India and Switzerland have signed five major bilateral agreements during the state visit of Switzerland’s president to India. The agreements cover migration cooperation, employment exchange for young professionals, sustainable transport technologies, and scientific research collaboration.
Key facts
- Five agreements signed: Migration and Mobility Partnership (MoU), Young Professionals Exchange (Agreement), Transportation Technologies collaboration (MoU), Science Foundation cooperation (LoI), and Academia-Industry Training programme (Implementation Arrangement)
- Young Professionals Scheme: 300 persons annually per country, expandable to 500
- Multiple-entry visas: valid up to 5 years, with stays of up to 6 months per visit
- Student permits: renewable annually for 1 year at a time
- Young professionals verification timeline: 30 to 90 days for nationality and residency checks
- Transport collaboration areas: electric vehicles, ropeways, tunnels, circular economy
- Ministries involved: Road Transport and Highways, Department of Science and Technology
Migration and mobility partnership
Under the new Migration and Mobility Partnership MoU, Indian and Swiss citizens will find it easier to travel between the two countries. The agreement focuses on controlled, legal migration based on equal treatment principles. Both nations have committed to preventing irregular migration, human trafficking, and labour exploitation through coordinated efforts aligned with their respective national laws.
Indians travelling to Switzerland can now obtain multiple-entry visas valid for up to 5 years. Each visit allows a stay of up to 6 months. Students from India pursuing education in Switzerland can renew their permits annually, with each renewal valid for 1 year. These provisions are designed to facilitate legitimate travel for work, study, and visits.
Young professionals exchange scheme
A separate bilateral agreement governs the exchange of young professionals between India and Switzerland. Under this scheme, up to 300 professionals from each country can work in the other country annually, with potential to increase this number to 500. The scheme allows young workers to temporarily relocate to gain professional experience, improve language skills, and develop expertise in their field.
The agreement establishes a verification process where authorities in both countries have 30 to 90 days to confirm the nationality and residency status of exchange participants. This streamlined timeline aims to reduce bureaucratic delays and help young professionals start their assignments quickly.
Transportation and green technology collaboration
India’s Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and Switzerland’s Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research have signed an MoU to promote sustainable transportation infrastructure. The collaboration targets technological advancement and infrastructure development in multiple sectors. Priority areas include electric vehicle adoption, ropeway systems, tunnel construction, and circular economy principles applied to transport.
This partnership is expected to enable India to access Swiss expertise in modern, environment-friendly transport solutions while Switzerland gains insights into implementing such technologies in a large, diverse market.
Scientific research cooperation
India’s Department of Science and Technology has signed a Letter of Intent with Switzerland’s National Science Foundation to foster long-term research collaboration between Indian and Swiss scientists. The agreement supports exploratory joint research projects and builds the foundation for sustained bilateral scientific partnerships in mutually agreed priority areas.
Additionally, an Implementation Arrangement has been signed between the Department of Science and Technology and Zurich University of Applied Sciences to launch the Indo-Swiss Academia-Industry Training programme. This initiative aims to support early-stage startups through bilateral exchanges, joint workshops, and networking opportunities between Indian and Swiss academic and business communities.
What this means for you
If you are an Indian student or professional, the new visa provisions make extended stays in Switzerland more feasible. The young professionals exchange scheme creates structured opportunities to work abroad and gain international experience. For researchers and startups, the bilateral science and innovation agreements open doors to collaborate with Swiss institutions and access technology transfer opportunities.
Indian transport and green technology companies can now partner with Swiss counterparts through the infrastructure collaboration framework.
What happens next
The agreements have been signed and are expected to be implemented according to their respective terms. An inaugural session of the Indo-Swiss Research Flagship event is planned in collaboration with India’s Ministry of Science and Technology to formally launch the research partnership.