travelling and tattooing in other countries

[cigaretteadvocate]

couple years ago i had a horrible situation regarding this subject. short story was. going to england to work in friends shop. got detained and questioned. when questioned i told ol boy i was visiting friends and was going to tattoo them. guy questioning me told me since tattooing is my profession that if i have any equipment that goes along with said profession in their eyes i was trying to live and work in england and so i was denied entry. then went back the next year but had a friend and native of england carry my equipment through and everything was fine. does everyone actually go as far as getting work visas or am i just going about this the wrong way. any advice would be welcomed. thanks in advance.

[diadelajen]

Mail your equipment ahead to the tattoo shop. Makes life easier.

[dari]

Cigaretteadvocate, what a bummer. That happened to our friend Tokyo Hiro, sent back to Japan from LA for similar reasons. I think most people mail their stuff, but I'd definitely like to hear all the advice people have to offer.

[A.Sanchez]

I've also heard two stories recently from tattooers who were busted in customs when the customs agents simply did an internet search for the tattooers name and found announcements of their guest spots abroad.

[cigaretteadvocate]

thanks for the replies everyone. maybe we should start using alliases when travelling abroad.

[mario desa]

mail your equipment and delete all online reference to your visit.

[Valerie Vargas]

also helps if you mail the shop a portfolio so they can pimp your work to customers and do the bookings for you?

[ben stone]

beware also those who want to tattoo in France, you now have to apply for a council permit , wait for it to be accepted , THEN attend a 3 day health and safety course, this has basically killed the guest spot and convention in France

very upsetting

[G.Uristti]

Mail your equipment ahead to the tattoo shop. Makes life easier.

i second that...i go to canada at least once a year and they always give me a hard time. so i decided to mail my equipment and it was much easier.

i lived and work in england back in '02 and didnt have any problems but things always change. im guessing that the london convention has brought a lot of attention to whats going on.

[Avery Taylor]

mail your equipment and delete all online reference to your visit.

This seems like great advice. It also may explain why one of my favorite tattoo blogs has been a bit slow for awhile.

[mario desa]

there's a certain uk tattoo blog that is part of the problem. they have posted info about peoples' visits to the uk and where they are working, potentially creating a bad situation for the tattooers they mentioned. myself and a few others have boycotted this blog based on this and the fact that the kid just takes pics off peoples' facebooks and posts on his blog...

[Avery Taylor]

there's a certain uk tattoo blog that is part of the problem. they have posted info about peoples' visits to the uk and where they are working, potentially creating a bad situation for the tattooers they mentioned. myself and a few others have boycotted this blog based on this and the fact that the kid just takes pics off peoples' facebooks and posts on his blog...

I followed that blog for a bit, but lost interest. I am 36 and I think that it is geared to a slightly younger crowd.

[amoxill]

bumping this thread to see if anything has changed for US artists crossing the pond. i'm contemplating a show in france this June, but don't want any surprises when i land. any suggestions?