UK and Switzerland scrap roaming charges and open e-gates for British travellers

The UK has signed a new trade deal with Switzerland that will remove mobile roaming charges for tourists and professionals travelling between the two countries, and allow British passport holders to use e-gates at Swiss airports for the first time.

Trade Secretary Peter Kyle described it as the most significant services trade deal the UK has ever negotiated. The government estimates the agreement will increase UK exports to Switzerland by £5.2 billion annually in the long run.

UK passport holders will be allowed to use e-gates at Zurich airport from as soon as the end of this year, with Geneva and Basel airports set to announce a timetable for adoption shortly. Swiss citizens can already use e-gates at UK airports.

The deal also puts a services mobility arrangement on a permanent footing, allowing businesses to provide services for up to 90 days without a work permit. UK employees will be permitted to transfer to work in Switzerland for up to five years without stringent economic needs tests.

Around 800,000 Britons visit Switzerland each year. Switzerland is the UK's sixth-largest services export market, with over £30 billion in services trade between the two countries in 2025.

Gilbert