The National Payments Corporation of India’s international arm has signed an agreement with Uzbekistan’s national payment operator to let Indian visitors use the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) for shopping and payments across Uzbekistan. The Ministry of Finance announced the partnership on 30th August 2026, following regulatory clearance from both the Reserve Bank of India and Uzbekistan’s Central Bank.
What the agreement covers
Indian tourists, business travellers, and students visiting Uzbekistan can now scan the country’s national QR code, called UZQR, using their regular UPI mobile applications to pay merchants directly. The partnership integrates UPI with Uzbekistan’s unified national QR infrastructure, meaning Indian travellers will find acceptance across retail shops, hotels, restaurants, and service providers throughout the country.
Payments are processed instantly from the traveller’s Indian bank account. This arrangement removes the need to carry cash or rely on international credit cards when visiting Uzbekistan. Users also avoid foreign exchange markups that typically apply to card transactions abroad.
The agreement was signed between NPCI International Payments Ltd. (NIPL), which handles UPI’s overseas expansion, and the National Interbank Processing Centre JSC (NIPC), which operates Uzbekistan’s national payment system called HUMO. Both the Reserve Bank of India and the Central Bank of Uzbekistan approved the arrangement beforehand.
UPI is now accepted in ten countries: Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, France, Mauritius, Nepal, Bhutan, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and Greece. Uzbekistan becomes the eleventh destination where Indian travellers can use the payment system.
What this means for you
If you travel to Uzbekistan as a tourist, student, or for business, you no longer need to exchange currency or depend on international cards to make everyday purchases. Simply use the UPI app on your phone to scan UZQR codes at shops and restaurants, just as you would at home in India. This makes travel simpler and potentially cheaper since you avoid the additional charges that come with currency conversion on card payments.