UPI in UAE: Indians can travel with just a phone, no cash or cards needed

Dubai: Soon, Indians will be able to travel to the UAE with just a mobile phone in hand without the need for credit cards or cash, thanks to UPI integration, said Satish Kumar Sivan, Consul General of India in Dubai.

“The experience of Indian diaspora and Indian travellers to UAE will never be the same again after the complete integration of Unified Payments Interface (UPI – India’s real-time, account-to-account payment system) with UAE’s digital payments architecture,” Sivan said during the at the Consulate General of India, Dubai.

The event, organised by NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) – the international arm of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), aimed to raise awareness about the expansion of UPI acceptance across the UAE.

“I am glad that NIPL is making aggressive, concerted efforts with merchant establishments, payment solution providers and banks in UAE to ensure that this seamless experience is available to Indian clientele at the earliest,” Sivan said, noting that 5.5 million Indian tourists visited the UAE in 2024.

“The complete integration of digital payments platforms of India’s UPI and UAE’s AANI will truly revolutionise our bilateral financial transactions ecosystem and will be a feather in the ceremonial cap of firsts that India and UAE have been producing in our economic partnership over the past decade.”
Soon, Indian travellers will be able to visit the UAE using just their mobile phones through UPI integration.

“Soon, we will be having a situation where Indian travellers would be able to travel to UAE with just their passport and their mobile in their hands. They don't have to carry their credit cards, debit cards. They don't have to carry cash, whether it is dirham or dollar or rupee. They should be able to have seamless stay and experience every element in Dubai with their UPI app.”

During the event, Ritesh Shukla, MD and CEO, NPCI International, said the organisation is accelerating the adoption of UPI in the UAE.
“We are proud to accelerate the adoption of UPI in the UAE, a milestone that not only brings unparalleled convenience to millions of Indian travellers and residents but also strengthens the digital bridge between the two vibrant economies.”

NIPL has forged strategic partnerships with Magnati, Network International, Al Etihad Payments (AEP), Mashreq’s NeoPay, and others to enable UPI QR-code acceptance across thousands of merchant locations in the UAE.

“Our expansion in the UAE is a testament to the growing global confidence in India’s digital payment innovations. If you look at our partnerships with Neopay, Network, and Magnati, we now cover about 80 per cent of the market for UPI acceptance,” Shukla said.
Sharing his own experience of using UPI in Dubai, he noted making all transactions – from breakfast, lunch to coffee – through UPI. “It’s been a wonderful day.”