Britain and Switzerland have agreed a landmark trade deal that prioritizes services, enables visa-free professional mobility for up to 90 days a year, and aims to deliver greater cross-border collaboration.

The pact is projected to boost the UK’s services exports by about £5.2 billion annually and lift bilateral trade by roughly CHF 7.9 billion (around £6.1 billion), a material uplift of roughly 25%.

This agreement follows recent deals with the US, India, GCC, South Korea, and the EU, and aligns with ongoing discussions on the UK’s border checks in Europe via the EES for UK passport holders.

The deal preserves strong intellectual property protections, including 10 years of regulatory data protection for pharmaceuticals, addressing concerns raised during talks with support from industry bodies.

Pharma protections are reinforced, with industry groups like the ABPI affirming that the IP regime remains stable and investment-friendly.

Business leaders, including KPMG, Skyscanner, and regional regional heads, praise the deal for enhanced data flow, cross-border collaboration, and investment certainty.

Notes to editors outline the methodology and official data sources behind the projected economic impacts, drawing on ONS, UNCTAD, OECD, and other statistics.

The measures aim to provide long-term certainty that gains in market access cannot be reversed.

Supporters highlight job creation and broader opportunities across finance, professional services, life sciences, creative industries, and digital tech, grounded in 2022–2025 export-driven employment data.

The overall tone is positive and pro-market, with quotes from major organisations emphasizing benefits to services, mobility, digital trade, and innovation.

The agreement covers financial services, telecommunications, public procurement, IP, trade and sustainable development, and SME support, while preserving existing preferential arrangements for goods.

It modernises bilateral relations, expanding market access in services, investment, mobility of service providers, and digital trade with greater legal certainty for businesses.