UK-India Free Trade Agreement Now in Force

HMRC are pleased to confirm that the UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA), also known as the UK-India Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), has entered into force today, 15 July 2026.

This is a landmark moment in the UK’s trading relationship with India and represents one of the most significant trade agreements the UK has secured. The agreement will reduce tariffs, improve market access and create new opportunities for businesses across a wide range of sectors looking to trade with, invest in, or expand into the Indian market.

As organisations that play a vital role in supporting and representing UK businesses, DBT would be grateful for your help in raising awareness of the agreement and the practical support available to help UK companies benefit from it.

To support your activity, DBT has shared the attached Partner Toolkit (see below) containing key messages, promotional materials, social media content and links to business-facing resources that can be shared across your networks and channels.

Key messages to share with businesses

• The UK-India FTA is now in force and will reduce or remove tariffs on a wide range of goods, improve market access, and support UK businesses trading with or investing in India.
• A comprehensive suite of sector and policy guides has been published on business.gov.uk to help businesses understand the opportunities available under the agreement and the practical steps required to benefit from it. Please share these resources widely with your networks and encourage businesses to engage with them.
• UK exporters wishing to claim preferential tariffs under the agreement must be registered with HMRC in order to complete origin declarations. Please encourage relevant goods exporters to register on this site as early as possible.
• To access preferential tariff rates, businesses must meet the agreement's Rules of Origin requirements. Further detail is available through the UK-India Rules of Origin guidance on GOV.UK.
• Businesses should use GOV.UK and business.gov.uk as their primary sources of information on the agreement.
• Businesses experiencing market access barriers or implementation challenges in India should be encouraged to engage with DBT through Export Support Services and the Report a Market Access Barrier service.

How you can help

DBT would welcome your support in:

• Sharing news that the UK-India FTA has entered into force;
• Promoting the policy and sector-specific guides, tools and resources available to businesses;
• Signposting businesses to the India market page and wider DBT support services;
• Sharing the attached communications materials through your newsletters, websites and social media channels; and
• Encouraging businesses to get in touch if they have questions about the agreement or encounter barriers when trading with India.

DBT support

DBT want to ensure that businesses across the UK are aware of the opportunities created by the agreement and have access to the practical support needed to benefit from it. 

If you are interested in running any UK-India FTA sessions for your clients or stakeholders, please contact Okkor.Habibi2@businessandtrade.gov.uk and Rachel.Spiegelhalter2@businessandtrade.gov.uk to discuss how DBT might be able to support.

Thank you in advance for your support. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

See Attached Document