Liechtenstein's Hereditary Prince Alois begins state visit, with Vadodara today and Modi talks on Tuesday

Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein, the principality’s acting head of state, was due in Mumbai late on Sunday night at the start of a four-day state visit to India, his second trip to the country this year.

He is accompanied by his wife, Hereditary Princess Sophie, and by an official and business delegation that includes several industry leaders. The visit, from 25 to 28 October, is at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

According to the schedule released by the Ministry of External Affairs, the couple leave Mumbai early on Monday for Vadodara. After their engagements in the Gujarat city, they fly to New Delhi, landing at Air Force Station Palam in the afternoon. The ministry has not said what the prince will do in Vadodara.

The Delhi programme

Tuesday is the main day. It opens with a ceremonial reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan, followed by a wreath-laying at Rajghat. The prince then holds talks with Modi at Hyderabad House.

The MEA said the two leaders would discuss cooperation in trade and investment, science, technology and innovation, and people-to-people exchanges, and would exchange views on regional and global developments. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, are to call on him at the Taj Mahal hotel. The day ends with a meeting with President Droupadi Murmu, who will also host a banquet in his honour. The delegation leaves on Wednesday afternoon.

The trade pact behind the visit

The MEA tied the visit squarely to the India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA). Liechtenstein is one of the four members of the European Free Trade Association, with Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.

“The visit is expected to provide further impetus to the growing engagement between India and Liechtenstein, particularly since the operationalisation of India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement in 2025,” the ministry said. It added that the trip would “further deepen the friendly ties” between the two countries and help “build partnerships in new areas of mutual interest.”

TEPA was signed in March 2024 after close to 16 years of negotiation and came into force in October 2025. Under it, the EFTA states have held out the prospect of US$100 billion of investment in India over 15 years.

A familiar visitor

India and Liechtenstein set up diplomatic relations in 1993, and marked 30 years of ties in 2023. India’s ambassador to Switzerland is also accredited to Liechtenstein.

The prince knows the country. He came to New Delhi in February for the AI Impact Summit, where he met Modi on the sidelines, and had visited India in 2010 and 2018.