Indian travellers can now make UPI payments in Qatar. See all details!

The acceptance of UPI (Unified Payments Interface) for Indian travellers in Qatar is a significant development promoting hassle free tourism experience. The acceptance of UPI in Qatar is a result of a partnership between NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL), the international arm of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and Qatar National Bank (QNB).

The system uses QR code-based transactions at point-of-sale (POS) terminals for merchants acquired by QNB, powered by Netstars' payment solution. The service went live recently on September 24 with Qatar Duty Free outlets at Hamad International Airport being the first merchants in Qatar to go live with UPI acceptance.

Indian travellers can use their existing UPI apps (like PhonePe, Google Pay, or BHIM) to make real-time, secure payments. The transaction is completed by scanning a QR code at the merchant's point-of-sale terminal. The payment is made in Indian Rupees (INR) from the traveller's Indian bank account and the Qatari merchant receives the equivalent amount in Qatari Riyal (QAR). One must enable the UPI Global or UPI International feature for your bank account through your specific UPI application before you travel.

UPI revolution

The new service eliminates the need for Indian visitors (who are the second-largest group of international tourists to Qatar) to carry large amounts of cash or deal with currency exchange hassles. It is expected to benefit Qatar's retail and tourism sectors by boosting transaction volumes and promoting cashless transactions.

This move makes Qatar the eighth country to formally accept UPI for Indian travellers, strengthening UPI's global presence. Indians can also use UPI at United Arab Emirates (UAE), Singapore (also linked with PayNow for P2P transfers), Nepal, Bhutan, France (started with the Eiffel Tower and expanding to retail/tourist locations), Sri Lanka and Mauritius (Launched alongside RuPay card services).

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