The UK-India Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement entered into force on 15 July 20261, and while much of the attention has focused on tariffs and market access for goods, the agreement also creates an important opportunity for professional services.
Annex 8A on Professional Services establishes a framework through which regulators, accrediting bodies and professional organisations can work towards Mutual Recognition Agreements, or similar arrangements, in selected professions2.
It does not immediately allow UK-qualified professionals to practise in India, or Indian-qualified professionals to practise in the UK, instead, it creates a structured process through which recognition can be explored and developed between both countries3.
A route towards professional recognition
Trade agreements can improve access to services markets, but they do not automatically remove the regulatory barriers faced by individual professionals.
A lawyer, architect, engineer, accountant or veterinarian may be able to establish a business or provide certain services across a border. However, where the profession is regulated, that person may still be unable to practise without obtaining a local licence or completing additional education, examinations or training.
Mutual Recognition Agreements are intended to bridge this gap, since they establish the circumstances in which qualifications, professional registrations or licences obtained in one jurisdiction can be accepted in another.
Annex 8A gives the UK and India a treaty-backed route for developing these arrangements. Its objectives include encouraging the recognition of professional qualifications and facilitating cooperation on accreditation, professional standards and regulation.
It also, crucially, recognises that governments cannot deliver recognition alone. The process must involve the regulators and professional bodies responsible for maintaining standards and protecting the public4.
A timetable for action
Annex 8A sets out a relatively clear timetable.
Within 12 months of the agreement entering into force, the UK and India are expected to engage with their relevant professional bodies and identify sectors in which there may be mutual interest in negotiating recognition arrangements5.
Where bodies on both sides express an interest, the parties are expected to encourage negotiations, with a view to concluding arrangements within 36 months of entry into force.
This makes July 2027 the first important milestone for identifying priority professions, with July 2029 providing an indicative target for negotiations. The annex also creates a Working Group on Professional Services to support engagement, facilitate information exchange, monitor progress6 and consider improvements to the framework7.
This institutional structure is important, as recognition arrangement often receive considerable attention when a trade agreement is signed but lose momentum once the detailed implementation work begins.
Recognition depends on evidence and trust
Annex 8A is a framework for future recognition of professional services.
Before recognition can be agreed, regulators may need to compare education and training, professional examinations, practical experience, ethical obligations, continuing professional development and recertification requirements8. They must also consider differences in scope of practice, local knowledge and consumer protection.
Two countries do not need to train professionals in exactly the same way. They do, however, need a credible method for determining whether their systems produce sufficiently comparable professional outcomes9.
If there are differences that exist, regulators may also consider bridging measures such as aptitude tests, supervised practice, adaptation periods or additional training, like in local law and professional standards.
The objective of this process should not be recognition at any cost, rather a transparent process that supports professional mobility without weakening standards or public confidence.
Temporary licensing could offer an early opportunity
Annex 8A also encourages consideration of temporary or project-specific licensing.
This may offer a practical route for professionals who need to work in the other market for a particular transaction, infrastructure project or specialist assignment without seeking permanent admission to the profession10.
Temporary arrangements would still require appropriate safeguards, including clear limits on the scope and duration of practice, professional insurance requirements and applicable disciplinary rules.
However, they may be easier to develop than comprehensive recognition across an entire profession and could provide an early test of regulatory cooperation under the agreement.
From trade agreement to professional mobility
The experience of recognition arrangements from around the world show that signing an agreement is easier than implementing one. Progress can be slowed by differences in standards, limited regulatory capacity and concerns about extending trust to professionals trained under another system. Comparing qualifications and building confidence between regulators can take several years.
Annex 8A gives the UK and India a route, a timetable and an institutional forum11. Whether it produces meaningful professional mobility will depend on how effectively regulators, accrediting bodies and professional organisations use them. Bodies interested in participating should begin identifying priority professions, mapping qualification requirements and building relationships with their counterparts.
Through our work with governments, regulators and regional organisations across various professions, we have seen that recognition frameworks rise or fall on implementation. Trade negotiators can open professional markets on paper, but regulators and accrediting bodies must turn that commitment into safe, credible and practical mobility.
The UK-India agreement has created the opportunity, and the next phase will determine whether that opportunity becomes a working reality.
- https://www.trade-tariff.service.gov.uk/news/stories/india-free-trade-agreement-enters-into-force-on-15-july-2026–13-july-2026 ↩︎
- Annex 8A: Professional Services, Articles 8A.3(1)(a)–(b) and 8A.4(1) ↩︎
- Annex 8A, Article 8A.4(1) ↩︎
- Ibid ↩︎
- Id ↩︎
- Annex 8A, Articles 8A.7(5)-(6) ↩︎
- Annex 8A, Articles 8A.7(1)-(3) ↩︎
- Annex 8A, Article 8A.6(1)(a)-(h) ↩︎
- Annex 8A, Articles 8A.6(2)-(3) ↩︎
- Annex 8A, Article 8A.5 ↩︎
- Annex 8A, Articles 8A.4(1) and 8A.7(1)-(6) ↩︎
