Do high profile celebrities need work permits and are they exempt from immigration re

#1 · 07-03-2020 02:00PM #1

If a high profile celebrity wanted to do a concert in Ireland, Beyoncé for example, does she have to get a work permit?

A poster in another thread told me that all private flights have to inform INIS two days in advance of arrival. I assume high profile celebrities such as Beyoncé or Eminem wouldn't have to do this nor would they even have to bring a passport.

Work permits and the need for non EEA to carry papers only apply to the great unwashed. Celebrities don't need permission to land or work visas. Am I right?

GM228 · 07-03-2020 02:15PM

Crock Rock wrote: »

If a high profile celebrity wanted to do a concert in Ireland, Beyoncé for example, does she have to get a work permit?

A poster in another thread told me that all private flights have to inform INIS two days in advance of arrival. I assume high profile celebrities such as Beyoncé or Eminem wouldn't have to do this nor would they even have to bring a passport.

Work permits and the need for non EEA to carry papers only apply to the great unwashed. Celebrities don't need permission to land or work visas. Am I right?

Your wrong, they need to do the same as an ordinary Joe, remember when Calvin Broadas (aka Snoop Dog) was refused a Visa for his UK tour in 2007?

Peregrinus · 07-03-2020 05:59PM

They need passports, visas and work permits just like everybody else. So does everyone else involved in the production, other than locals - the musicians, the dancers, the technical people, everyone. But the production companies can afford to pay people to look after this for them, and in Ireland and most other countries it's generally fairly straightforward to get whatever visa or permit is necessary to come for a short visit for business purposes (e.g. a concert tour). Most countries like to encourage business visits, not put obstacles in the way. (And of course celebrities/entourage who are EU citizens don't need visas or work permits.)

hullaballoo · 07-03-2020 06:59PM

"Aka Snoop Dogg"

:D:D:D

Credit Checker Moose · 07-03-2020 07:04PM

Also these high profiles won't have to queue up like us plebs in T1, they are processed as VIPs at a special suite at the airport.

07-03-2020 07:06PM

Credit Checker Moose wrote: »

Also these high profiles won't have to queue up like us plebs in T1, they are processed as VIPs at a special suite at the airport.

The pay for the privilege though, you can be a VIP too, if you want to pay for t!

Salary Negotiator · 07-03-2020 07:06PM

Credit Checker Moose wrote: »

Also these high profiles won't have to queue up like us plebs in T1, they are processed as VIPs at a special suite at the airport.

I saw Ronan Keating get picked up by a BMW at the bottom of the steps on a Ryanair flight, hardly seems worth the effort if you’re flying Ryanair.

salmocab · 07-03-2020 07:09PM

Presumably it’s quite like someone going abroad for a business trip? You fill out your forms as such.

07-03-2020 07:10PM

Salary Negotiator wrote: »

I saw Ronan Keating get picked up by a BMW at the bottom of the steps on a Ryanair flight, hardly seems worth the effort if you’re flying Ryanair.

I have boarded & unboarded a Ryanair flight, directly from a car on the apron, accompanying a little bit more of a VIP then Ronan keating, imo Obvs!
It's flipping fantastic!
No security, no queueing in airport, no hanging around passport control etc.......

Edit, wasn't ryanair actually, I remember it was a charted flight from a tour operator

Credit Checker Moose · 07-03-2020 07:22PM

Salary Negotiator wrote: »

I saw Ronan Keating get picked up by a BMW at the bottom of the steps on a Ryanair flight, hardly seems worth the effort if you’re flying Ryanair.

€300 a shot for special processing. Anyone can pay it.

Pawwed Rig · 07-03-2020 07:23PM

Whether they pay tax here is a better question tbh

Yurt2 · 07-03-2020 07:34PM

Interesting question and one I have wondered myself.

Here are the arrangements for the UK (link is a pdf) which would be similar to Ireland you'd think.

For a non-visa required national (US, Japanese etc), one just needs to present themselves to immigration with documentary evidence to satisfy the officer of their activities in the UK and invitation letters.

Visa required nationals have to apply at a UK consulate embassy for permission.

You'd imagine an American artist would be paid their performance fee via whatever legal entity stateside and taxed there.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/450237/Entering_the_UK_Arts_Ents_leaflet_August_2015.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwik1LPhi4noAhU0yosBHWqxADAQFjAAegQIBRAB&usg=AOvVaw0IKyahmBpHfv6IarF3WA6z

Peregrinus · 09-03-2020 12:54AM

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

Whether they pay tax here is a better question tbh

Well, they're not resident here. (That's why they need visas and the like for the visit.)

In general with an international artiste visiting Ireland, this will be part of an international or world tour with Ireland as just one date. The artiste will have a contract with the tour operator which covers all the contract dates, and which is probably made in London or New York. So we have a non-resident artiste receiving payment from a non-resident concern promoter under a contract made not in Ireland. The artiste will have no Irish tax liablity, even though part of the artiste's obligations under the contract are performed in Ireland. We don't expect a German businessman coming to Ireland for a day for a business meeting to pay Irish tax on one day's wages, do we? Same deal.

That's not to say that no Irish tax is paid in relation to the Irish concert and the earnings it generates; just that the artiste who performs at the concert is not the one paying it.

Yurt2 · 09-03-2020 06:52AM

Peregrinus wrote: »

Well, they're not resident here. (That's why they need visas and the like for the visit.)

Let's say there is a US group (let's call them Pangolin Virus) who are scheduled to do a European tour taking in 15 countries. I'd say it's unlikely they are required to apply for work permits for all 15 countries - seems like an unworkable amount of paperwork.

I'd suspect most if not all countries work it like the UK; I don't think work permits are required for non-visa required nationals (US, Canada, Japan etc).

Crock Rock · 09-03-2020 06:57AM

Yurt! wrote: »

I don't think work permits are required for non-visa required nationals (US, Canada, Japan etc).

They most certainly are.

Peregrinus · 09-03-2020 08:05AM

Yurt! wrote: »

Let's say there is a US group (let's call them Pangolin Virus) who are scheduled to do a European tour taking in 15 countries. I'd say it's unlikely they are required to apply for work permits for all 15 countries - seems like an unworkable amount of paperwork.

Like I say, production companies look after this. It's a tiny, tiny part of the organisational and administrative overheads of an international concert tour.

(Plus, where you are talking about 15 European countries, it's likely that several of them will be Schengen countries, so one permit will cover all those countries.)

Yurt! wrote: »

I'd suspect most if not all countries work it like the UK; I don't think work permits are required for non-visa required nationals (US, Canada, Japan etc).

If a non-visa national is "invited as an expert" and is eligible for a permitted paid engagement visa they can come to the UK for up to a month and take part in arts and entertainment activities. They'll need to be ready to show at the border both that they have been invited as an expert and that they would qualify for a permmitted paid engagement visa, if they applied.

The headline artists in a concert tour could probably avail of this exception, but they rarely do. The reason is that everyone else in the touring crew - the backup session musicians, the dancers, the sound people, the technical crew, etc, etc - cannot avail of it - they are not "invited as experts", because they mostly don't have any notable expertise. So the production company has to organise visas for all of them. Given that, it's not a big deal to include the main artists in that application as well, and it avoids any risk of finding out only at the point of entry that there is a problem. Why wouldn't you apply for a work permit for the headline artists?

Marcusm · 09-03-2020 08:23PM

Peregrinus wrote: »

Well, they're not resident here. (That's why they need visas and the like for the visit.)

In general with an international artiste visiting Ireland, this will be part of an international or world tour with Ireland as just one date. The artiste will have a contract with the tour operator which covers all the contract dates, and which is probably made in London or New York. So we have a non-resident artiste receiving payment from a non-resident concern promoter under a contract made not in Ireland. The artiste will have no Irish tax liablity, even though part of the artiste's obligations under the contract are performed in Ireland. We don't expect a German businessman coming to Ireland for a day for a business meeting to pay Irish tax on one day's wages, do we? Same deal.

That's not to say that no Irish tax is paid in relation to the Irish concert and the earnings it generates; just that the artiste who performs at the concert is not the one paying it.

You’re right that non-resident artistes are not generally charged to Irish income tax. This is in contrast to the position in the U.K. (with whom we had a very similar income tax system until approx a decade ago). The U.K. has taxed foreign artistes, entertainers and sports people for decades. As part of a bid for the Olympics, the host nation is required to exempt all such income. The measure is also not necessarily limited to the payment for the particular engagement, there have been attempts on the past to tax endorsements also - I think it was the Andre Agassi tax case.

An attempt by Sinn Fein to introduce a similar tax charge in Ireland failed a few years ago.

As regards short term business visitors, an Irish tax liability can arise after an aggregate of 30/60 days (non consecutive) in certain circumstances.

Do high profile celebrities need work permits and are they exempt from immigration re

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