Behind the Scenes at Eurovision: Ensuring Performers and Crew Are Work-Ready

Eurovision, an international song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union, is quickly approaching! One of the most anticipated events in the music industry, Eurovision attracts millions of viewers and participants from around the world and is hosted by a different European country each year. This year’s array of incredible vocal and stage performances will be on display in Liverpool. 

From an immigration perspective, it is interesting to consider the complexities of ensuring not only the performers who will travel to the UK are compliant to cross the border and perform during the contest, but also how their supporting staff members, such as technicians, stagehands, makeup artists, costume designers, directors and other crew members will be “work-ready.” This typically means verifying rights to work and staying ahead of the contest, and, where relevant, applying for either visa or immigration authorisations to perform without fear of legal repercussions.  

The dynamic nature of the creative sector requires the ability to move quickly and make adaptations at a moment’s notice, and the UK has certain visa exemptions in place to facilitate this.  

How does it work? 

Depending on an individual’s citizenship, they will either be required to apply for a visa ahead of their arrival to the UK, or they may be permitted to enter the UK as a visitor via the e-gates without seeking pre-authorisation.  

Visitors are permitted to stay in the UK for a period of up to six months, but they are typically not allowed to complete any paid or unpaid work for a UK company unless a specific work permit exemption can be identified.

Certain additional activities are allowed for professionals in the creative industry. If one is employed overseas as a camera operator or a member of a film crew (including actors, producers, directors or technicians), they will be permitted to take part in a location shoot for content that is produced and financed overseas. For members of a production, personal or technical team, they too will be permitted to carry out certain additional activities provided they are employed overseas and are accompanying and supporting an artist, entertainer or musician.  

In turn, this allows Eurovision performers to perform at the event with the support of their crews. This also means Eurovision performers will be travelling to the UK on the same visa type as some of their fans who are coming to see them! 

The Standard Visa costs £100 for six months, but many nationalities can travel to the UK and present themselves as visitors at the border without requiring an application, such as EU, US, Canadian and Australian nationals. 

For creative workers assigned to longer projects, the UK offers other visa types, such as the Temporary Creative Worker Visa and the Skilled Worker Visa. For information on these other visa types, please review our previous blog here. 

Need to know more? 

For questions related to Eurovision, or general inquiries on ensuring work-readiness across the creative sector, please reach out to Practice Leader Kasia Pinska at [email protected], Associate Jasmine Jackson at [email protected] or Client Programme Consultant Ellen Haile at [email protected].

This blog was published on 9 May 2023, and due to the circumstances, there are frequent changes. To keep up to date with all the latest updates on global immigration, please visit our dedicated COVID-19 site, subscribe to our alerts and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.