From Huw Williams, on FB. Not much sign of those great deals we'll get once out of the EU, is there?

Yesterday I went to a government organised event called Get Ready For Brexit. Some of my musician colleagues asked me to report back so here is what I have learnt so far if you tour Europe as many of my colleagues do.

Here are the changes that will happen in a no deal situation. However check details yourself too if you can. I am not an expert so don’t just rely on this information but this is what I gleaned from the experts there.

You will need a work visa for each country. You can’t have one that covers the whole EU. So if you play a gig in France and then pop over to Germany and/or Spain you will need separate work visas for each country. The cost of the visa will depend on each country’s rules. As you know work visas can be quite expensive so check first before discussing fees.

You will need a carnet. That is an official form stamped before you go listing everything you are taking with you such as musical instruments, any equipment such as leads mics etc. They think this will cover the whole of the EU so just one needed. This will also cost money but no one was sure how much.

If you take CDs or other merchandise you will need to pay an import tax and VAT or that country’s equivalent of VAT. Cost will depend on each country. So there will be something to pay for each country you visit.

If you are supplying a service over the phone or by internet from this country this makes no difference. There will still be tariffs to pay. How this will work who knows. So if you are a UK based agent for example dealing with people in the EU over the phone or by internet you are supplying a service. So there will be tariffs to pay. It doesn’t matter that you are based in the UK.

Also many of the deals that have been made are between the EU and other countries through out the world. So if there is an EU deal for example between the EU and the USA or Australia the UK are no longer part of that deal so the UK have to start again. Hope that makes sense.

Also you will need a driving permit

I was advised to go to the government site dealing with Brexit so you can look up each individual country and examine what the rules would be.