Can tourists use eSewa or Khalti in Nepal? What actually works at the QR code
eSewa and Khalti need a Nepali SIM, so most tourists can’t use them. UPI, Alipay+, UnionPay and a card app can pay Nepal’s QR codes. Here is which.
On this page (7)
Most foreign tourists cannot simply download eSewa or Khalti and start paying. Both need a Nepali mobile number and identity checks, and they are loaded from a Nepali bank account or at a cash agent. Nepal’s QR codes are still within reach for many visitors, though. Indian visitors can scan them with UPI apps. Visitors from China, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and six other places can use the wallets they already have, and since August 2026 a Mastercard or Visa can pay them through the MOCO Travel App. Everyone else, and anyone on a trekking trail, should plan on cash.
- eSewa and Khalti are built for residents. A tourist needs a Nepali SIM, an identity check and a way to load rupees.
- Your home app may already work. UPI for Indians; Alipay+, UnionPay and WeChat Pay routes for much of East and Southeast Asia.
- Card holders have one QR route. The MOCO Travel App links a Visa or Mastercard to Nepal’s QR codes.
- Trekking still runs on cash. Carry rupees for teahouses, and treat any QR payment on the trail as a bonus.
Why Nepal runs on QR codes
Because almost every shop, café and taxi in Kathmandu and Pokhara now displays a QR code, and very few take cards. Nepalis pay by scanning a Fonepay or NEPALPAY code with a bank app or a wallet such as eSewa or Khalti. Fonepay alone says its codes are accepted at more than 2 million merchants, according to the Kathmandu Post. For a visitor that changes the question. It is no longer whether a shop accepts cards, which it usually does not, as we explain in our guide to using credit cards in Nepal. It is whether your phone can scan the code on the counter.
Can tourists use eSewa or Khalti?
In principle a few can, but for a short trip it is rarely worth the effort. Khalti says foreigners can complete its identity check with a passport. Both wallets register you with a mobile number registered in Nepal, and eSewa’s own FAQ describes registration in terms of Nepali citizenship documents. Then the wallet has to be filled. eSewa lists internet banking, mobile banking, transfers from another eSewa user and its cash points, which load up to NPR 20,000 a month free. Without a Nepali bank account, that means queuing at an agent with cash, which defeats the point. If you live in Nepal for a season, with a local SIM and perhaps a local account, setting one up makes sense. For a two-week trek, it does not.
Some guesthouses offer to “set up eSewa for you” using their own SIM. Paying through someone else’s wallet means trusting them with your money and, often, a copy of your passport. Use one of the routes below instead.
What actually works, depending on where you are from
Visitors from India and much of East and Southeast Asia can pay with apps they already use. Since November 2024, NEPALPAY QR codes have accepted payments through Alipay+ from home wallets in ten countries and regions, at more than 875,000 merchants, according to Nepal Clearing House and Ant International. In May 2026 Fonepay added UnionPay for users from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore. Indian visitors can scan a Fonepay code with PhonePe, BHIM or Google Pay once UPI international payments are switched on in the app, according to eSewa.
| You are from | What can pay a Nepali QR code | Source |
|---|---|---|
| India | PhonePe, BHIM, Google Pay (UPI international) | eSewa, March 2024 |
| Mainland China | Alipay; UnionPay; WeChat Pay through NMB Bank | NCHL; Kathmandu Post, May 2026 and June 2023 |
| Hong Kong, Macau | AlipayHK, MPay; UnionPay | NCHL; Kathmandu Post |
| Singapore | Changi Pay, OCBC Digital; UnionPay | NCHL; Kathmandu Post |
| Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand | Touch ’n Go, MyPB; GCash; TrueMoney | NCHL via Republica |
| South Korea, Mongolia, Italy | KakaoPay, Naver Pay, Toss Pay; HiPay; Tinaba | NCHL via Republica |
| US, UK, Australia, Canada, rest of Europe | A Visa or Mastercard through the MOCO Travel App, or cash | Mastercard and MOCO, August 2026 |
Paying with a Visa or Mastercard through MOCO
For visitors from the US, UK, Australia and Europe, this is the one QR route, and it is new. In August 2026 Mastercard launched its Pay Local service in Nepal with MOCO, a local wallet: you download the MOCO Travel App, link a card, complete a quick identity check with your passport, and scan NEPALPAY and Fonepay codes. MOCO says Visa cards can be added as well. Neither company has published the exchange rate or any fee, so check the rate shown in the app against the day’s rate before you pay a large bill, and use a card with no foreign transaction fee. Our travel credit card guide lists them. If the app shows two prices, choose rupees: the same home-currency trap applies here as at a card machine.
On a trek, plan for cash
Treat any QR code you see on a trail as a bonus, not a plan. Teahouses depend on patchy mobile signal, and a payment that needs data can fail at 4,000 metres when you have no other way to pay. The ATMs stop at the trailhead; on the Everest side the last is Namche Bazaar’s single machine, with a limit of NPR 70,000, and it can run dry in October. Draw what you need in Kathmandu or Pokhara in a few large withdrawals, and carry plenty of NPR 100 and 500 notes. How much, and why, is in our trekking money guide. A local SIM helps for maps and messages, even if it never pays for anything; see which Nepal SIM works on a trek.
Our treks include permits, a government-registered guide, a porter, teahouses and meals, so the cash you carry is for extras. Annapurna Base Camp is nine days at $920 USD solo.
See the Annapurna Base Camp trekFrequently asked questions
Can tourists use eSewa in Nepal?
Rarely in practice. eSewa registers users with a Nepali mobile number, describes registration in terms of Nepali citizenship documents, and is loaded from a Nepali bank account or at a cash agent. Indian visitors can instead pay eSewa’s Fonepay QR codes with PhonePe, BHIM or Google Pay.
Can foreigners use Khalti?
Khalti says foreign nationals can verify with a passport, but you need a mobile number registered in Nepal, and you still have to load rupees into the wallet. It suits people living in Nepal more than short-stay tourists.
Can I use Alipay or WeChat Pay in Nepal?
Yes, through approved routes. Alipay works on NEPALPAY QR codes through Alipay+, launched in November 2024. WeChat Pay was legalised through a partnership with NMB Bank in 2023, according to the Kathmandu Post.
Does Google Pay work in Nepal?
Only the Indian Google Pay app, which can pay Fonepay QR codes through UPI international payments. We found no official launch of Google Pay or Apple Pay wallets for other countries’ cards in Nepal.
Can I pay by QR code with a foreign credit card?
Yes, through the MOCO Travel App, which links a Mastercard or Visa to Nepal’s NEPALPAY and Fonepay codes since August 2026. Fees and exchange rates are not published, so check the rate in the app.
Do teahouses on treks accept QR payments?
Some display a code, but signal on the trail is unreliable and a failed payment high up leaves you stuck. Carry enough rupees in cash for the whole trek.
Keep reading
Where cards work, the surcharge, and which ones to bring.
How much cash to carry, and where the ATMs stop.
Which travel money card costs less abroad.
Foreign transaction and ATM fees, and how to dodge them.
Sources: The Kathmandu Post, “Fonepay integrates UnionPay into QR network for foreign travellers in Nepal”, 29 May 2026, and “Chinese tourists can now use mobile pay in Nepal”, 26 June 2023; OnlineKhabar, Mastercard and MOCO launch, 20 August 2026; MOCO, Travel Wallet pages; Nepal Clearing House and Ant International launch announcement, November 2024, and Republica on the ten markets; eSewa, cross-border payment feature, 10 March 2024, and eSewa FAQ; Khalti, KYC guidance and support pages; all read on 2 October 2026.
Photos via Pexels: iMin Technology (cover), Bijay Chaurasia, Kampus Production, Mehmet Turgut Kirkgoz, Pavel Danilyuk, Arijit Dey.
Written by
Bishnu AdhikariPokhara-based, NMA-certified trekking guides. We’ve led 5,000+ treks across the Annapurna and Everest regions since 1998 — every word here comes from the trail. More from this author →
Ready to Trek?
From reading about it to standing on it
Our Pokhara-based guides have been doing this since 1998. Tell us your dates and fitness level — we'll build your perfect itinerary. Free, no obligation.
More guides like this
Popular trips to consider
View all treks & toursFree Trekker’s Insider Guide
Permits, packing lists, cost breakdowns — no fluff.
We send one useful email. You can unsubscribe anytime.