There is currently a huge furor unfolding surrounding the ease of movement in post-Brexit Europe, especially for UK touring artists and other industry professionals. Speculation has been flying as to what will be required for UK musicians to tour in Europe and the Incorporated Society for Musicians (ISM) has kindly created a list detailing the requirements in order to work in Schengen and non-Schengen countries.
Although the implications to UK musician’s livelihood are wide-ranging and the ongoing petition is currently posed to hit 225, 000 signatures it is not all bad news for UK touring artists. Few countries in the EU take the same stance on short-term working stints but a lot of the main hotspots for underground music do not require a visa at all.
Austria does not require a permit in advance and the organiser of the event needs only contact the state authority prior to the performance. This will mean the artist will be good for a stay of up to 30 days. For more information on this Austrian Artist Mobility can be contacted. Belgium is another country where no permit is required and this will see an artist right for up to 90 days. Longer stays depend on employment type and remuneration and rules differ in the regional areas of Belgium. Similarly, France also does not require a permit for stays up to 90 days in a 12-month period. Further information on Work Permit’s and Visa requirements for UK nationals from 1 Jan can be found here.
Like many other European cities, the Czech Republic does not require a permit to be secured for an artist whose performance does not exceed 7 consecutive days or 30 days in a 12-month period. More information on Exception from Work Permit for Artists and Right to work without a resident permit can be found here. The two remaining EU states that do not require a working visa or permit are Netherlands and Switzerland. For the Netherlands, no permit is needed if the performance is no more than 6 continuous weeks within a period of 13 weeks and in Switzerland the term that should not be exceeded is 90 days over a 12-month period. For more information on Employees working in arts and culture (Netherlands) and Switzerland and the UK agreement on mobility of service suppliers click here.
The connection with Germany is not as straightforward as arrangements are currently under review. UK nationals will ‘most likely fall under the [visa-free] ETIAS program, once it goes fully operational in 2021’. This means that no permit is needed for 90 days. More information on Germany Visa for Cultural, Film Crew, Sports, and Religious Event Purpose can be found here and Details of the 62 countries with visa-free arrangements with Germany, here.
Italy also requires a short-term visa with permits being made available for up to 90 days. The terminology refers to ‘clear fame, or of high and well-known professional qualification, or of artists engaged by well-known theatrical bodies, public bodies of relevance, state television or well-known private television stations of national importance’. Entrances for self-employment and entertainment for periods of less than 90 days can be detailed here. The same can be said about Portugal and information on Temporary stay visa for independent work purposes can be located here.
There is no denying the traffic of UK artists between Romania and Spain and while it does not specify a permitted length for Romania a Spanish work visa is valid for one year. For more information on Work permits for third-country nationals entering Romania click here and to apply for a Spanish Work visa click here. Perhaps one country that may suffer fewer logistical issues is Ireland as they will continue to fall under the Common Travel Area from 1 Jan 2021 and allows UK nationals to live, work and study in Ireland.
This of course only goes some way to answering the questions that have formed as a result of Brexit. The above information is merely the status as the laws stand right now and with travel bans being commonplace and rising cases especially in the UK I guess all promoters will need to stick a pin in any party plans for now.
For a full list of information go to ism.org.
