UK Musicians Don’t Need Visas or Work Permits for Short Tours in 19 EU Countries

Musicians in the United Kingdom have expressed concern about Brexit’s impact on touring musicians, specifically regarding potential costly fees surrounding a visa or work permit required to tour the European Union. On Wednesday, August 4, the United Kingdom Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport announced that visa-free short-term touring will be allowed in 19 European Union countries.

Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Sweden have all confirmed participation in the policy. The UK government added that formal approaches have been made to Spain, Croatia, Greece, Portugal, Bulgaria, Romania, Malta, and Cyprus to also waive the visa requirement.

Read more about the recent state of touring for UK artists in Pitchfork’s breakdown, “The Brexit Touring Crisis: What’s Happened and What’s Next for UK Musicians.”