UK-Switzerland deal scraps roaming charges and lets Britons use e-gates at Swiss airports

British travellers will soon be able to use e-gates at Zurich airport and say goodbye to mobile roaming charges, after the UK signed a new trade deal with Switzerland that ministers say will boost exports by £5.2bn annually. Trade Secretary Peter Kyle described the agreement as “the most significant services trade deal the UK has ever negotiated”. The deal, announced as Sir Keir Starmer enters his final weeks as prime minister before being replaced by Andy Burnham, puts on a permanent footing a services mobility arrangement that was due to expire in 2029. From the end of this year, UK passport holders will be allowed to use e-gates at Zurich airport; Geneva and Basel airports are expected to announce a timetable soon. The e-gate access is separate from Switzerland’s implementation of the EU’s new Entry/Exit System, which will also allow UK citizens to use EU e-gates. For professionals, the agreement scraps mobile roaming charges for tourists and business visitors, and allows UK employees to transfer to work in Switzerland for up to five years without stringent economic needs tests. Ministers say lawyers, accountants and architects are among those who will benefit. About 800,000 Britons visit Switzerland each year, and the country is the UK’s sixth-largest services export market, with over £30bn in services trade between the two countries in 2025. Swiss citizens already can use e-gates at UK airports. The deal follows trade agreements struck with the US, India, the Gulf Co‑operation Council, South Korea and the EU. “Whether you’re growing a business or travelling for work, this agreement is about making life easier and creating more opportunity for people across the UK,” Sir Keir said. “It means British firms will find it easier to sell their expertise in one of our most important markets in Europe, supporting jobs and investment here at home.” Separately, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander spoke with the European commissioner for sustainable transport and tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, about Europe’s new EES border system; the UK government said they agreed to “work together with aim for smoothest possible EES checks ahead of the busy summer period”. The government estimates that in the long run the deal will increase UK exports to Switzerland by £5.2bn each year.