Britain refuses to introduce museum fees for foreign tourists

The UK government has abandoned the idea of introducing a separate fee for foreign tourists visiting national museums. Free admission will remain for all visitors regardless of citizenship, the UK Department for Culture reported on September 29.

This concerns the national museums of England, including the British Museum, the National Gallery, the Natural History Museum, Tate, and other major institutions. Free access primarily applies to the permanent collections — museums may still charge for special temporary exhibitions.

The government began considering the introduction of a fee for overseas visitors after the publication of the Arts Council England funding review. The authorities viewed this option as one way to increase museum revenue without abolishing free admission for UK residents.

However, after consultations with the museum and tourism sectors, the government decided to abandon this scheme. The Department for Culture concluded that dividing visitors could have a negative impact on attendance, and the economic effect of the fee would be unevenly distributed among museums.

Free admission to state-run national museums has been in place in England since 2001. The authorities see this system not only as a cultural measure but also as an economic one: national museums contribute more than £1 billion annually to the British economy and remain among the country's most visited tourist attractions.

In 2025, the Natural History Museum received about 7.1 million visitors, and the British Museum about 6.4 million. Seven of the ten most visited museums in the UK are national museums.

Instead of introducing a separate fee for tourists, the authorities intend to continue funding museum infrastructure from the budget. Under the Arts Everywhere Fund, £760 million is earmarked for museum support, and another £600 million is being directed towards the repair and modernization of national museums and other cultural institutions. Regional and local museums are set to receive an additional £160 million.

Thus, foreign tourists visiting England will still be able to enjoy free access to the permanent exhibitions of major state museums. This decision specifically concerns national institutions and does not mean the abolition of charges in private or local museums or for special exhibitions.

Based on materials from: UK government, Sky News