The Met's Free Admissions Policy Ends For Tourists

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The Metropolitan Museum of Art's new admissions policy officially took effect on March 1, ending the era of pay-as-you-wish admissions for out-of-town museumgoers.

Visitors who are not residents of New York or students from New Jersey or Connecticut will be affected by the museum's new admissions policy. The policy establishes mandatory fees of $25 for adults, $17 for seniors and $12 for students, museum officials announced. Children younger than 12 are allowed to enter the museum for free.

Under the new admissions policy tickets will be valid for three days, so visitors can easily access the three Met locations around the city. The Met's main building is located on Fifth Avenue and East 82nd Street, but the museum also operates the Met Breuer on Madison Avenue and East 75th Street and The Cloisters in Inwood's Fort Tryon Park.

New Yorkers will still be affected by the policy, despite retaining the rights to pay as they wish. To prove New York residency, museum visitors must display proper identification such as a state driver's license or identification card, an IDNYC card, a city library card or a bill or statement with a New York address. Students from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut must provide their school ID.

The move away from pay-as-you-wish was made to secure the museum's financial health, Met officials said. The past few years at The Met have been marked by a declining finances despite record-high admission numbers and the resignation of the museum's chief executive.

The updated admissions policy was approved by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. The city was involved in the new policy because 10 percent of the museum's funding is public.

"The Met and the City are partners, and we are grateful to Mayor de Blasio and Commissioner Finkelpearl for their thoughtful review of this policy and for working with us to ensure that The Met will continue to serve all of New York and our visitors from around the nation and the world for generations to come," Daniel Weiss, president and CEO of The Met, said in a statement when the new policy was approved.

Read more: Artists react to The Met's new admissions policy (New York Times)

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