Short answer: The EU–India free trade agreement was concluded on 27 January 2026 but is not in force. It still needs Council adoption, signature, European Parliament consent, Council conclusion and Indian ratification. Its mobility chapter covers temporary stays of service suppliers, business visitors and intra-corporate transferees. It is not a general work visa for Indian workers.
Where does the EU–India deal stand in October 2026?
The EU and India announced the conclusion of negotiations on 27 January 2026, at their summit in New Delhi (PIB, 27 Jan 2026). Talks had started in 2007, were suspended in 2013 and relaunched in 2022 (European Commission, EU–India agreement page, updated Sept 2026).
Concluded does not mean in force. On 11 September 2026 the Commission sent the Council its proposal for a decision authorising signature (Council of the EU, ST 13066/26, 11 Sep 2026). After that come signature, the European Parliament's consent and the Council's decision to conclude. The agreement enters into force once India has also ratified it (European Commission, updated Sept 2026).
According to Hindustan Times, which cites unnamed sources, the Commission has proposed a "fast-track procedure" and both sides aim to sign around 17–18 December in Brussels. The same report says "all timelines are still fluid unless announced officially" (Hindustan Times, 25 Oct 2026). As of 26 October 2026 we found no Council decision authorising signature.
What does the mobility chapter cover?
The rules on people sit in Annex 8-A of the services chapter. In the draft text published by India's Ministry of Commerce, the annex covers only temporary entry linked to the supply of services: business visitors (including short-term business visitors on the EU side), intra-corporate transferees, contractual service suppliers and independent professionals (Annex 8-A draft, Sept 2026_0.pdf)).
In plain terms, these are people who travel because an Indian business supplies a service, sends its own staff within its company group, or, as a self-employed professional, works under a service contract. The EU has scheduled 37 sectors or sub-sectors for contractual service suppliers and 17 for independent professionals (Embassy of India, Stockholm, 28 Jan 2026).
What changes for employers once it is in force?
For the categories above, the draft text sets out these commitments:
- Business visitors need no work permit in the sectors listed in the schedules, subject to the reservations in the schedules (Annex 8-A draft, Art 8-A.3_0.pdf)).
- No quotas or economic needs tests for intra-corporate transferees, contractual service suppliers and independent professionals, but only in scheduled sectors and subject to any terms, limitations, conditions and qualifications in the schedules (Art 8-A.3 and 8-A.5).
- Applications for intra-corporate transferees are decided within 90 days of a complete application. The clock stops while information is missing, and member states not bound by the EU's intra-corporate transfer directive (2014/66/EU) are excluded (Art 8-A.8).
- Dependants of intra-corporate transferees get entry and work rights on the EU side, and both sides commit to work towards social security agreements over five years (Embassy of India, Stockholm, 28 Jan 2026).
These article numbers come from the draft text. The signed text may number them differently.
What does the deal not do?
It does not create a new route for warehouse, factory, care, construction or driving employees hired by an EU company. The services chapter says plainly: "This Chapter does not apply to measures affecting natural persons of a Party seeking access to the employment market of the other Party, or to measures regarding nationality or citizenship, residence, or employment on a permanent basis." Each side also keeps its own visa and entry rules (Chapter 8 draft, Art 8.1(3) and 8.1(4), Sept 2026).
There is one nuance. Staff of an Indian service company, such as a construction-services firm with an EU contract, could enter as contractual service suppliers in a scheduled sector. That is the Indian company supplying a service, not an EU employer hiring a worker.
The January summit also produced a separate memorandum of understanding on a comprehensive framework for cooperation on mobility, and an announced pilot EU Legal Gateway Office in India (PIB, 27 Jan 2026). Neither is a visa route. National law in each member state still decides who gets a work permit.
Where does hiring from India work today?
For direct employment, the route is the same before and after the treaty: the work-permit rules of the member state where the job is.
- Care and nursing. Germany's Federal Employment Agency names care among its strongest shortages (BA, 2 Sep 2026), and India is one of the largest countries of origin for non-EU care workers there (BA, 8 May 2026). See Germany's shortage sectors and Indian workers.
- Construction, trades, hospitality and professional drivers. These hires run through national permit routes, which differ by country and change often. Check the current rules for the country you hire in.
- IT and engineering services. This is where the treaty helps most, once in force: Indian service firms sending staff on contracts, and groups moving people between their Indian and EU entities.
The EU's own matching platform will not change this soon either. The EU Talent Pool entered into force in June 2026, but the Commission expects it to be fully operational only by the end of 2027 (European Commission, 15 Jun 2026).
What can employers do before the treaty?
Most employers short of hands will hire under national rules either way, so the practical risk sits in the Indian recruitment chain: who the agency is, and whether the candidate's documents are real.
Testiy lets EU employers hire skilled workers from India through verified agencies only. Each agency is checked before it can list candidates: licence checked, office verified, documents reviewed. Testiy checks each agency's registration number against India's official e-Migrate list of licensed recruiting agents, among other checks. Candidate documents are reviewed by an officer, including checks of police clearance certificates and apostilles. Testiy focuses on the EU but works with employers in almost every country where Indians go to work.
Sign-up is free, and the employer pays only when a work contract is signed.
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