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20 EU countries offer visa and work permit free routes for UK musicians and performers
We want the UK’s fantastic performers and other creative professionals to be able to tour abroad easily. That is why we tabled ambitious proposals during negotiations with the EU. Our recent trade deal with the three EFTA countries was based on the same offer, and shows it is workable.
We, as government, have spoken to every EU Member State about the issues facing our creative and cultural industries when looking to tour in Europe. From these discussions 20 Member States have confirmed they offer visa and work permit free routes for UK musicians and performers. These countries are: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Sweden.
Durations and requirements vary from Member State to Member State, and we strongly recommend that UK nationals check what requirements they need to fulfil with the EU Member State before travelling. We have also published general business traveller summaries for each Member State, and we continue to work closely with Member States to ensure their guidance is clear and accessible.
Supporting our creatives
We are now actively engaging with the remaining EU Member States that do not allow visa and permit free touring, and calling on them to align their arrangements with the UK’s generous rules, which allow touring performers and support staff to come to the UK for up to 3 months without a visa. Formal approaches have been made to Spain, Croatia, Greece, Portugal, Bulgaria, Malta and Cyprus. Discussions with these countries are ongoing, and we are also working with the sector to amplify each other’s lobbying efforts.
We recognise challenges remain around touring, and our sector-specific landing pages are designed to help creative professionals navigate guidance on issues including customs and haulage requirements. We want to ensure that as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, touring can resume and our world-leading creative and cultural artists can continue to travel widely, learning their craft, growing their audiences and showing the best of British creativity to the world.