UK government confirms touring EU artists will need visas starting next year

  • Share
  • The new rules will take effect in January 2021.
  • UK government confirms touring EU artists will need visas starting next year image
  • EU artists will need visas to enter and perform in the UK starting next year. The Home Office's new rules will come into effect after the Brexit transition period comes to an end in December. As Politico reports, EU artists and performers will be treated like any other non-UK national, requiring a Tier 5 Temporary Worker - Creative and Sporting visa with a "certificate of sponsorship" in order to perform, audition or otherwise take part in cultural events and festivals. According to Complete Music Update, the new policy—revealed in the government's policy statement about the new points-based immigration system—has been met with criticism from music industry groups, who say it will make it more difficult for artists to tour and festivals to run. "This will drag some agents and promoters into the immigration system for the first time and increases the possibility that member states introduce new bureaucratic hoops for UK musicians to jump through when seeking to perform across the EU," UK Music head Tom Kiehl said in a Twitter thread. The chief of the Incorporated Society Of Musicians, Deborah Annetts, called for a "two-year, multi-entry visa" for performers, saying that the organization was "deeply disappointed" with the government's decision. This post has been updated to specify the type of visa and certificate required.
RA