Yes, you can use BHIM UPI in Canada, as Canada is among the approved countries for international UPI transactions, allowing NRIs to link their foreign mobile numbers to Indian NRE/NRO bank accounts. This facilitates seamless payments within India for merchants, bills, and peer-to-peer transfers.
UPI enables ICICI Bank Account Holders to send and receive money from their smartphones with a single identifier i.e. Virtual Payment Address (VPA), using their registered Indian or overseas mobile number from select geographies, i.e. Australia, Canada, France, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, ...
Yes, you can use the BHIM app outside India. According to the official BHIM website FAQs, users can send and collect money for their local accounts while abroad. The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) system, upon which BHIM operates, now has global acceptance.
Yes, NRIs can use their international mobile numbers for BHIM UPI app registration. This service is available for INR transactions in India for NRIs from approved geographies, including Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, UAE, UK, and USA.
Bhutan – First Country to Accept UPI
First country in India's immediate neighbourhood to accept mobile payments using the BHIM App. Builds on earlier integration: Acceptance of RuPay cards issued in India at Bhutan ATMs and PoS terminals, and vice versa.
No, both BHIM UPI and Google Pay are not the same. They, in fact, have many differences between them. It depends on UPI users which UPI app they favour over the other.
Unified Payment Interface (UPI) is currently accepted in eight countries— Bhutan, Singapore, Qatar, Mauritius, Nepal, UAE, Sri Lanka and France. Acceptability of India's digital payment network overseas enables Indian tourists to make UPI payments for transactions abroad.
BHIM UPI offers more security choices than Google Pay.
How NRIs Can Start Making UPI Payments Using Their NRE/NRO Account
Whereas UPI works across a range of payment apps wit unique interfaces. Supported transactions: Both UPI and BHIM offer seamless transactions, but BHIM is primarily focused on person-to-person transactions, whereas UPI caters across a wide range of payments including merchant transactions and bill payments.
Once you have registered for BHIM UPI services, you can send payments from your bank account or receive payments into your bank account using BHIM UPI through Google Pay.
The BHIM app is supported by a large number of banks, as listed on the official BHIM UPI website. Some of the banks that are live on BHIM include Canara Bank, State Bank of India, HDFC Bank, Indian Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Punjab National Bank, Union Bank of India, and Central Bank of India.
UPI set up process for NRIs
The most popular ones are BHIM UPI, Google Pay, and PhonePe. Select one app, and download and install it on your phone.
List of Indian Bank Branches in Canada
To transfer money from India to Canada, you would need: Beneficiary details (viz. name, account number, address, country name, bank name, address) The SWIFT code and transit number for the recipient account.
Yes, Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) can use the BHIM app for various transactions in India. To set it up, NRIs must use their Indian mobile number for registration and link their NRO or NRE bank account to the app. Popular UPI apps, including BHIM UPI, support NRE and NRO accounts for seamless payments and remittances.
Can I use UPI in Canada? Yes, UPI can be used in Canada to send money to India. While UPI is primarily an Indian payment system, Western Union allows Canadian users to transfer funds directly to a recipient's UPI-linked bank account.
Pioneered and developed by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), BHIM has been conceived and launched by the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi on 30th December 2016 to bring in Financial Inclusion to the nation and a digitally empowered society.
Disadvantages include a daily transaction limit of ₹1,00,000 (though some banks may impose lower limits) and fewer features compared to private UPI applications that offer rewards or cashback.
Who Can Use BHIM? Any person who has a smartphone and a bank account can use BHIM to make transactions. However, you will need to have your mobile number registered with the bank and a debit card linked to that account. You can download the BHIM app from Play Store or Appstore.
Top Best UPI Apps in India for 2025 – Detailed Comparison
Pay online in other countries
You can turn on UPI International by: Using the “Activate UPI International” section. Scanning the international QR code.
It uses USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) technology, which works on basic phones too. This service helps people across India do banking just by dialling *99# from their mobile.
Based on transaction volume data, some of the top banks for UPI remittances include the State Bank of India (SBI), HDFC Bank, Bank of Baroda, Union Bank of India, and Punjab National Bank. Many banks, including HDFC and SBI, offer high UPI transaction limits, typically up to ₹100,000 INR per transaction.