United Kingdom

United Kingdom and the Netherlands
The United Kingdom remains a magnet for artists and creative entrepreneurs. The country is a priority country in the Netherlands’ International Cultural Policy 2021-24. The strategy aims at an increasingly strong and recognisable presence for art, the creative industry and professionals from the Netherlands in prominent places in the United Kingdom.

As an international cultural metropolis, London has tremendous pulling power; almost every country in the world is culturally represented there. The United Kingdom shares a long history of cultural exchange with the Netherlands; this dates back to the seventeenth century, when British royal houses opened their courts to Dutch Masters, architects, designers and scholars. But nowadays as well, British organisations invite Dutch artists and creative entrepreneurs to collaborate with them.

Opportunities
Because of the stiff competition in the United Kingdom, Dutch artists have to work hard for recognition, and once they achieve it, work hard to remain in the spotlights. While London may be the epicentre of international culture, the old industrial cities also offer opportunities for the Netherlands with their own festivals, stages and studios. Greater Manchester area is attracting more and more cultural attention: the Mindscapes project - initiated by DutchCulture and our embassy in London - focused on this part of the UK. Moreover, there is more than enough common ground between the Netherlands and England in the areas of heritage management, cultural education, fundraising and other forms of cultural entrepreneurship.

Embassy
The Dutch Embassy in London helps identify and utilise opportunities for new makers and creative entrepreneurs, and works with programmes that help Dutch talent make it the international stage. The embassy organises work visits, workshops, seminars, press presentations and network meetings for and with Dutch cultural organisations. In addition, the embassy regularly publishes information on cultural events with a Dutch flavour.

Partners
To stimulate the Dutch presence in United Kingdom, the following work in partnership: the Dutch Embassy in London, the Mondriaan Fund, Dutch Performing Arts, the Dutch Foundation for Literature, the Creative Industries Fund NL, Het Nieuwe Instituut, the Cultural Participation Fund, the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands, the Popcoalitie and DutchCulture.

Brexit
The UK left the European Union on 31 January 2020. Despite the exit, expectations are that cultural exchange will remain at a high level. Read more about the impact of Brexit below, in the FAQ section.

Advisor

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Josine Backus
Role
Advisor - Focal Countries | Brazil
Email
j.backus [at] dutchculture.nl

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Minke van Schaik, DutchCulture
Minke van Schaik
Role
Advisor - Focal Countries
Email
m.vanschaik [at] dutchculture.nl
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Year:

United Kingdom at a glance

PlaceArtist
1017 registered activities in 2023
featuring 337 artists

Calendar
Number of activities
12 months (2023)

Discipline
Activities by
discipline in 2023

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Frequently asked questions

Where can I find funding within the Netherlands?

In the Netherlands, there are various funding opportunities available for artists, cultural practitioners and organisations with international ambitions. You can find a first overview on our Funding page. For a more extensive overview, see our Cultural Mobility Funding Guide.

Heritage

International Heritage Cooperation is part of the Netherlands’ international cultural policy. The embassies of the Netherlands in the partner countries have a budget for supporting local cultural heritage projects. DutchCulture manages a Matching Fund. Dutch legal entities (companies and registered freelancers) are able to apply for partial funding for an international heritage cooperation project.

DutchCulture supports sustainable Dutch-European heritage cooperation by supporting and facilitating (international) expert meetings and exchanges while underlining the European context of heritage. The Europe + Heritage programme offers advice, a travel grant scheme and a support grant scheme for European heritage cooperation.

Where can I find funding within United Kingdom?

The UK has an elaborate system of art subsidies, but in order to be eligible for these financing opportunities it is in most cases necessary to have a UK based partner. Only people or institutions registered in the UK can apply for funding, unless it is noted to be otherwise. Therefore we advise you to ask your British partner organisation to apply for funding in the UK, at the Dutch Funds or at the Embassy of the Netherlands in London.

Besides that the Embassy of the Netherlands in London has an extensive network in the local cultural sector and in-depth knowledge of its cultural institutions, organisations and theatres. The Embassy can advise on opportunities for cooperation. In addition, they can provide grants to local cultural institutions that present Dutch cultural works in the United Kingdom. They also help Dutch artists and creative entrepreneurs in increasing their visibility.

Doing your research beforehand and finding local partners is essential. You can use the DutchCulture Database by simply going to the search option in the upper left corner, and search for ´United Kingdom´ or any city you are interested in. This way you will see which Dutch artists are already active in which areas.

DutchCulture also works closely together with On the Move, where you will find an elaborate mapping of funding opportunities. This guide was updated in 2018 and lists national, local and international resources, be they public or private.

How can I promote my work in the United Kingdom?

It is a good idea to engage local professionals and publicists, that have an understanding of your art discipline, audience and region. There is a growing number of Dutch people living in the United Kingdom and many cities have a Dutch network. Using these existing networks will also help you to promote your work.

Make sure to contact the embassy to let them know about your projects. Do not forget to create a My DC account, where you can add your activities to our Cultural Database. This way you will be included in our database and become part of our network.

What rules and regulations do I have to consider (visa, social security, taxation)?

Visa

For any information on visa, please consult the website of the UK government. 

Social Security

The website of the Dutch Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB) offers a lot of information on social security when working internationally, with specific information for artists. The information is available in five languages.

Taxation

As artists are highly mobile these days, there are specific rules to avoid that one would not pay taxes. Everyone needs to pay income taxes, but when you have earned your income in different countries in which country should you pay? And how can you avoid double taxation?

The Netherlands has tax treaties with a number of countries. In many cases, this means that the taxes you pay in one of the countries are deductible from the taxes you owe in another country, or that you are exempt from paying certain taxes. Here you can find an overview of the countries with which the Netherlands has a treaty.

The rules and regulations for working in the UK have changed with Brexit. For tips and tricks, please find the podcast we made on this topic.

How can I find a residency, venue at which to perform, exhibition space?

Through the DutchCulture Database you can figure out which artists from the Netherlands have worked at which venues, and start your research there. Go to the search icon on the upper left corner of the website, and search by discipline, country and city.

For residencies the organisation Transartists, which is also a part of DutchCulture, is a great research tool. In order to successfully build an international career, and in order to find sustainable partners in a country, it is always wise to spend more than a few days somewhere. Residencies, which can last from a couple of weeks up to several months, can help you achieve this.

How can I keep up to date with any news concerning cultural work in the United Kingdom?

For news from the British cultural sector, see Arts Council England. For more specifics on Dutch-British cultural cooperation, see the social media accounts of the Dutch Embassy in the United Kingdom, and subscibe to their newsletter through sending an email to lon-ppc@minbuza.nl.

How does Brexit influence cultural cooperations?

The UK left the European Union on 1 January 2021. How does that influence cultural cooperations?

And what happens next? There are several scenarios possible and the impact on cultural cooperations differs in the respective options.

Below we collected some useful links for you:

• A very clear Brexit Q&A can be found on the website of the Dutch government. In Dutch here, in English here)

• Information for companies is available via the Brexitloket (in Dutch).

• Fill in the Brexit Impact Scan to check the regulations for your specific situation (in Dutch)

• Check the Brexit update of Creative Europe. Creative Europe Desk NL is part of DutchCulture, and you are welcome to contact the desk for further information on the CE programs.

• Read the latest news about the negotiations on the future partnership between the European Union and the United Kingdom.

• You find here several factsheets about the consequences of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union. Reading about travel and customs regulations might especially be of your interest.