobile phones, as advancing digital payment integration is set to eliminate the need for cash, cards, or other payment methods.

This shift comes with India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) nearing full integration into the UAE’s payment ecosystem, a development shared by Satish Kumar Sivan, Consul General of India (CGI) in Dubai, during an event hosted by NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) on Thursday, July 10.

“The experience of Indian travellers to the UAE will never be the same after full UPI integration,” Sivan said, as quoted by Gulf News.

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He noted that NIPL — the international arm of the National Payments Corporation of India — is working closely with banks, merchants, and payment providers across the UAE to ensure widespread UPI acceptance.

In a post on X, the CGI in Dubai wrote, “The Consulate & @NPCI_NPCI organized a media round-table to present its ongoing progress in expanding UPI acceptance across UAE and unveiled the next phase of its strategy to deepen the platform’s integration and strengthen the digital bridge between the two vibrant economies.”

The Consulate & @NPCI_NPCI organized a media round-table to present its ongoing progress in expanding UPI acceptance across🇦🇪 & unveiled the next phase of its strategy to deepen the platform’s integration and strengthen the digital bridge between the two vibrant economies. pic.twitter.com/HWIKenHE5S

— India in Dubai (@cgidubai) July 10, 2025

UPI was first rolled out in the UAE in 2022, following a partnership between NIPL and Mashreq Bank’s NeoPay platform.

Widely regarded as one of the world’s most efficient real-time payment systems, UPI processed over 16 billion transactions in December 2024, according to data published by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

As per NPCI’s official figures, UPI is now accepted in seven countries — including Singapore, Nepal, Bhutan, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, France, and the UAE — through strategic cross-border partnerships.

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