Recently a friend asked me if I had any tips or suggestions for traveling across borders as a musician.   Most countries across the world require visas for musicians traveling abroad and playing shows. This is mainly due to the fact that countries do not want foreign musicians performing and making money in their country and not paying tax.  In most cases musician visas are difficult to get, especially if you are a smaller musician and you don’t have a agreement with a promotional company or venue from that country.  Like most things in life, there are workarounds.  Most venues that would be willing to book your small band are not spies for the state, nor do they care about their countries immigration regulations.  The larger venues that are dealing with musician visas will probably not be the places booking your act. That’s why it is so important to reject government digital currencies when they make the big push for them, because that could completely change the DIY music game, having all financial transactions traceable, ie taxable by the government.

I’ve booked tours for my bands and myself as a solo artist in about 9 different countries.  I’ve never had to apply for a visa and nobody has ever questioned me about official documents.  It’s difficult booking outside of your home country, figuring out transportation, housing, and sometimes there is a language barrier (lucky for us English speakers, most people across the world speak a little bit of English).  The real difficulty is crossing the border.  Obviously now in 2022 things are very different with the onset of insane travel restrictions and regulations across the world, so I’d always advise people to do their own research before embarking on a journey to another country and make sure that wherever you want to go is going to be possible. 

First thing to keep in mind when traveling into another country to play live music is to not look like a musician.  Like I said, most countries have laws against performing without a visa.  So if you show up to the border, don’t wear your leather jacket and skin tight rock jeans.  Where a nice shirt, be as sharp and clean cut as possible.  If possible don’t even have your instrument on you.  If you can borrow an instrument in the country where you are headed that is going to be a much better situation.  When I traveled to the UK the first thing I did when I got off the plane was to buy a used instrument.  Taking it back home was much easier than bringing one in.  Have a definite plan for the first day.  Know exactly what you are going to tell the immigration officer.  You are on vacation, tell them the different cities you will be visiting and the different tourist attractions that you intend to see.  Obviously live shows are not going to be in your itinerary at all!  It’s best to have a room booked somewhere for your first night so that you can show the immigration officer a receipt.  This is especially important when traveling to the UK because they will ask, and the UK is the most strict out of any of the countries that I have been to.  Even better if you have a friend or family member that you will be staying with.  They may ask for their name, address and phone number, especially in the UK.  I know bands that have traveled to Canada will get a recording contract, real or fake, to have the border control allow them into the country.  If you do intend to travel with your instrument and they ask you what’s up with it, just tell them it’s a recreational tool, you’re on vacation.  Do not tell them that you hope to find an open jam or busk, that will most definitely increase your chances of your trip being denied at the border, at the very least you may find yourself in a closed room with a bunch of immigration police interrogating you and going through your personal belongings.  I speak from experience, not fun.  Remember that you are in a foreign country, whatever rights that you think you may have in your home country do not exist in a foreign land (according to any foreign officer that you come across).  Be friendly, don’t talk back, cooperate.  Be sharp, don’t go into a border crossing high, drunk or hungover, you need your wits.  That being said most of mainland Europe is super friendly.  I’ve never had issues going across borders there.  Once I flew into Copenhagen and they asked about my guitar, I said I was a musician on vacation and they let me go.  Canada and the UK are much more thorough, and I have experienced severe attitude and provocation from border patrols at each border.  Just stay chill and confident.  A couple more tips, I hide my merch inside my luggage.  I bring merch that is easy to carry, ie not vinyl or jewel cases, stick to slim cases for CD’s and download cards.  You can also buy merch from the country which you are visiting, probably only worth it if you know you will sell a lot or if you know you will be there for a while.