The Museum Pass, also known as the Museumkaart in Dutch, is a personal card that grants free entry to approximately 500 museums in the Netherlands for one year. It is available for purchase at many of the larger participating museums or online, with a temporary card issued when purchased from the museum. While most museums offer free entry to Museum Card holders, some museums may charge an additional fee for special exhibitions, but not for general collections.
In 2025, over 1.540.188 people held Museum Cards.
Museum Card Requirements Buying the card online is only possible for Dutch residents with a Dutch IBAN and a registered Dutch address. Tourists or visitors from other countries who want to purchase the Museum Card can do so at participating museums, where a temporary card is issued, valid for 31 days or 5 visits.
Mission The Museum Pass is issued by the Dutch Museum Association and aims to promote repeat visits and strengthen the bond between museums and their visitors. The Museum Card Foundation (SMK) operates the cad, organizes the annual Museum Weekend event, and supports the marketing of affiliated museums. The income generated from the card sales benefits the participating museums. Affiliated museums are recognized in the Dutch Museum Register and are members of the Dutch Museum Association.
Participating museums
The Museum Card is available at many of the participating museums, check museum.nl. When bought at a museum you receive a temporary Museum Pass for 3 visits within a month, in that period you must register the pass online for a regular Museum Pass, valid for a whole year. Since 2025 there is a digital Museum Pass available for EU citizens. After activating this digital pass in the Museumkaart app you can visit all the participating museums.
Usage YearCardholdersPriceVisitantsMuseumsVisits Per CardReimbursement to Museums1980NRC Handelsblad, 25 april 1990145.0001989280.000ƒ 302.000.000ƒ 6.000.0001990ƒ 401992NRC Handelsblad, 16 maart 1994120.000ƒ 401993154.000ƒ 401994ƒ 404081997NRC Handelsblad, 28 maart 19983.000.000ƒ 19.000.0001998ƒ 552008Jaarverslag Nederlandse Museumvereniging 2008598.4863.000.0004405,4€ 14.000.0002009Jaarverslag Nederlandse Museumvereniging 2009674.4463.500.000440€ 16.000.0002010Jaarverslag Nederlandse Museumvereniging 2010754.390€ 403.700.0003722011Jaarverslag Nederlandse Museumvereniging 2011800.0004.300.0005,52012Jaarverslag Nederlandse Museumvereniging 2012900.000€ 455.100.0005,82013Meevaller musea door jaarkaart1.000.000€ 49,956.400.0006,4€ 37.591.0002017Aantal museumkaarthouders in 2017 gestegen1.350.000€ 59,508.700.0004516,6€62 Million (total)20251.540.188€ 75,009.729.5495006,4680 Million
See also International Council of Museums (ICOM) List of museums in the Netherlands Official Museums of Amsterdam
References
External links Museumkaart