By purchasing or renewing a Membership with National Museums Scotland you are agreeing to the following terms and conditions:

Your Membership

  • We aim to process all Membership packs within 10 working days once an application has been received. 
  • Membership cards are issued for the named card holder only. You may not transfer your Membership to another person or allow another person to use your card. You can share your Membership with a friend or family member by upgrading to a Joint or Guest Membership. If you would like to upgrade your Membership please contact the Membership Team on 0131 247 4294 or membership@nms.ac.uk.
  • Members of National Museums Scotland must be aged 16+. This does not mean children cannot benefit from a Family membership but anyone under 16 may not be a primary Membership holder. 
  • Changes to a Membership bought by cash or card can only be requested by the named card holder(s). Changes to a Direct Debit Membership can only be requested by the primary Member, who is the named person on the bank account from which the Direct Debit is taken.  
  • Entrance tickets to the National Museum of Flight, the Museum of Rural Life, or paid exhibitions at the National Museum of Scotland can be redeemed against the cost of a Membership. Please note that you may only redeem a ticket which you have purchased yourself. Redemptions are limited to two adult tickets and three children for a Family Membership (or one adult and four children), two Adult tickets for a Joint and Guest, or one ticket for an Individual, Student or Disabled Membership.
  • If you lose your Membership card we will replace it free of charge on the first occasion. However, we may charge a small administrative fee if we are asked to provide another replacement card subsequently. 
  • Payment by annual Direct Debit is the simplest and most convenient way to pay for your National Museums Scotland Membership. If you choose to change your payment method to Direct Debit, you will be eligible for our lowest annual rates. Your Direct Debit Membership will renew automatically each year until you choose to cancel. A renewal letter or email will be sent out giving a minimum of 10 working days for you to notify us of any change or cancellation before the next payment is due to be collected. You can cancel your Direct Debit at any time by contacting your bank. If you do cancel, please notify the Membership Office on 0131 247 4294 or membership@nms.ac.uk.
  • Subject to any statutory right to cancel your Membership Fee is non-refundable once payment has been received by National Museums Scotland.  
  • If you have already redeemed free tickets to our exhibitions or museums with an entry fee using your membership you may still cancel but we reserve the right to charge the standard cost of the tickets used.
  • We do not offer monthly Direct Debits.  
  • We reserve the right to amend the price of Membership subscriptions. You will be informed of any change to subscription rates with your renewal letter. 
  • We reserve the right to refuse admission and/or cancel Memberships without refund if anyone behaves in a threatening or abusive way to any person at any of our museums, in person or online, or damages or threatens to damage any of the collections or property of National Museums Scotland.  

Member Benefits

  • You can use your temporary Membership card or confirmation email to gain free access to our sites and exhibitions, and other Membership benefits, prior to receiving your Membership pack. 
  • For all Membership types, including Joint Membership, only one email address can be used to book tickets.  
  • If you purchase a Joint Membership and live in two different households, all tickets must be booked using the email address provided when the Membership was purchased. All Member correspondence will be sent to the lead Member using the contact email and postal details provided at purchase.  
  • Members must show a valid Membership card to obtain free entry to the National Museum of Flight, National Museum of Rural Life, special exhibitions, Member Preview Days, and to receive other onsite Membership benefits such as any discounts in the shop and café.  
  • National Museums Scotland reserves the right to change the Membership benefits at any time and without prior notice. 
  • We aim to ensure that you are able to visit our exhibitions upon your arrival and without delay. However, on days of particularly high exhibition visitor numbers we may need to give you a ticket for timed entry at a particular time during the day or, if the exhibition is ‘sold out’ that day, a timed ticket for another day. We encourage Members to book tickets in advance to avoid disappointment. See the Membership FAQs for more information on how to book Member tickets.  
  • Membership does not guarantee access to all of our sites on days we run major events with limited tickets.

Gift Memberships

  • You can purchase a gift of Membership by card or cash only.
  • You will receive an email for yourself as purchaser and an email to forward to the recipient, within one hour of completing your order. Gift Membership emails are only sent to the purchaser so that you can forward the email to the recipient at a time of your choosing.
  • Gift Memberships start when the recipient activates their Membership online. A welcome pack will then be sent to them within 10 working days and they will be able to access their Member benefits online immediately.  

Member Events

  • As a Member you will have access to a programme of events organised by us on your behalf. Attending some events may require a payment by you in addition to the annual Membership fee. 
  • Some ticketed events have a limited capacity (which will vary according to format) and therefore admission numbers may be limited and cannot be guaranteed. 
  • We reserve the right to cancel or rearrange an organised event. As a Member, a current events programme will be made available to you via the Membership page on the website.  
  • Members' tickets for paid events are non-refundable. 
  • We do not accept liability for any irrecoverable costs incurred (e.g. travel) by Members if we have to close or cancel an event due to unforeseen circumstances. 

Additional information

National Museums Scotland reserves the right to change these terms and conditions at any time. 

More information about Membership can be found on our FAQ page.

Please refer to our privacy notice for details on how we handle your data.