Touring in the EU
Outbound Mobility within the European Union
We have set out the current position for post-Brexit entry requirements for touring musicians and their crew entering European member states. Please note that this is not legal advice. You should attain expert counsel before planning travel to the EU. (Note: crew is defined as the entourage or travel party related to the performance). Click on the image for full details.
Routes of entry into the UK for EU artists and entertainers
- For further information on the routes of entry, please see this document.
Movement of Goods
- HMRC guidance on the movement of goods in and out of the UK can be viewed here.
Exporting goods from the UK
- For further information regarding exporting commercial goods out of the UK in accompanied baggage or a small vehicle visit this Government website page.
- For information regarding exporting goods from the UK to the EU, visit this Government website page.
ATA Carnets
For further information regarding ATA Carnets and how to use them, please see these downloadable documents here:
Touring in the EU post Brexit
LIVE is calling on the UK Government to:
1. Ensure musicians and their entourages can continue to work across Europe
- The UK Government must agree a reciprocal ‘cultural exemption’ or ‘cultural passport’ with the EU to allow professional musicians and their entourages to travel and work freely across borders without bureaucracy or cost, as it has done for other industries.
- While these negotiations take place, the UK Government must work bilaterally with individual member states to avoid the introduction of onerous and costly work permits and/or visas.
- It must streamline entry routes into the UK where possible and update its website guidance.
2. Save European tours through the free movement of UK concert trucks
- Post-Brexit cabotage and cross-trade restrictions pose risks that cannot be overstated to the UK concert industry. Under the new arrangements, only one international movement and two further stops will be permitted before a UK truck must return home. Without multiple truck stops, there can be no European tours and the UK concert haulage industry faces collapse.
- An immediate EU-wide cultural easement is vital to allow the unfettered movement of concert equipment between multiple points within member states and across borders. While seeking to agree this with the EU, the Government must:
- Provide immediate grant aid to enable UK concert hauliers to relocate offshore and recertify their drivers with EU accreditation as a quick-fix ‘stop-gap’ measure.
- Confirm easement of the UK’s cabotage restrictions to allow these newly registered EU concert trucks to return and work freely in the UK.
3. Minimise additional costs and friction incurred by ATA Carnets
- Prior to Brexit, artists performing in Europe could transport their equipment freely without additional paperwork and costs. Now, ‘ATA Carnets’ (passports for goods) will require extensive form-filling, upfront costs, and additional friction at border control points.
- The Government must ensure that complicated and costly ATA Carnets will not be required for portable musical instruments carried by musicians between the UK and EU, and GB and NI. It must also provide grant support for the additional costs of ATA Carnets that may be incurred by bands and groups of musicians travelling together.
4. Provide clear guidance on VAT and social security
- Urgent clarity is needed on VAT matters across a range of business activities (including sale of merchandise/CDs) as well as social security arrangements for inbound and outbound workers.
- Resources must be enhanced to process increased A1 (or similar) applications without delays.
5. Establish a new UK Music Export Office
- A new UK Music Export Office should be established (alongside existing cultural support channels) to support the UK’s world-beating live music industry to export its IP, goods and services to the EU and globally. It should also provide grants and guidance to mitigate additional post-Brexit costs and bureaucracy.
