India and Switzerland sign five agreements on mobility, young professionals and infrastructure as Modi and Swiss President Parmelin deepen trade, defence and nuclear ties

Key facts

• India and Switzerland signed a migration and mobility partnership pact along with four other agreements on October 5, 2026, following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Swiss President Guy Parmelin in New Delhi.
• Swiss President Guy Parmelin began a three-day state visit to India on October 5, 2026, his first state visit to the country and second visit this year after attending the AI Impact Summit in February.
• The migration and mobility agreement provides multiple-entry visas of up to five years with stays of up to six months per visit, and renewable one-year student permits, while aiming to promote mobility under equal treatment principles and combat irregular migration and human trafficking.
• The young professionals exchange agreement provides for the exchange of 300 people annually per country, which may increase to 500, targeting those taking up temporary employment to enhance professional and language skills.
• An agreement was signed to foster collaboration on transportation technologies, mobility systems and infrastructure development, with existing examples including the Varanasi ropeway, Jewar Airport in Noida, and railways and tunnelling projects in hilly areas.
• The two sides identified new possibilities for cooperation in military exchanges and defence production and agreed to further deepen cooperation in nuclear energy.
• The Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) between India and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) states of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland came into force in October, with Modi stating it targets USD 100 billion in investment and one million direct jobs in India over the next 15 years.
• Over 330 Swiss companies operate in India in sectors such as engineering, services, precision instruments, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, while Indian companies are present in Switzerland in IT, pharmaceuticals and machinery.
• Modi said expanded market access will increase Indian exports of agriculture, pharmaceuticals, textiles and engineering goods to Switzerland, while attracting Swiss investment in biotech, life sciences, banking, insurance, food processing and sustainability.
• Parmelin said Switzerland hopes to conclude an investment protection agreement with India soon, noting that results in discussions on intellectual property protection are also important.
• The India-EFTA Prosperity Summit will be held on Wednesday as a platform to translate the trade and investment partnership into concrete outcomes.
• Switzerland will host the next edition of the AI Summit, the Geneva AI Summit, next year, after India hosted the world's largest AI Summit in February this year.
• New joint research projects in health, clean energy and space will be launched soon under India-Switzerland science and technology cooperation.