A new digital postal remittance service enabling people in Qatar to send money directly to Unified Payments Interface (UPI)-enabled bank accounts in India is now available through Qatar Post outlets, strengthening digital financial connectivity between the two countries.
The Qatar-India remittance service based on PosTransfer powered by UPI was made available in Qatar on August 15, coinciding with India’s Independence Day. The service has been developed through a collaboration between Qatar Post, India Post, the Universal Postal Union’s Interconnection Platform (UPU-IP), and NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL).
The initiative combines the reach of postal networks with India’s digital public infrastructure to provide a convenient channel for cross-border remittances, particularly benefiting the large Indian community in Qatar.
On the occasion of the launch, Sandeep Kumar, Chargé d’Affaires at the Embassy of India in Qatar, visited the Qatar Post outlet at LuLu Mall in Doha and interacted with stakeholders involved in the initiative.
How the Qatar-India remittance service works
Under the new service, customers in Qatar can initiate a remittance by visiting a Qatar Post outlet and providing the recipient’s UPI ID in India along with the required customer identification details.
For the recipient to receive the money, the facility for receiving foreign inward remittances through the UPI application being used must first be activated.
Once the facility is activated and the transaction is completed, the remitted amount is credited instantly to the beneficiary’s UPI-enabled bank account.
Transactions can be initiated for amounts ranging from QAR 10 to QAR 4,000, subject to a maximum equivalent of ₹1 lakh per transaction. A flat service charge of QAR 15 per transaction applies.
Combining postal reach with UPI
The service brings together the extensive accessibility of postal networks and the capabilities of India’s UPI ecosystem.
For the Indian community in Qatar, the new channel provides an accessible and secure mechanism to transfer funds to families and beneficiaries in India. The integration is also aimed at supporting greater financial inclusion and seamless digital financial connectivity between the two countries.
The Qatar-India corridor represents a step towards modernising international postal financial services by integrating postal infrastructure with digital payment systems.
The collaboration between the UPU Interconnection Platform and UPI demonstrates how postal networks and Digital Public Infrastructure can be combined to support interoperable and efficient cross-border financial services.
Expansion to other countries
PosTransfer powered by UPI is an international inward remittance service enabled through the integration of the UPU-IP with India’s UPI ecosystem. It allows participating postal operators to offer customers a simple and secure mechanism for sending remittances to UPI-enabled bank accounts in India.
India Post is also working with postal operators in other countries to operationalise additional PosTransfer powered by UPI corridors.
