Paperwork & Customs
Carnets, visas and work permits, merch at the border and protected materials
ATA Carnets
A carnet is a passport for your gear: it lets you take instruments abroad and bring them home without paying import duty.
When you need one
Carrying professional equipment temporarily into a country that requires it.
- Needed for most touring gear entering the UK, EU, US, Japan, Canada and around 80 other countries.
- Not needed for travel within the EU customs union, or for personal effects a traveller would normally carry.
- One carnet covers the whole trip and multiple countries, valid for 12 months.
Cost and lead time
Budget a processing fee plus a refundable security deposit based on gear value.
- Apply through your national chamber of commerce — in Australia, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
- Allow at least 5 to 10 working days; express processing costs more.
- Security is typically a percentage of the declared value, refunded once the carnet is discharged correctly.
Using it without getting stung
An unstamped carnet is the most common and most expensive touring mistake.
- List every serial number exactly — an item not on the list is not covered.
- Get the carnet stamped on exit and entry at every single border, both directions.
- Missing a stamp can make you liable for full duty and taxes on the gear's value.
- Keep a scan of every page; couriers and airlines occasionally lose the physical document.
Visas & work permits
Playing for a fee is work, even if the gig is tiny. Tourist entry is usually not enough.
United Kingdom
Short performances are possible without a full visa, but the rules are specific.
- The Permitted Paid Engagement route allows some invited, pre-arranged paid work for up to one month.
- Longer or multi-date tours normally need a Creative Worker visa with a licensed sponsor and a certificate of sponsorship.
- Australians and other non-visa nationals still need an Electronic Travel Authorisation before boarding.
Schengen area (EU)
One visa covers most of Europe, but each country handles work permission differently.
- Short-stay limit is 90 days in any rolling 180 across the whole Schengen area — count carefully across legs.
- Several countries require a separate work permit or artist notification even for a single paid show.
- Check the rules for the specific country of each show, not just the first one you land in.
United States
There is no visa-free way to play a paid US show.
- P-2 or O-1 visas are the usual routes for touring musicians; P-2 requires a reciprocal exchange through a union.
- Petitions go through USCIS and can take months — premium processing speeds it up for a fee.
- ESTA and the Visa Waiver Program do not permit paid performance, including door splits.
Japan and Asia
Japan requires an entertainer status of residence for paid work.
- Japan's Entertainer visa needs a Certificate of Eligibility arranged by the promoter in advance.
- Several Asian markets require work permits arranged by the local promoter — get it in writing in the contract.
- Allow six to eight weeks for paperwork in most of the region.
Merch & customs
Merch is goods for sale, so it is treated very differently from your instruments.
Declaring merch
Merch cannot travel on a carnet — a carnet is only for goods coming home again.
- Declare merch at the border and expect to pay duty and local sales tax on the value.
- Printing locally in each territory usually costs less than shipping plus duty.
- Keep invoices for everything so customs can value the shipment quickly.
- Some venues and festivals collect a commission on merch sales — check the contract before you price it.
CITES: rosewood, ebony and ivory
Some instruments contain protected materials and need a permit to cross borders.
- Brazilian rosewood is heavily restricted and needs CITES documentation for any crossing.
- Pre-1975 ivory inlays or bindings on older instruments also need permits.
- Since 2019 most finished instruments with other rosewood species are exempt for non-commercial travel, but permits are still required for sales and some species.
- Apply for a musical instrument certificate well ahead — it is valid for multiple trips over three years.
Your band's notes
Carnet numbers, agent contacts, visa reference numbers and renewal dates.
No notes yet.