UK Musicians Can Now Tour in 19 EU Countries Without Visas

The deal follows musicians' criticism that the Brexit deal did not include visa-free touring for British musicians

As the United Kindom continues to lift COVID-19 restrictions, musicians from the country can now go on short-term tours in 19 EU countries without visas or work permits.

"We want the UK’s fantastic performers and other creative professionals to be able to tour abroad easily," the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport wrote in an August 4 release.

The policy change comes after post-Brexit negotiations with all 27 EU member states regarding difficulties performing artists face when touring in Europe.

The 19 states that have confirmed that UK musicians can tour without visas are Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Sweden.

The length of the visa-free permit varies depending on each country's individual regulations, the DCMS confirmed to Euronews.

The UK government is "actively engaging" with the remaining eight member states —Spain, Croatia, Greece, Portugal, Bulgaria, Romania, Malta, and Cyprus — that have not yet agreed to the arrangement, "calling on them to align their arrangements with the UK’s generous rules, which allow touring performers and support staff to come to the UK for up to 3 months without a visa," according to the release.