India’s Commerce Secretary, Rajesh Agarwal, wrapped up a two-day official visit to Switzerland on 7 May aimed at fast-tracking implementation of the India–EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA). While much of the public discussion centred on tariff lines and market access, behind closed doors officials drilled into mutual recognition of professional qualifications and smoother short-term movement of service providers—areas critical to global-mobility managers. The TEPA, operational since late 2025, is India’s first trade pact with the four-member European Free Trade Association. It contains a dedicated mobility chapter offering Swiss, Norwegian, Icelandic and Liechtenstein companies clearer routes to post specialists into India and vice versa. Executives in pharmaceuticals, precision engineering and fintech told India Shipping News that they are eager for a streamlined business-visa window and longer permissible stays for intra-corporate transferees.
To help companies move quickly, VisaHQ’s online platform (https://www.visahq.com/india/) aggregates up-to-date visa rules for India and over 200 other destinations, provides step-by-step digital applications, and offers concierge document processing—giving mobility teams an immediate workaround while government “contact points” are still getting set up.
At meetings in Bern and St Gallen, Secretary Agarwal and Swiss State Secretary Helene Budliger Artieda reviewed progress on establishing “contact points” in both capitals that will troubleshoot visa delays. India’s Ministry of Commerce is also coordinating with the Ministries of Home Affairs and External Affairs to align the Fast Track Immigration Trusted Traveller Programme with TEPA commitments—potentially giving pre-cleared Swiss professionals access to e-gates at 13 Indian airports. For Indian companies, TEPA’s mobility provisions could unlock opportunities in high-value Swiss sectors, but HR heads caution that employees will still need to navigate cantonal work-permit quotas. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is compiling a handbook to walk firms through the process and to flag cultural-integration pitfalls. Analysts say the Bern visit signals New Delhi’s determination to convert headline-grabbing trade deals into tangible benefits for businesses and their mobile workforces. Companies that engage early—by mapping project pipelines and anticipated talent flows—stand to capture first-mover advantages once visa facilitation desks come online.
