The Switzerland-India Free Trade Agreement.
In force since 1 October 2025. The TEPA reduces Indian tariffs on Swiss-origin premium goods on a phased timeline — reshaping the landed-cost calculus for chocolate, machinery, watches, pharma, and lifestyle.
Effective landed duty with TEPA + IGST input tax credit, down from 57% non-TEPA.
Phased BCD reductions over 5–10 years for sensitive sectors.
EFTA commitment to invest $100B in India over 15 years — alongside the tariff framework.
Trade & Economic Partnership Agreement.
TEPA is the trade agreement between India and the four EFTA states (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein). Signed 10 March 2024, entered into force 1 October 2025.
It covers tariff reductions on most industrial and agricultural goods, trade in services commitments, investment promotion targets ($100B / 1M jobs in 15 years), and intellectual property protection.
Where TEPA changes the calculus.
HS 1806 phased toward zero. Premium positioning is now economically viable across Indian metros.
Swiss machine tools, watches, precision instruments — already structurally competitive, TEPA improves the gap.
Tariff cuts on specific HS codes; Indian generics manufacturing remains the local moat.
Niche Swiss lifestyle goods (toys, bodywear, honey) gain a meaningful gap vs comparable European imports.
Deeper analysis: Five sectors with TEPA upside in 2026 →
TEPA in plain answers.
What is TEPA?
TEPA stands for Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement. It is the free trade agreement between India and the four EFTA states (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein), signed on 10 March 2024 and in force since 1 October 2025. It covers tariff reductions on most industrial and agricultural goods, services trade commitments, investment promotion (USD 100 billion / 1 million jobs over 15 years), and intellectual property protection.
Which Swiss sectors benefit most from TEPA?
Chocolate and cocoa (HS 1806) benefit most prominently — landed duties drop from roughly 57% to about 33%, making Swiss premium chocolate economically viable across Indian metros for the first time. Other strong-upside sectors are machinery and precision instruments, Swiss watches, lifestyle goods (toys, gifting, gourmet), and selected pharma HS codes.
How much does TEPA reduce the import tariff on Swiss chocolate?
On Swiss-origin chocolate (HS 1806) the effective landed duty drops from approximately 57% pre-TEPA to around 33% with TEPA plus IGST input tax credit. The Indian Basic Customs Duty is being phased toward zero over 5 years for most chocolate HS codes.
What is required to claim TEPA tariff benefits at Indian customs?
Swiss exporters must obtain a Swiss-Origin Certificate of Origin (TEPA-specific) and submit it to Indian customs with the import documentation. The Certificate is issued by the Swiss authorities under defined origin rules per HS code. Pullely Consulting handles the Certificate of Origin workflow as part of our partner programme — this is the most common bottleneck preventing Swiss SMEs from realising the TEPA tariff benefit.
Does TEPA replace FSSAI compliance for Swiss food exporters?
No. TEPA reduces customs tariffs but does not affect FSSAI regulatory requirements. Swiss food and beverage exporters still need FSSAI registration, labelling compliance, and lab testing for India market entry. See our FSSAI 90-day playbook for the full sequence.
How does Pullely Consulting help Swiss companies use TEPA?
We map products against the TEPA tariff schedule, manage Certificate of Origin documentation, run FSSAI and BIS regulatory pathways, and connect Swiss exporters with vetted Indian distributors across premium retail, hospitality, and gifting channels. Our active brand pipeline includes Gottlieber, Cuboro, Trauffer, and NoNormal.
Want to apply TEPA to your case?
30-min consultation. We map your products against the TEPA schedule, tariff timeline, and Indian regulatory landings.