Seek Europe-wide Visa-free work permit for Touring professionals and Artists
The Parliament petitions site records 286,797 signatures for this petition, which closed on 22 June 2021. The Government responded on 14 January 2021. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 8 February 2021.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Seek Europe-wide Visa-free work permit for Touring professionals and Artists
We would like the UK Govt to negotiate a free cultural work permit that gives us visa free travel throughout the 27 EU states for music touring professionals, bands, musicians, artists, TV and sports celebrities that tour the EU to perform shows and events & Carnet exception for touring equipment.
The UK has a huge music / event touring industry which has suffered immensely due to Covid. After the end of the transition period, we face further hardship when trying to tour the EU on a professional basis, with potentially each country asking for its own visa, that would be valid only for one trip, As a freelancer I and many like me travel through the EU countless times a year on different tours and events, this will become impossible due to cost and time if we do not have visa free travel.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 14 January 2021; the petitions site lists the Cabinet Office as responsible. Its summary:
During our negotiations, we proposed measures to allow creative professionals to travel and perform in both the UK and EU, without needing work-permits. Unfortunately, the EU rejected these proposals.
The opening 240 words of the 767-word response:
The UK Government supports ambitious arrangements for performers and artists to be able to work and tour across Europe. In the negotiations with the EU, we were determined to get a good deal for British music because we recognise the value of this industry.
As negotiations began, we consulted extensively with the sector to find out what they needed from the negotiations. We listened to the experts in British music, including bodies like the Musicians Union, and reflected their views in our proposal to the EU.
During our negotiations with the EU, we sought a mutually beneficial agreement that would have allowed performers to continue performing across the continent without the need for work permits. Specifically, we proposed to capture the work done by musicians, artists and entertainers, and their accompanying staff through the list of permitted activities for short-term business visitors. This was a straightforward solution for our creative industries which would have benefited all sides.
The EU turned down our proposals on the basis that musicians were providing a service which they viewed as necessitating a work permit and/or visa.
This outcome is regrettable, however there is scope to return to this issue in the future should the EU change its mind. Meanwhile the UK Government will make the case for arrangements that make touring easier in the EU and also seek to signpost to guidance which will help UK business travelers navigate individual Member States’ immigration systems.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 2,479, came from Bristol West.
280,363 of the signatures were from the UK and 6,434 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Bristol West | 2,479 |
| Brighton, Pavilion | 2,458 |
| Hackney North and Stoke Newington | 2,245 |
| Hornsey and Wood Green | 2,067 |
| Lewisham, Deptford | 1,968 |
| Hackney South and Shoreditch | 1,841 |
| Hove | 1,785 |
| Islington North | 1,692 |
| Holborn and St Pancras | 1,620 |
| Dulwich and West Norwood | 1,498 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| London | 57,232 |
| South East | 44,360 |
| North West | 26,801 |
| South West | 26,774 |
| Scotland | 24,214 |
| East of England | 22,924 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 18,837 |
| West Midlands | 15,656 |
| East Midlands | 14,979 |
| Wales | 11,474 |
| North East | 7,696 |
| Northern Ireland | 2,957 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 8 February 2021. Read the debate in Hansard.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/563294.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
64d8f78225a6603a… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.