The UK's departure from the European Union has had measurable consequences for the live events and touring industry. The changes primarily affect the movement of artists, crew, and equipment between the UK and EU member states. While the full picture is nuanced and varies by country, the overall impact has been an increase in costs, complexity, and administrative burden for UK-based artists and events professionals touring in Europe, and for EU-based artists performing in the UK.
The end of free movement
Before Brexit, UK artists and crew could travel freely to any EU country to perform, taking their equipment with them, without visas, work permits, or customs declarations. The single market and freedom of movement meant that touring across Europe was administratively straightforward, differing little from touring within the UK.
Since the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020, UK nationals are treated as third-country nationals by EU member states. The specific requirements for performing in each country depend on that country's national rules regarding short-stay work permits, visa requirements, and customs procedures. There is no single EU-wide regime for touring performers.
Visa and work permit requirements
The visa and work permit situation varies significantly between EU countries. Some member states, including France, Germany, the Netherlands, and several others, allow short-term performances by UK artists without a work visa, subject to conditions such as a maximum number of days per year. Others require advance notification, work permits, or visas even for short performances.
The UK government negotiated provisions in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement that allow UK nationals to stay in the EU for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa. However, this provision covers tourism and business visits, and whether it covers paid performances depends on the individual member state's interpretation and national legislation.
For artists and crew touring multiple EU countries, the practical consequence is that they may need to check and comply with different requirements for each country on the tour itinerary. This creates an administrative burden that did not previously exist and often requires professional advice to navigate correctly. The cost of immigration advice, visa applications, and administrative compliance represents a new overhead for touring operations.
Cabotage and haulage rules
One of the most significant practical impacts of Brexit on touring has been the application of EU cabotage rules to UK-registered vehicles. Cabotage rules restrict the number of loaded journeys that a foreign-registered vehicle can make within the EU. For touring operations that use UK-registered trucks to transport equipment between venues across multiple EU countries, these rules create logistical constraints that did not apply when the UK was an EU member.
In practice, this means that touring operations may need to use EU-registered haulage companies for the European legs of their tours, hire separate vehicles in Europe, or restructure their logistics to comply with cabotage limits. Each of these options adds cost. The alternative of non-compliance carries the risk of fines and vehicle impoundment.
The impact is most acute for larger touring operations with multiple trucks of equipment. Smaller artists travelling with equipment in a van or splitter bus are less affected, though they still face the administrative requirement of customs declarations for their equipment.
Customs and carnets
Moving equipment between the UK and the EU now requires customs declarations. For touring musicians and production companies, this typically involves an ATA Carnet, an international customs document that allows the temporary import and export of goods (such as instruments, sound equipment, and merchandise) without paying import duties or VAT.
ATA Carnets are issued by the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the UK. The cost depends on the value of the goods covered and includes an application fee plus a security deposit or bond (typically 25% to 40% of the goods' value). For a touring operation with equipment valued at £100,000, the carnet costs and associated bond can represent a significant cash flow commitment.
The carnet must be presented and stamped at each border crossing, adding time to journeys and creating the risk of delays if border staff are unfamiliar with the process or if documentation is incorrect. Several high-profile cases in the early post-Brexit period involved touring bands having equipment delayed or impounded at borders due to carnet issues.
Merchandise
Selling merchandise in the EU has become more complex for UK-based artists. Merchandise taken to sell at EU shows is subject to customs duties and VAT on import. The artist or their merchandise company must either pay these charges at the border, use a temporary import procedure (such as the ATA Carnet for goods that will be re-exported), or establish a VAT registration in the EU to handle the tax obligations.
For artists selling significant volumes of merchandise on European tours, the additional customs and VAT administration can be substantial. Some artists have responded by manufacturing merchandise within the EU for sale at European shows, avoiding the need to export from the UK, though this requires establishing EU-based supply chain relationships.
The financial impact
Quantifying the total cost impact of Brexit on touring is difficult because it varies so widely depending on the scale of the operation, the countries visited, and the specific logistics involved. However, the additional costs fall into several categories: visa and immigration compliance, carnet fees and bonds, additional haulage and logistics costs, customs brokerage fees, additional administrative and professional advice costs, and time delays at borders.
For a small band touring Europe in a van, the additional costs might amount to a few hundred to a few thousand pounds per tour. For a major production moving multiple trucks of equipment across numerous countries, the additional costs can run to tens of thousands of pounds.
These costs affect the commercial viability of European touring. For larger, well-established artists with strong demand in European markets, the additional costs are manageable and can be absorbed within the tour budget. For emerging artists with smaller audiences and tighter margins, the additional costs can make European touring financially unviable, closing off a market that was previously accessible.
The impact on EU artists in the UK
The changes are not one-directional. EU artists performing in the UK face equivalent challenges in reverse. The UK requires a Temporary Worker visa (Creative Worker route) for most paid performances by non-UK nationals, which involves an application process, fees, and a certificate of sponsorship from a licensed UK sponsor. This adds cost and administrative burden for EU artists and the UK promoters who book them.
For UK event organisers who programme international artists, the visa process represents additional cost and lead time. Shows must be planned further in advance to allow for visa processing, and the risk of visa refusal or delay introduces uncertainty into the programming process.
Looking forward
The UK government and various industry bodies, including the Musicians' Union and UK Music, have continued to advocate for improvements to the touring framework. Some progress has been made, with bilateral agreements and clarifications reducing uncertainty in some countries. However, the fundamental reality is that touring between the UK and the EU is more expensive and more complex than it was before Brexit, and this represents a structural change that the live events industry must manage for the foreseeable future.
For UK artists and events professionals, the practical response is to plan further ahead, budget for the additional costs, seek professional advice on compliance, and advocate for continued improvements to the framework. The desire to perform and experience live music across borders remains strong. The challenge is ensuring that the administrative and financial barriers do not prevent that from happening.
