Obtaining a visa for performing overseas (by Viva La Visa)

Performing overseas can be a tricky subject, it’s not quite as simple as grabbing your guitar case and jumping on a plane! In this guest blog, our friends at Viva La Visa give their top tips on performing overseas…

As a company that works in the ‘least sexy’ aspect of the live music industry, our specialty is being experts in the dreary process of making sure musicians have all of the legal documents to work abroad.

Yawn all you want, but it is literally so important that it can make or break a career. Getting your paperwork wrong can hugely impact on any future travel plans, and can needlessly set you back a lot of money. If you have any plans to go abroad for music purposes, you should definitely read the following.

It’s easy to think that performing overseas is an experience that only famous people get to have.

Ed Sheeran sells out arenas in cities you can’t even pronounce and Beyonce seems to be in a different country every day, but that doesn’t mean that taking your own music to foreign lands is something you can only dream of.

There are so many opportunities all around the world, and every day we work with musicians preparing to fly to a different place on the globe to do what they love, and do it right. If you’re based in the UK, there are a handful of funding opportunities that you can apply for including:

PRS International Showcase Fund
Arts Council International Development Fund

What is a visa?

A visa is an authorization in your passport showing that you are allowed to enter, leave, or stay in a country for a specified period of time.

There are lots of different types of visas for lots of different countries, and before agreeing to travel anywhere you need to make sure that you are 100% clear on what you need, what the process is, and that you can afford financially to pay for the costs of acquiring that visa.

Visas can come with hefty admin/processing fees, and as it’s such a complicated, confusing but completely crucial process, you might consider enlisting the help of a professional to ensure it’s done correctly (that’s what we do).

Can I get away with not having the right visa?

Don’t even consider it.

You might know somebody that has, but the consequences are simply not worth it and we would never advise risking it. A mark against your name will make it a lot harder for you should you wish to go back to that country, and you risk not being allowed to enter the country at all.

It’s easier than you think for foreign officials to find out whether you’re there with the right documentation, and they won’t hesitate to turn you around and send you home when you’ve only just stepped off the plane. 

This is an issue that has caused problems around SXSW over the last couple of years, and artists have ended up having their visas revoked literally while they were on the plane to America.

How do I get a visa?

Depending on what country you’re going to, what for and for how long, the process differs in every case. Google can be a great help here, although there are plenty of experts like us you can call to make sure you’re applying for the right visa in the right way.

Help from around the office

I spoke to our visa consultants about the application process for visas as a musician, and asked them for their top tips. Here’s what I got:

Allow enough time. Do not leave the visa application process until the last minute! Make sure to begin the process in advance: a lot of countries require a work permit/approval to be issued prior to you applying for the visa itself.

Rebecca-Ashlee Stephens, Visa Co-Ordinator

“If you travel frequently, get a second passport for everyone in your touring party. That was while you’re processing for one visa, you can still travel.”

Kayleigh Robinson, Senior Visa Consultant

The rules for visa applications change every now and again. It’s not easy to follow because the relevant authorities don’t necessarily have PR departments and they don’t always tell you everything. It’s definitely important to do your research, make sure you go to official government websites, and if you have any uncertainty, you should speak to a professional visa company.

Hannah Black, Chief Operating Officer

It can be crucial that you have blank pages remaining in your passport, as a lot of countries require 2 opposite pages on which to stamp the visa.

Kerry Davies, Senior Visa Consultant

Keep an eye on your passport expiry dates. Some countries require 6 months of validity on a passport before the issue a visa.

Ben Young, Visa Assistant

Misrepresentation – lying – is a very clear cut offence. If you ‘misrepresent’ anything on any visa application, then you’re inadmissible. It’s really simple. And it happens a lot. We know from experience that when people are questioned at the border, they’re much more likely to be looked kindly upon if they answer truthfully and appear to be open. And we always advise applicants that when they go for their visa interview at the US embassy to be as open and straightforward and honest as they possibly can be, and appear to be so too.

Andy Corrigan, Founder/Director

Do you have any advice on obtaining a visa as a musician? Leave it in the comments below…