UK government confirms: Free entry to national museums will continue

UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has confirmed that Britain’s national museums will remain free and open to all. Nandy confirmed that free entry will be preserved for the 15 institutions directly sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) — institutions such as Tate, the National Portrait Gallery, National Museums Liverpool and the British Museum.

“Our museums are the places that light up the world,” Nandy said. London Mayor Lord Sadiq Khan had opposed the government’s plans to consider introducing charges for international visitors, saying that free museums and galleries were a “fundamental” part of life in London.

Following Nandy’s announcement, Alison Cole, Director of the Cultural Policy Unit, praised free entry as “one of the historic cultural policies of our time.” “It is wonderful that the Government has recognised not only its economic merits, but also its power to express our values and shape how we engage with the world,” she added.

Gabriele Finaldi, Director of the National Gallery in London, said that free entry to the national museums is one of the United Kingdom’s greatest cultural assets. “It enables millions of people to visit, enjoy and learn. Thanks to free entry, our museums are a deeply integral part of national life, and free museum entry is widely admired by our museum colleagues internationally,” he added.

Research shows that visitors to the 15 national museums in the United Kingdom have risen by 96 percent since the universal free-entry policy came into force in 2001 — from nearly 22.8 million in 1999 to just under 44.7 million in 2025/26.