A virtual GPIO interface is provided that receives a transmit set of GPIO signals from a processor. The virtual GPIO interface transmits a portion of the transmit set of GPIO signals over GPIO pins in a conventional fashion. However, the virtual GPIO interface provides a remaining portion of the transmit set of GPIO signals to a finite state machine that serializes the GPIO signals in the remaining portion into frames of virtual GPIO signals. A modified UART interface transmits the frames over a UART transmit pin responsive to cycles of a UART oversampling clock.