Examine the importance of social security totalisation agreements like the India–UK DCC for India's services exports and professional mobility.

A totalisation agreement exempts workers on a temporary posting abroad from paying social security in both the home and the host country. The India–UK Double Contribution Convention (DCC) was signed on 10 February 2026 [1] and came into force with CETA on 15 July 2026 [3]. It shows that such agreements quietly do a lot to support India's services-led growth.

Importance for services exports

• Lower delivery cost: Indian employers and workers on temporary UK assignments no longer pay contributions twice [1]. This makes onsite IT, consulting and engineering contracts more competitive.
• Wide reach: More than 900 companies and 75,000+ professionals are expected to benefit [2].
• Completes CETA: The UK gave duty-free access on 99% of its tariff lines for goods [2]. The DCC gives a matching gain on the services side, which makes the pact truly "comprehensive".
• Mode 4 (GATS): It removes a hidden non-tariff barrier to the movement of natural persons. That is where India's services advantage is strongest.

Importance for professional mobility

• Longer, predictable stays: The exemption has been raised from 3 to 5 years [1]. This covers multi-year project cycles.
• No lost earnings: Professionals no longer pay into UK schemes they seldom claim from after they return. Their savings stay in Indian systems such as the EPF.
• Bargaining template: It strengthens India's case with partners that have no such pact. The US is the main example: Indian professionals there lose contributions they cannot recover.

Limitations

• It covers only temporary postings. Permanent migrants and self-employed gig workers are left out.
• Benefits depend on timely certificates of coverage from EPFO. Delays in issuing them reduce the gains.
• Key destinations, including the US and the Gulf, still have no totalisation agreements with India.

Way forward

• Issue certificates of coverage digitally and within fixed timelines.
• Build totalisation chapters into ongoing negotiations such as the India–EU FTA.
• Publish data on how many firms and workers use the DCC, so gaps show up early.

Totalisation agreements turn tariff-focused FTAs into real gains in services and mobility. If India makes them easy to use and extends them to more partners, they can sustain its services exports and support the goal of decent work under SDG 8.