The India–United Kingdom Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the Agreement on Social Security, also known as the Double Contribution Convention (DCC), officially entered into force on July 15, marking a major milestone in economic ties between the two countries.
Under the India–UK CETA, nearly 99% of India’s exports will receive zero-duty access to the UK market, covering almost 100% of trade value. The Agreement on Social Security exempts Indian professionals on temporary assignments in the UK from double social security contributions for up to five years.
To mark the launch of the agreement, more than 50 export consignments worth over USD 140 million were flagged off from more than 20 ports, airports, Inland Container Depots (ICDs), Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and factories across India under the preferential tariff regime.
The consignments included electronics, pharmaceuticals, gems and jewellery, and were shipped from locations such as Mundra, Nhava Sheva and Chennai seaports, along with air cargo complexes in Mumbai (Sahar), Kolkata and Hyderabad.
Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said the agreement creates new opportunities for sectors including textiles, leather, gems and jewellery, engineering goods, marine products, chemicals and processed foods. He added that it will also benefit MSMEs, farmers, manufacturers and India’s IT, professional, financial, education and business services sectors.
Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said CETA is one of the most significant achievements of the Department of Commerce and follows more than 800 technical sessions held across 14 formal rounds of negotiations. He said the agreement offers significant market access in both goods and services trade and was operationalised on July 15, 2026 after both countries completed all required notifications and trade facilitation measures.
British High Commissioner to India Lindy Cameron described the agreement as a historic milestone, noting that India was the UK’s eleventh-largest trading partner in 2025, with bilateral trade approaching £48 billion annually. She said the investment relationship between the two countries supports more than 700,000 jobs.
According to Cameron, the agreement is expected to increase bilateral trade by more than £25 billion annually over the long term and contribute nearly £5 billion annually to both the UK and Indian GDP. She said Indian businesses will receive duty-free access on around 99% of tariff lines, while UK exporters will benefit from tariff reductions or eliminations on 90% of tariff lines covering 92% of current UK exports to India.
The agreement also covers areas including customs, digital trade, financial services, telecommunications, intellectual property, professional services, transparency and regulation. The first Certificates of Origin under CETA were issued through the eCoO 2.0 platform on a self-certification basis, reducing compliance requirements and transaction costs, particularly for MSMEs.
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