UK National Museums To Remain Free For Local, Foreign Visitors

National museums in England will continue to offer free admission to both local and foreign visitors after the UK Government ruled out plans to introduce charges for international tourists.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport confirmed the decision on Tuesday, ending months of discussions over whether overseas visitors should pay entrance fees to help address financial pressures facing museums.

The government said it had considered the potential effects of introducing charges and concluded that doing so could discourage domestic visitors. It also said the benefits and impact of such a policy would not be distributed equally across the museum sector.

Free admission to England’s national museums was introduced in 2001 and has remained a key feature of the country’s cultural policy.

The government said national museums attract millions of visitors from Britain and abroad and contribute more than £1 billion annually to the economy.

Seven of the 10 most visited museums in the UK are national museums. In 2025, the Natural History Museum attracted about 7.1 million visitors, while the British Museum recorded 6.4 million visitors.

The decision follows an independent review of Arts Council England conducted by former Labour minister Baroness Margaret Hodge and published in December 2025. The review had recommended exploring charges for overseas visitors as one way of generating additional income for museums.

Earlier this year, the government said it would work with museums, tourism organisations and local leaders to examine whether such a charging model could provide financial benefits.

Following the assessment, however, ministers decided to retain universal free admission.

The government is instead supporting the museum sector through increased public investment. It said the £1.5 billion Arts Everywhere Fund includes £760 million for museums, while another £600 million is being provided for infrastructure and critical maintenance at national museums and other cultural organisations.

A further £160 million is being invested in local and regional museums, while the Museum Estates and Development Fund is aimed at tackling maintenance backlogs.

The government also plans to work with Arts Council England and the wider museum sector to develop a long-term strategy for the future of museums.

The policy means overseas visitors will continue to access permanent collections at England’s national museums without paying an admission fee, although museums may still charge for temporary exhibitions and special events.