Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the 90/180 day period set out in the Schengen Borders Code for third-country nationals, whether negotiations are ongoing with the EU to help reduce potential barriers faced by artists, creatives and professionals who tour in Europe; and what other steps her Department is taking to assist those people tour in Europe.

The Government is committed to supporting UK creatives to adapt to new arrangements when touring in the EU. The UK took an ambitious approach during negotiations with the EU that would have ensured that touring artists and their support staff did not need work-permits to perform in the EU. The Government deeply regrets that the EU rejected our proposals.

Our focus now is on supporting the sector by providing clarity, working with Member States, and implementing unilateral measures where possible. This includes the introduction of a ‘dual registration’ measure to help specialist hauliers move across the UK and EU.

The vast majority of Member States offer visa and work permit free routes for musicians and creative performers. This includes Spain, which introduced 90-day visa- and work permit- free touring in November 2021, and Greece, which announced a visa and work permit free route for UK creatives in June 2022, both following engagement by the UK Government and the sector.

We are aware that musicians and their support staff are concerned about the 90 in 180 day Schengen limit. Beyond this limit, creatives will be required to obtain the relevant visa or work permit for the relevant Member State, as artists from other third countries are required to do.

As rules and definitions vary across Member States, travellers should check with Member States’ own guidance before they travel. That is why we have worked closely with Member States to ensure their guidance is clear and accessible. As well as this, we have published guidance on GOV.UK, including updated travel advice for travelling to the EU, and individual business traveller summaries for EU Member States and European Economic Area (EEA) countries.