England’s national museums will keep free admission for all visitors
The UK Government has ruled out charging overseas visitors at national museums in England, saying such a policy could discourage domestic tourism and affect institutions unevenly. The decision follows a review of the arts sector, while ministers say separate funding programmes will help museums address maintenance and financial pressures.
National museums in England will continue to offer free admission to visitors regardless of nationality, the UK Government has confirmed, ending consideration of charges for overseas tourists. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said it had examined whether international fees could help museums facing financial pressure. It concluded that charges could deter domestic visitors and that their effects would not be distributed equally across the museum sector.
“Everyone will continue to enjoy universal free admission to our world class national museums in England,” the Government said in a statement published on the Home Office website on Tuesday. Free admission to national museums was introduced in 2001. The Government said the institutions attract millions of visitors and contribute more than £1bn a year to the economy.
Seven of the 10 most visited museums in the UK are national museums, according to the statement. Visitor numbers cited by the Government included 7.1 million at the Natural History Museum and 6.4 million at the British Museum in 2025. The free-entry policy will continue to apply to both domestic and international visitors.
The decision follows the review of Arts Council England conducted by Baroness Margaret Hodge and published in December 2025. Earlier this year, ministers had committed to examining international charges as part of their response to the review. The Government said support would instead come through existing funding programmes.
The £1.5bn Arts Everywhere Fund includes £760m for museums, while £600m in infrastructure funding is intended to support national museums and other organisations with maintenance and estate work. A further £160m is being invested in local and regional museums. It also cited the Museum Estates and Development Fund and a £13.6m Museum Transformation programme, which is intended to help organisations develop more sustainable business models.
Ministers said they would work with Arts Council England and the museum sector on a long-term strategy, with further details to follow.
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