Dutch museums generally charge an entry fee, ranging from a few euros to a more substantial fee. If you like visiting museums it is worth considering to buy a museumkaart (museum card).
The Museumkaart (museum card) is an annual membership card that gives unlimited free entry to almost 400 museums in the Netherlands.
Considering the current entry fees to museums such as the Van Gogh Museum, the Hermitage, Maritime Museum, NEMO and the Stedelijk Museum, the card quickly pays for itself after about four visits.
The card is great for the ability to just pop into a museum for 30 minutes and visit a new exhibition, without feeling the pressure to see everything.
How to buy
The card is also known as the Museumjaarkaart or MJK and has been available since 1981. Anyone can buy a Museumkaart at participating museums. A card for an adult costs €59.90 for one year. Cards for children up to 18 years of age are €32.45.
You can also buy the card online, but online purchase and delivery is only available to residents of the Netherlands and the museumkaart.nl website is in Dutch only.
Activating
Before using the Museumkaart for admission the first time, the museum needs to activate your card. You should fill in the details required on the card itself - the holder's name (naam), gender (M/V) and date of birth (geb. datum) plus the card's expiry date (vervaldatum kaart) which is the date of activation plus one year. No ID or photograph is required to buy a Museumkaart, however the card should not officially be used by someone else.