The UK-Switzerland Services Mobility Agreement is a post-Brexit arrangement between the UK and Switzerland that has been in place since 2021. It allows UK service industry professionals to travel and operate freely in Switzerland for up to 90 days a year without having to first apply for a work permit, and vice versa for Swiss nationals.
On 22 November 2022, Switzerland and the UK extended the Services Mobility Agreement for a further 3 years, until December 31, 2025.
The scheme is open to UK and Swiss professionals from service industries, such as lawyers, architects and marketing executives.
To use the scheme, UK-based service providers are required to notify the Swiss government. Notification is made by applying through an online portal. Processing typically takes one to two business days.
The Services Mobility Agreement has proved hugely beneficial, enabling UK and Swiss-based companies to provide services by deploying employees to work in each other’s countries. The extension will provide welcome certainty for Swiss and UK companies’ talent mobility programmes over the next 3 years.
Next year, the two countries are expected to start negotiations on a new deal to establish longer-term arrangements for free trade and services mobility.
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The matters contained in this article are intended to be for general information purposes only. This article does not constitute legal advice, nor is it a complete or authoritative statement of the law, and should not be treated as such. Whilst every effort is made to ensure that the information is correct, no warranty, express or implied, is given as to its accuracy and no liability is accepted for any error or omission. Before acting on any of the information contained herein, expert legal advice should be sought.
