India’s fast-growing information technology outsourcing sector has hit out at the red tape of the consular regimes of many European Union countries, saying that they form formidable protectionist barriers against services exports to the trading bloc.

A survey by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, published on Monday, lambasted the difficulties of gaining work permits for IT professionals, their spouses, and the often unreasonably short duration of visas. It said visas often restricted workers to one country, or even one city, thereby hindering Indian companies from reaping economies of scale by doing bulk work for multiple countries.