Film crew on location
Can I come to the United Kingdom to film on location without a work permit?
This page explains that if you come to the United Kingdom to film on location you do not need a work permit.
You can come to the United Kingdom without a work permit if you a member of a film crew filming on location. You must be employed and paid overseas and coming only for location sequences. A film crew includes people who are essential to the film:
- actors;
- producers;
- directors; and
- technicians.
On location means the filming should be at specific locations. Filming being carried out in a studio will usually require work permits. You can obtain permission to come to the United Kingdom for up to 12 months under this category.
Although it is not mandatory, you should get entry clearance if you are a non-European Economic Area (EEA) national to enter the United Kingdom in most cases. For further information on entry clearance see the visa services website.
If you are coming to the United Kingdom to do other filming work, you will need a work permit. For information on applying for a work permit, you should see the work permit, sports and entertainers section.
Terms explained
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European Economic Area
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Irish Republic, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom. Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway are not members of the European Union (EU) but citizens of these countries have the same rights to enter, live in and work in the United Kingdom as EU citizens.