1. The most significant trade agreement for services concluded by the UK
The enhanced agreement is estimated to unlock £5.2 billion a year in additional UK services exports to Switzerland in the long run. It is the most significant trade agreement for services concluded by the UK and will reinforce our status as a global services superpower, helping the world’s second-largest services exporter unlock new opportunities in key Industrial Strategy sectors including finance, professional services, life sciences, creative industries and digital technologies. With services contributing 81% of UK economic output and 83% of employment, the agreement will support the sectors critical to delivering growth, investment and long-term economic resilience.
KPMG UK and Switzerland Group CEO Jon Holt said
Having led the merger of KPMG’s UK and Swiss firms in 2024, I’ve experienced firsthand the benefit of collaboration between these two highly developed service economies. For KPMG it has meant faster, co-developed AI adoption, deeper capability and crucially being better placed to help companies with cross border M&A and investment activity.
An enhanced UK–Switzerland agreement is a highly strategic step, enabling closer alignment in key sectors such as financial and professional services making it easier for people to work seamlessly across both markets. This deal will lock in market access, reduce regulatory friction and increase certainty, giving more companies greater confidence to invest and ultimately support the long-term growth of the UK economy.
UK Finance Chief Executive Dave Postings said
Switzerland is one of the UK’s most important trading partners, and we strongly welcome the strengthening of commercial ties through this ambitious Free Trade Agreement.
The measures – from talent and mobility policies to rules on digital access and data sharing – will give financial services firms much greater certainty and support increased investment and growth.
Taken together they will deliver a competitive advantage, and this agreement represents a significant achievement for the UK.
2. UK travellers will soon be able to use Swiss eGates
Switzerland have announced that UK nationals will soon be able to use eGates at Swiss borders, in line with Schengen requirements. They will be able to exit via eGates at Zurich Airport from as soon as the end of 2026. Switzerland is also working towards allowing entry via eGates at Zurich, Geneva and Basel airports and will set out a timetable shortly.
City of London Corporation Policy Chairman Chris Hayward said
This is a gold-standard trade agreement for the UK’s biggest export successes its world-class services. The City of London and Switzerland have long enjoyed a strong partnership built on trust, expertise and global reach. This deal shows what can be achieved when trade policy is built around the sectors where the UK leads the world, and its benefits for UK businesses and the wider economy will be felt for decades to come.
It is also hugely welcome news that UK nationals will soon have access to Swiss eGates, reducing friction and queues at the airport, and allowing business travellers more time to do business. This has been both a personal priority and one for the City of London Corporation and we are delighted with the progress made.
Confederation of British Industry (CBI) Chief Executive Rain Newton-Smith said
The UK is a services superpower, and this agreement recognises where there are real opportunities for growth. By locking in market access, cutting unnecessary barriers and making it easier for people to do business between the UK and Switzerland, firms will have more confidence to invest, grow and compete.
We also very much welcome the news today that UK nationals will be able to access Swiss eGates, which will save business travellers crucial time when travelling in both directions. Strong commitments on mobility within the deal itself, including improved arrangements for graduate trainees and intra-company transfers, will continue to strengthen the UK-Switzerland business partnership, driving growth and prosperity across both economies.
3. Making business travel easier
The agreement will make business travel between the UK and Switzerland simple and smooth for years to come. UK services professionals will be able to deliver their services visa-free for up to 90 days a year to Switzerland. UK businesses will also be able to transfer staff from their UK offices to their Swiss offices for up to 5 years without being subject to stringent economic needs tests. This could benefit high-growth sectors, including legal services.
We have also made it easier for UK businesses to access Swiss talent and expertise through a bespoke, visa-free, short-term service-supplier route. It will now be possible for a UK business to bring a Swiss service supplier to work in the UK at short notice for a period up to three months.
The deal will also help cultivate UK talent by supporting those at the beginning of their careers gain experience of working in another country. Graduates in areas like finance, insurance and consultancy will find it much easier to gain a permit to work in Switzerland.
Julius Baer International CEO David Durlacher said
As a business operating across the UK–Switzerland corridor, we welcome an agreement that supports the movement of talent and expertise between our two markets. Easier mobility for our professionals and streamlined transfers between offices will help strengthen collaboration across Julius Baer and support our long-term growth ambitions. We are also pleased to see opportunities for graduates to gain valuable international experience, helping us attract and develop future talent.
Zurich UK CEO Drazen Jaksic said
This long-awaited deal brings a resolution to a number of trade barriers and will make it easier for businesses like ours to operate across both countries, particularly through the new provisions on talent mobility and ease of border crossing. Simplifying approval processes will allow employees to move more freely between the UK and Switzerland – this is particularly beneficial for the next generation of industry talent.
Alongside this, the wider benefits for digital and data flows between our two markets make this deal groundbreaking and an important step forward in enabling us to do business more efficiently and serve our customers even better on both sides of the border.
Turner & Townsend Switzerland Managing Director Mark Utting said
This is a game-changing agreement that will make a tangible difference to our business. As a global programme management firm, the ability to move teams more easily between our UK and Swiss offices is essential. Greater certainty will help us deploy specialist expertise, develop the next generation of talent and deliver complex projects and programmes more easily. It is a huge step forward for internationally connected businesses like ours.
Law Society of England and Wales Vice President Brett Dixon said
The UK legal services market is the second largest in the world and the leading legal services market in Europe. Switzerland is one of the UK’s most important trading partners. Lawyers rely on being able to deliver their services on a cross-border and temporary basis, often at short notice, and we expect this deal will provide them with the certainty they need to continue to do so.
Taken together with the existing RPQ Agreement, this deal has the potential to strengthen the professional links between the UK and Swiss legal professions and create more opportunities for the benefit of both jurisdictions.
Management Consultancies Association (MCA) CEO Tamzen Isacsson said
The MCA welcomes this agreement, which will provide the certainty and flexibility our members need to deploy talent quickly, respond to client needs and deliver services seamlessly across borders. By securing long-term mobility arrangements for consultants and specialists, it will strengthen the UK–Switzerland business relationship and support growth, competitiveness and innovation.
Two Circles CEO & Co-Founder Gareth Balch said
As a global sports and entertainment company with offices across the world, including the UK and Switzerland, Two Circles very much welcomes the ambitious outcomes secured in the UK-Switzerland trade agreement. The deal will simplify our operations across both markets by making business travel easier, while strengthening the digital trade commitments that are vital to economic ties between our two countries. It’s a real win for businesses like ours with a significant presence in both markets.
4. Cutting mobile phone roaming costs for UK travellers
The UK and Switzerland intend to include surcharge-free international mobile roaming. This would mean that UK tourists and business travellers would be able to use their mobile phones in Switzerland as part of their regular phone contract and without incurring extra roaming charges.
ABTA – The Travel Association Chief Executive Mark Tanzer said
We want travel to be as easy and smooth as possible, so this announcement includes great outcomes for British holidaymakers and business travellers, particularly the permanent arrangement for visa-free service supply for 90 days per calendar year.
Removing roaming charges would give people one less thing to think about before their trip and should make it cheaper to stay in touch too.
Plus, giving UK visitors access to Swiss eGates will make going through the airport smoother and quicker for tourists and business travellers alike. We know it’s not something that can just happen overnight, but it is encouraging to see that Switzerland has a plan in place to make it happen. Removing travel frictions like these with major European partners is so important for UK tourism and exports.
5. Modernised rules for digital trade
The UK has secured its most comprehensive digital chapter in an FTA. With just over 70% of UK-Swiss services trade delivered digitally in 2023, the enhanced FTA secures a critical ask from UK businesses to protect and grow digital trade.4 The deal includes the strongest commitments from both sides ensuring data will continue to flow seamlessly and freely, protected by existing data privacy safeguards in both countries. It also guarantees that unjustified restrictions on the free flow of data cannot be introduced in the future, including data localisation requirements.
Zühlke Group CEO UK and Partner Angela Bishop said
The new UK-Switzerland agreement will make it significantly easier for our teams to do business across both markets. As a company that helps organisations deliver digital innovation at scale, we are particularly encouraged by the agreement’s ambitious digital trade provisions, which safeguard the free flow of data and reduce the risk of future data localisation requirements. This agreement creates the certainty that is needed to invest in digital innovation, collaborate more closely across our borders, and plan for long-term growth.
Skyscanner CEO Bryan Batista said
At Skyscanner, we welcome the conclusion of the UK-Switzerland Free Trade Agreement. As a UK-headquartered company serving millions of travellers, including as one of Switzerland’s leading travel platforms, we see tremendous value in the agreement’s strong digital trade outcomes. By protecting the free flow of data and preventing future data localisation requirements, the deal provides us with the certainty to make long-term decisions with confidence as we continue to grow and serve travellers.
Wise Director of Europe Arun Tharmarajah said
The UK-Switzerland agreement will be particularly helpful for businesses that rely on fast, secure and predictable digital trade. At Wise, seamless cross-border data flows are essential to move and manage money internationally, helping save our existing customers in Switzerland time and money in the process. By removing cross-border friction and providing greater certainty for digital trade, this agreement will help support innovation, reduce uncertainty for businesses and consumers, and strengthen the UK and Switzerland as leading digital economies.
techUK International Policy and Strategy Lead Sabina Ciofu said
This agreement is great news for UK technology companies trading with Switzerland. It provides greater certainty for businesses, makes it easier to operate across both markets and reflects the needs of an increasingly digital economy. We welcome the conclusion of negotiations and look forward to working with the UK Government to help businesses make the most of the opportunities the agreement creates.
6. Business certainty for services in an uncertain world
The FTA delivers long-term business certainty for UK services firms, a key ask from stakeholders throughout the negotiations. For the first time, Switzerland has agreed that any future improvements it makes to access its market in certain sectors cannot later be reversed. This provides UK firms with a more stable and predictable business environment, which will give them the confidence to plan and invest for the long term.
TheCityUK CEO Miles Celic OBE said
This is a gold standard free trade agreement for services. It sets a new benchmark for what can be achieved between two ambitious services economies and underlines the UK’s strength as one of the world’s largest exporters of services. The FTA complements and builds on the Berne Financial Services Agreement and will support investment, boost the UK’s international competitiveness and strengthen confidence in the UK-Switzerland economic partnership for decades to come.
British Swiss Chamber of Commerce President Dame Inga Beale DBE said
As the organisation at the heart of the UK–Swiss business community, the BSCC knows how important it is to build successful, long-term partnerships. This agreement provides valuable long-term certainty for our member services firms, supporting investment, strengthening commercial ties and creating new opportunities for businesses in both countries.
Deloitte UK Head of international Trade James Caldecourt said
Deloitte welcomes the enhanced UK–Switzerland Free Trade Agreement and the practical improvements it delivers for businesses operating internationally. Provisions on business mobility will help professionals move more easily between two highly connected economies, providing greater certainty for firms delivering cross-border services. This agreement demonstrates the value of modern trade agreements in supporting investment, improving competitiveness and enabling businesses to grow internationally.
UBS Group Chief Operating Officer & President EMEA & UK CEO Bea Martin said
The UK and Switzerland host two of the world’s most sophisticated financial centres. Enhanced connectivity between our markets will support more efficient capital flows, broaden investment opportunities for our wealth management, investment banking and asset management clients, and reinforce the roles of both countries as global financial centres.
7. A deal championing life sciences innovation
The UK and Switzerland are two of the world’s most innovative economies and are among the global leaders in life sciences innovation.5 The FTA will support continued innovation in the UK’s dynamic life sciences sector by maintaining existing vital intellectual property standards. For the first time in any UK FTA, the UK will commit to maintaining our existing 10-year period of Regulatory Data Protection, consisting of 8 years of data exclusivity and 10 years of market exclusivity, sometimes known together as “8+2 years” of regulatory data protection.
The FTA will also commit the UK to maintaining up to 5 years of protection for Supplementary Protection Certificates, with the flexibility to increase the maximum term available. These standards support the discovery and development of new medicines. This does not change UK legislation or practice. It maintains the existing balance between supporting pharmaceutical innovation and the NHS’s access to lower-cost generic medicines. The FTA does not prevent either the UK or Switzerland from increasing their domestic periods of protection.
Medicines UK CEO Mark Samuels said
Medicines UK, which represents the suppliers of nine out of ten NHS medicines, welcomes the conclusion of negotiations on an enhanced UK-Switzerland Free Trade Agreement. It is particularly helpful to see that the agreement maintains the existing fair balance between supporting pharmaceutical innovation in the UK and, crucially, safeguarding the NHS’s access to affordable generic medicines by maintaining current terms of protection in the UK domestic system.
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry Chief Executive Richard Torbett said
This landmark agreement between the UK and Switzerland, two nations with a long history of collaboration in life sciences, is built on a shared understanding of what is needed to support innovation and bring new medicines to patients.
The UK and Swiss governments have made explicit their commitment to maintain a strong and proportionate IP regime, which is one of the long-standing foundations of life science innovation in both countries. This message of stability helpfully underpins our efforts to drive more investment in both countries.
UK BioIndustry Association CEO Chris Molloy said
BIA welcomes this agreement, which strengthens the UK and Switzerland’s standing and cements our international leadership in life sciences. This FTA sets a global standard, making the UK and Switzerland more attractive places for innovation and research, ultimately benefitting patients and innovators in both countries and around the world.
Roche Products Ltd General Manager Kate Rowbotham said
As the UK arm of Roche, a Swiss-based organisation with over 125 years of heritage serving patients, we are delighted to see the enhanced cooperation between the UK and Switzerland in this trade deal. Whilst we look forward to seeing the final text, we particularly welcome world-leading standards on IP being codified this is an important and necessary step that further enhances a pro-innovation environment, which drives a thriving life sciences sector in the UK.
AstraZeneca UK Chair Shaun Grady said
AstraZeneca welcomes this agreement between two major life sciences economies, which will help drive continued innovation across both countries. It is particularly important that both countries have recognised the importance of upholding vital intellectual property standards to enable reinvestment in new research for the next wave of medical breakthroughs.
GSK Vice President Global Corporate Government Affairs & Policy Audrey Yvernault said
We welcome the UK-Switzerland Free Trade Agreement’s commitment to strong intellectual property standards. This is vital for innovation in the UK’s life sciences sector, helping us discover new medicines and reinforcing the UK’s global leadership in medical R&D. Commitments such as this are foundational for the UK’s competitiveness and boosting industry confidence in the UK which ultimately benefits patients and the UK economy.
8. Delivering opportunities across the country and wider UK family
The deal will help support services firms across the UK sell and expand into the Swiss market, from major employers in Leeds’s Northern Square Mile and the City of London to specialist services SMEs across the country. It will provide opportunities across all four nations of the UK in key industries including fintechs in Wales, high-tech industries in Northern Ireland and services sectors in Scotland.
By ensuring that Gibraltar’s businesspeople will continue to be able to supply services in Switzerland for up to 90 days a year without a permit, this is the first UK FTA to include specific coverage for Gibraltar from day one.
The Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin said
This deal is great news for West Yorkshire’s world-class services economy. From the Northern Square Mile’s financial and professional services firms to scaling tech companies, better access to the Swiss market will support our companies grow and export more. It will help attract more investment into our thriving region and will strengthen opportunities for West Yorkshire businesses to succeed on the international stage.
Aon Regulatory Risk and International Trade Sanctions Director – EMEA Denis Vangelatos said
As a business with offices across the UK, we welcome the enhanced UK–Switzerland Free Trade Agreement which will create positive outcomes for our clients, making it easier for firms across the whole of the UK to conduct business with a key European partner and drive investment and growth.
Government of Gibraltar Deputy Chief Minister The Honourable Dr Joseph Garcia CMG MP said
The Government of Gibraltar warmly welcomes the conclusion of this Free Trade Agreement, which provides greater certainty for businesses and supports future growth. This UK trade agreement includes Gibraltar from day one, it recognises Gibraltar’s place within the UK family and marks an important milestone for Gibraltar’s business community.
9. Helping SMEs and tech firms grow in Switzerland
SMEs are the backbone of the UK economy. This deal supports their export ambitions. Firms including scaling tech companies could benefit from reduced paperwork and digital payments, making it easier for UK exporters to break into the market. We’ve also removed a number of burdensome hurdles, such as the need to locate backroom functions in Switzerland or have more than one Swiss board member in their subsidiary.
Closed Door Security CEO William Wright said
We are really excited about this new trade deal as it means we will be able to provide our cyber security services from the Outer Hebrides knowing that barriers won’t be erected in the future and our business-critical intellectual property is protected. We also conduct on-site penetration assessments so being able to travel more smoothly to Switzerland is hugely important for us and will make delivering transactions with our clients so much easier.
Software NI CEO Neil Hutcheson said
Switzerland is a high-value market for UK services, including technology businesses. We welcome an agreement designed to reduce friction and support digital trade. Modern trade depends on trusted data flows, services access and mobility, and we are pleased the measures agreed in the new FTA will make it easier for Northern Ireland technology companies to compete internationally, build relationships and serve Swiss customers.
10. Stronger ties with one of our largest European investors
Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) stock from Switzerland in the UK – representing long-term investments by Swiss businesses in UK companies and assets – amounted to £44 billion by the end 2024.6 The FTA locks in certainty for these investors by ensuring that requirements in certain areas will not be imposed in the future. This will help make the UK an even more attractive place for some of the world’s largest and wealthiest investors based in Switzerland to grow their UK operations, supporting jobs and growth across the country.
The Investment Association CEO John Owen said
We welcome this deal which is a positive outcome for the UK investment management industry, deepening the relationship between two of the world’s leading financial centres. The agreement gives firms greater certainty to invest, grow and serve clients across borders, while ensuring they can continue to place the right leaders in the right roles.
UK Private Capital* CEO Michael Moore said
We welcome this new Free Trade Agreement with Switzerland, which for the private capital industry, should make cross-border investment easier and provide greater legal certainty, alongside a clearer framework for senior managers and boards to move people between businesses across both nations. Our members want certainty when considering making investments and this deal will create new opportunities for them to deploy their capital with confidence. It strengthens ties between our two leading financial centres and will help support innovation and back growing businesses in both economies.
*UK Private Capital is an industry body and public policy advocate for the private equity, venture capital and private credit ecosystem in the UK.
11. Committing to the UK creative sector
The UK is home to some of the world’s most successful creative talent across film, television and music. This deal delivers strong copyright protections, significantly beyond those Switzerland have previously committed to. It will give UK creators and publishers greater certainty their work will be protected in Switzerland, while supporting the continued export of UK creativity around the world.
British Copyright Council Director of Policy and Public Affairs Stephanie Reeves said
The British Copyright Council welcomes the enhanced UK-Switzerland Free Trade Agreement. The deal is a hugely valuable reinforcement of the legal framework that underpins investment in the UK’s creative and knowledge-based sectors by securing comprehensive domestic terms of copyright protection. The agreement demonstrates how modern trade agreements can play a vital role in promoting high standards of intellectual property protection”.
Design and Artists Copyright Society (DACS) CEO Christian Zimmerman said
This agreement is a positive example of how trade deals can recognise and support the interests of the creative economy. DACS welcomes the enhanced UK–Switzerland Free Trade Agreement and the important protections it provides for copyright and related artists’ rights. By securing comprehensive domestic terms of copyright protection, the deal helps ensure that visual artists and creators can continue to benefit from and be fairly remunerated for their work. We are especially pleased about the review provision regarding the Artist Resale Right (ARR), which would ensure that artists are equally protected in all the major art markets in Europe if Switzerland was to adopt the right, enabling artists to share in the future success of their work.
Alliance for Intellectual Property Director General Dan Guthrie said
The Alliance for Intellectual Property welcomes the enhanced UK–Switzerland Free Trade Agreement. Notably, the deal locks in comprehensive domestic terms of protection on copyright, which will help to safeguard the work of the UK’s world-leading creators, innovators and rights holders, providing greater certainty for businesses that depend on intellectual property. The agreement is an example of how the creative sector can be meaningfully represented in international trade agreements.
Nick Poole OBE Chief Executive, UK Interactive Entertainment & Executive Director, Interactive Entertainment Scotland said
UK Interactive Entertainment (Ukie) welcomes the enhanced UK–Switzerland Free Trade Agreement and the recognition it gives to the importance of intellectual property in supporting creative industries. Seeing that comprehensive domestic terms of copyright protection are locked in for the first time in a Swiss trade agreement helps give firms the valuable certainty required to invest in new content, technologies and talent. It also demonstrates how modern trade agreements can reflect the needs of creative industries, recognising their contribution to economic growth and high-skilled jobs.