UK and Switzerland Sign Services Mobility Agreement

The UK and Switzerland have signed a Services Mobility Agreement to allow UK workers to continue visiting Switzerland for up to 90 days without additional economic interest tests, work permits or prolonged processing times.

The mobility agreement follows a UK-Switzerland trade deal which comes into force on January 1, 2021. The two agreements are said to strengthen trade between the two countries worth up to £37 billion.

As well as allowing UK business professionals to enter Switzerland for up to 90 days, the agreement also sees the two countries "committed" to work together to recognise each other's professional qualifications, which should allow more UK qualified professionals to practise in Switzerland in the future.

Responding to the agreement, Antony Walker, Deputy CEO of techUK, said that "This is an excellent outcome for the UK tech sector which serves and collaborates with many of Switzerland’s most innovative businesses in key growth sectors like Financial Services and Pharmaceuticals ... It ensures continuity in existing business arrangements and provides a strong basis for what we hope will be an equally ambitious future FTA."

Speaking on behalf of TheCityUK, Miles Celic, the organisation's Chief Executive Officer, added that "Businesses in both the UK and Switzerland will welcome this agreement. Mobility is a vital foundation for successful trade relations and this exceeds the expectations of what many people thought could be achieved in the time available. The commitment to working together on the mutual recognition of professional qualifications is also a positive outcome. Given Switzerland’s place as one of the UK’s largest trading partners in services, we hope that this will be a further important step towards an ambitious and comprehensive Free Trade Agreement between the two countries in the future."

For more information on the UK's trading relationship with Switzerland, go to www.great.gov.uk/markets/switzerland.

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