Video Explainers on MIC and Border Crossings Released

We’ve now released a recording of the webinars and Q&A session we put on, explaining the latest guidance on MIC, and how to travel with musical instruments containing CITES-listed controlled endangered species.

Published: 06 July 2021 | 11:55 AM

Photograph of an airplane flying up and through a darkening sky, with sun beams escaping through the clouds — MIC’s enable unlimited travel with your musical instrument containing CITES listed controlled endangered species. Photo credit: Shutterstock

In March 2021, the Animal Plant Health Authority (APHA) and UK Border Force joined forces with the MU and held a series of webinars. You can now rewatch the webinars and read through questions and answers from webinar participants.

The MIC’s purpose, use and how to make an application

The first webinar covers Musical Instrument Certificates (MIC). MIC’s enable unlimited travel with your musical instrument containing CITES listed controlled endangered species, across country customs borders without the need to apply each time for separate import & export certificates. They are valid for 3 years. CITES stands for Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

This presentation was produced with APHA and Border Force and introduces the new guidance.

The practical considerations of travel and designated ports of entry

In this presentation you can find practical advice from UK Border Force on how to travel with your musical instrument containing CITES-listed controlled endangered species, and on how to present your MIC to customs at country borders including the mandatory designated ports of entry that must be used to enter or leave the UK.

Visit our dedicated page to view both webinars, and read through questions and answers from webinar participants.

See all news

Get MU membership today

From gig players to part-time teachers and professional instrumentalists, MU members can access specialist insurance for musicians. This includes Public Liability, Instrument and Equipment Insurance, Accident Insurance, Tax Investigation Insurance, and Professional Indemnity Insurance for music teachers.

Explore our member services

Get public liability insurance for musicians
Access expert legal support
Be represented in your profession
Access expert career advice, resources, and training events
Connect, network, and get to know the community of musicians

Learn about all membership benefits

Continue reading

Close up of a Border Security Officer at a computer.

Updated Information and Advice for Musicians Working in the US

Tamizdat, a non-profit organisation that facilitates international cultural exchange, has provided updated advice for those entering the US, further to recent press commentary regarding increased scrutiny at ports of entry.

Published: 27 March 2025

The four MU delegates at TUC Women's conference, stood together smiling.

Two MU Motions on AI and Parenting Passed at TUC Women’s Conference 2025

Four MU delegates attended this year’s TUC Women’s Conference, where Union motions on the responsible use of AI, and better pay in relation to pregnancy and parenting were both passed.

Published: 27 March 2025

Ankna singing into a microphone on stage.

Ankna Arockiam for Women’s History Month: “Women’s Voices are Crucial in Shaping the Future of our Industry”

In our fourth and final blog for Women's History Month 2025, vocalist Ankna Arockiam explores the challenges women in the music industry face, her work around higher education and activism, and how joining the MU opens up opportunities for a more inclusive industry.

Published: 26 March 2025

Group of diverse women sat talking around a table, making notes with paper and laptops, smiling as they network and share ideas.

Keychange Announces 2025 Cohort for Talent Leadership Programme

Keychange, a movement dedicated to addressing underrepresentation in music, has announced the new participants in its 2025 Talent Leadership Programme. The cohort, which includes the MU’s own ED&I Officer Diljeet Bhachu, will collaborate to drive transformative change within the industry.

Published: 25 March 2025

Three wooden jointed figures in various moves representing posture.

Feldenkrais for Musicians: “You Will Learn the Difference Between Your Sacrum and Your Scapula!”

The Feldenkrais Method, which is grounded in science, can enhance movement efficiency in performance. In this blog, string player and MU member Jonathan Evans-Jones shares his experience of Feldenkrais sessions, run by Emma Alter for the MU, and explains why he’s attended them for five years now.