Visitor guidelines and conditions of entry

These visitor guidelines are provided for the safety, wellbeing and security of our employees, volunteers, visitors, collection and premises. Additional information can be found at britishmuseum.org

There is no public right of entry into or through the British Museum and it is a condition of entry that you abide by these guidelines.

1. Admission

1. Admission to the Museum and access to the permanent collection and displays is free, but we charge for entry to special exhibitions and some events.
2. For general Museum entry, visitors can book free tickets on our website or via our box office (via phone or email) in advance of your visit. We will endeavour to permit entry as close to your chosen timeslot as possible.
3. Gallery availability can vary as it may be necessary, in the interests of safety or security, for the Museum to alter or close specific areas or galleries at any time, and without prior notice. This may also require a change to our entrance and exit routes.
4. We reserve the right to close all or part of the Museum without prior notice, without refund, liability or compensation. For example, in the interests of safety or security. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

2. Opening hours

1. Galleries are open daily from 10.00–17.00 (Great Court closes 17.30) and until 20.30 on Fridays. Please follow instructions to leave by Museum employees; this may begin up to 10 minutes before closing.
2. The Museum is closed from 24–26 December. Any other closures will be published in advance on britishmuseum.org

3. Bag searches and other searches

1. As a condition of entry, our security officers will conduct bag and people searches using search technology upon your arrival. You may also be subject to a further search on entering or leaving a special exhibition. Security search measures may also extend to a body search using search wands. Any person unwilling to be searched may be refused access to the Museum and asked to leave.
2. A list of items that are not permitted in the Museum is displayed in the search areas at the entrances to the Museum. If, during a security search, security officers find any of these items (or any similar item that may be a risk to the collection, building, employees, volunteers or other visitors) they will remove it and return it to you when you leave the Museum. If our security officers find an illegal item in your bag they will confiscate it and may hand it to the police or destroy it. Please be aware of guideline 6.1 below.
3. Any items that could be affiliated with protests may be removed and held by our security team. This includes but is not limited to banners, flags, posters, placards, signs, stickers, leaflets, flyers, glue, paint, and solvents. Items may be confiscated even if they are for protests not linked to the Museum. These items will be returned to you when you leave the Museum.
4. For your safety, uniformed and non-uniformed police officers patrol Museum buildings and surrounding areas.

4. The Museum as Licensed Premises

1. The British Museum has a premises licence for regulated activities under the Licensing Act 2003, pursuant to which we must:
   1. refuse any person entry (or ask any person to leave), if our team believe that person to be intoxicated or behaving antisocially;
   2. apply age restrictions and/or require proof of age identification for entry to some events or the supply of some services;
   3. limit the number of people permitted into Museum premises at any time;
   4. refuse to serve alcohol or to supply other services to any person who is intoxicated or behaving antisocially.
2. At the end of evening events, you are asked to leave the premises quietly and with due consideration for our residential neighbours.

5. Consideration for other visitors

1. The Museum can become very crowded at times so please follow directional signage. You are asked to be patient and considerate to other visitors and to our employees and volunteers.
2. Please turn your phone to silent and do not use it to make or receive calls in special exhibitions, free displays or galleries.
3. You are welcome to draw and sketch in the galleries but you should consult our team at the Information Desk about the rules for the use of art media, stools and easels within the Museum.

6. Our team

1. Museum employees and volunteers are identifiable by their British Museum passes and are here to help. They are authorised by the Museum to require you to comply with the visitor guidelines and any other directions given by them for safety and security reasons. Failure to comply with these guidelines may result in you (and your group if you are with one) being asked to leave the Museum.
2. Please note that we operate a zero-tolerance policy toward violence, abuse, sexual misconduct, or any form of harassment directed at visitors, employees or volunteers. Failure to follow the lawful instructions of our security team with regard to any form of abuse may constitute a criminal offence. We reserve the right to ask you to leave the premises at any time; refusal to do so may result in police involvement.
3. The removal of any visitor from the premises may result in the issuance of a letter barring them from the premises in the future. We reserve the right to report any visitor deemed to be exhibiting antisocial or disruptive behaviour to the police for further investigation.

7. Tour groups and guides

1. Tour groups (any group of 10 or more persons visiting the Museum together) must book in advance using the group booking section of the Museum website. Tour group entry is via our Montague Place entrance only and will not be permitted at the Great Russell Street entrance.
2. No person other than our authorised employees and volunteers may sell services as tour guides, leaders or speakers anywhere within the Museum.
3. General Museum entry tickets cannot be re-sold, transferred or used for commercial purposes. We reserve the right to cancel entry tickets if we have reasonable grounds to believe that they are being re-sold, transferred or used for commercial purposes.
4. Loudspeakers, voice amplifiers or microphones must not be used by tour guides or leaders when conducting or leading tour groups. Guides and leaders of tour groups should also take particular note of guidelines 9.2.i and 9.2.j below.
5. Tour groups and guides are not permitted in Rooms 33, 33a, 33b, 61, 62, 63 or 91a or any exhibitions due to space restrictions.
6. Tour groups and guides should remain considerate of other visitors by avoiding obstructing walkways and minimising disruption within the galleries. Any tour guide or group that fails to follow these guidelines may be asked to leave the Museum.

8. Accessible parking

1. Unfortunately we are unable to offer on-site parking. However, vehicles can drop-off passengers directly outside the Museum. Details of parking facilities located close to the Museum can be found on our website.

9. Health and safety and the protection of the collection

1. The Museum is a non-smoking site. You must not smoke, use vaping products or electronic cigarettes anywhere in the Museum building, forecourt, colonnade or other external area.
2. You also must not:
   1. run within the Museum, particularly in the galleries or on staircases;
   2. sit on any stairs or on the colonnade steps;
   3. block or obstruct entrance doors in any way;
   4. leave any children in your care unattended, or allow them to behave antisocially;
   5. climb on any part of the collection, or the fabric of the building including walls, monuments, barriers and columns;
   6. disregard any safety signs or barriers put in place for public protection;
   7. cross barriers, cordons or protective spaces in front of objects on open display;
   8. disregard fire alarms or any directions for the evacuation of the Museum;
   9. use any laser pointer or laser pen (a small handheld device with a power source and a laser diode emitting a very narrow coherent low-powered laser beam) for any purpose within the Museum;
   10. point or gesture towards people or objects within the collection using sticks, umbrellas, poles, flags or any other object.
3. You must not touch any collection object on open display, including sculpture or stonework, except as part of our organised events, which include Touch tours and object handling desks.

10. Fire alarms

1. Fire action notices in the galleries explain how you should raise the alarm in the event of a fire or suspected fire.
2. You must comply with all instructions given by our employees and volunteers during an evacuation. An intermittent alarm may sound if a fire has been reported in another part of the building. An alarm will sound constantly if you are required to evacuate the building.
3. In the event of an evacuation, the cloakroom will be closed immediately and you must follow our evacuation instructions. Employees will help to retrieve your items from the cloakroom as soon as possible after the Museum reopens.

11. Access to non-public areas

1. If you are found by employees, volunteers or other authorised persons in a non-public or closed area without authority you will be required to explain your presence and provide proof of identification. You may also be escorted from the Museum premises or reported to the police. Please be aware of guideline 6.1 above.

12. Cloakrooms and luggage

1. You must not bring into the Museum any item of luggage/ wheeled cases (other than fold-up pushchairs, or mobility aids if you have a disability), which has a size greater than 40x40x50cm or a weight greater than 8kg.
2. The cloakroom is a paid service and, at busier times, may need to temporarily suspend accepting items due to space constraints.
3. Access to special exhibitions may be subject to additional restrictions on bags and luggage.

13. Unattended and lost property

1. You must not leave any of your property unattended at any time in the Museum, including external areas. Unattended items may be removed or destroyed by security services without warning. We hold no liability if we remove or destroy any property that you have left unattended.
2. Any lost property handed in will be kept by our team for up to seven days, with perishable items disposed of at the end of each day. Unclaimed items beyond these periods will be disposed of.
3. Unattended/lost credit/debit cards will be destroyed immediately. A record of this destruction will be available upon request.

14. Film, photography, 3D imaging and audio recording

1. Except where indicated by notices, you are permitted to use handheld cameras (including phones) with flash and audio and film recording equipment not requiring a stand. Additional restrictions may apply to photography, scanning, filming and audio recording in certain Museum areas, such as Study Rooms. We do not permit the use of 3D imaging software without specific permission.
2. You may use your photographs, film and audio recordings only for your own private and non-commercial purposes, which include use in personal, non-commercial social media profiles, blogs and websites, provided no further commercial reuse of the content is permitted by the terms of use of the social media platform or website. Additional restrictions apply to photographs, scans, film and audio recordings in certain Museum areas, such as Study Rooms. More information about uses we regard as commercial can be found on the Filming at the Museum page of our website.
3. You must make arrangements with the Museum's Commercial Filming Team if:
   1. you need to use a stand or special lighting or other equipment for filming, photography or audio recording in the Museum or its premises;
   2. you wish to take any commercial or professional film footage or photographs.
4. You must respect the privacy of other visitors while taking photographs, filming or making audio recordings in the Museum. If a visitor complains that your photography, filming or recording is intrusive you may be asked to stop or leave the Museum. Please be aware of guideline 6.1 above.
5. The use of 'selfie sticks' (or similar devices) is not permitted within the Museum.

15. Bicycles and scooters

1. Mobility scooters are welcome in the Museum.
2. You are not permitted to cycle or ride a scooter within the Museum or any of our external areas.
3. You may leave your bicycle in the racks provided on the forecourt at your own risk. You are not permitted to bring folding bicycles or adult scooters inside the Museum, nor are they accepted in the cloakrooms.

16. Food and drink

1. You are not allowed to consume food and drink inside the Museum, except in designated places such as the restaurant and cafés or Great Court. You may, however, consume food and drink outside on the colonnade and forecourt. Please dispose of your waste responsibly using the bins provided.
2. Families with children may use the Ford Centre for Young Visitors on the Lower floor of the Museum's Great Court at weekends and during school holidays for consuming food.

17. Animals

1. Assistance animals and guide dogs are welcome at the Museum and its premises. Non-assistance animals are not permitted.
2. If you have any questions around assistance animals please contact our box office team in advance of your visit. Any animal that poses a risk to our employees, volunteers, visitors, collection, or the building is not permitted.
3. Where possible dog owners should bring the dog's Assistance Dogs (UK) identification book (or the appropriate international equivalent) with them and animals should wear the appropriate tabard or harness, but these are not requirements for entry.

18. Demonstrations

1. If you are proposing to demonstrate inside or outside at the Museum, we kindly ask you to notify our Press Office at least 48 hours in advance. The Museum may set conditions on such events in the interest of safety, security and other visitors' enjoyment of their visit. If you demonstrate at the Museum, please be aware of guideline 6.1 above.

19. Closed circuit television

1. Please be aware that we operate a secure, closed-circuit television system throughout the Museum in the public interest for the protection and safety of our visitors, employees, volunteers, collection and property. Please see the CCTV Policy on our website for further details.

20. Comments and feedback

1. We welcome enquiries, opinions and comments from visitors and members of the public. You can:
   1. email [email protected]
   2. write to:
      The British Museum
      Great Russell Street
      London WC1B 3DG

21.  Amendments

1. We reserve the right to amend these guidelines without prior notice. We recommend that you check our website for our latest visitor information before visiting.

By order of the Director
2026