India–Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement


The Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement is a free trade agreement between Singapore and India to strengthen bilateral trade. It was signed on 29 June 2005.
In 2005, both nations signed the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement and have organised the India-Singapore Parliamentary Forum and the Singapore-India Partnership foundation with active support from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Confederation of Indian Industry and the Singapore Business Federation to promote trade, economic development and partnerships. The CECA eliminated tariff barriers, double taxation, duplicate processes and regulations and provided unhindered access and collaboration between the financial institutions of Singapore and India. The CECA also enhanced bilateral collaboration related to education, science and technology, intellectual property, aviation and relaxed visa regulations for Indian professionals in information technology, medicine, engineering and financial fields to emigrate and work in Singapore. Singapore has invested in projects to upgrade India's ports, airports and developing information technology parks and a Special Economic Zone. India has become Singapore's 4th biggest tourist destination and more than 650,000 Indians visited Singapore in 2006. Both nations have worked to collaborate on aviation, aerospace engineering, space programmes, information technology, biotechnology and energy.

CECA Review

Singapore and India successfully concluded the second review of the India-Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement on 1 June 2018 in the presence of India Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
CECA allows for the movement of four types of business people between Singapore and India. The second review of CECA was concluded with no change to the chapter on movement of people.
In response to claims that surfaced in early 2016 that Singapore had backtracked on its commitment on CECA by blocking Indian IT professionals seeking work visas, and that India had put on hold further liberation of trade in response, a spokesman from India’s Commerce Ministry confirmed that India had not put the CECA on hold and it continued in force. Singapore also said it had not received any official notification from the Indian government that the review of the CECA had been put on hold.
In September 2018, India and Singapore formally launched the third review of CECA which focuses on trade facilitation, e-commerce and customs.
All of the Free Trade Agreements Singapore has signed are available at Enterprise Singapore's website.