UK national museums to remain free for local, foreign visitors

The United Kingdom government has announced that national museums in England will continue to offer free admission to both local and foreign visitors, rejecting proposals to implement charges for international tourists. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport stated this decision was based on an earlier commitment to collaborate with the museum and tourism sectors and local leaders to evaluate the potential impact of charging overseas visitors.

The government concluded that imposing such charges could discourage domestic visitors and that the benefits and drawbacks of a policy like this would not be equitable across the museum sector. The statement was made public on the Home Office website on Tuesday.

Free admission to national museums has been in place since 2001, and the government emphasized that these museums attract millions of visitors and contribute more than £1bn to the UK economy annually. Seven out of the ten most visited museums in the UK are national museums. In 2025, the Natural History Museum welcomed 7.1 million visitors, while the British Museum received 6.4 million.

The decision follows a review of Arts Council England conducted by Baroness Margaret Hodge, published in December 2025. The government is also investing £1.5bn through the Arts Everywhere Fund, with £760m directed towards museums. Additionally, £600m in infrastructure funding supports national museums and DCMS-sponsored cultural organizations, focusing on critical maintenance and estate work.

The Museum Estates and Development Fund aims to address maintenance backlogs, while the £13.6m Museum Transformation programme assists organizations in developing more sustainable business models. The government will collaborate with Arts Council England and the museum sector to create a long-term strategic plan for the future of museums.