Membership FAQ

ICOM membership is open to museum professionals, including employees, freelancers and consultants. There are also membership options for students, retired professionals, volunteers, trustees and Friends of museums.
Museums and other eligible organisations can join through Institutional Membership.
Not sure if you’re eligible? Contact us at membership@icomuk.org

There are several membership categories for individuals and organisations, including Regular, Student, Retired, Supporting and Institutional membership. The right category depends on your role and circumstances. 

Yes. Freelancers and consultants can join as Regular members if their main professional activity is providing services, knowledge or expertise to museums. 

Retired membership is for people who have retired from professional museum work and are no longer working or intending to work in a paid museum role.  

Yes. Eligible museums (as per the ICOM definition) can join through Institutional Membership. The level you select will determine the number of membership cards your organisation receives. 

You can apply for the level that suits your organisation.  

This guide provides recommended levels based on your organisation’s annual operating budget.  

Institutional 1 £323.00 per year 3 x cards: < £30,000 operating budget 

Institutional 2 £431.00 per year 4 x cards £30,000 – £100,000 operating budget 

Institutional 3 £647.00 per year 5 x cards: £100,000 – £1,000,000 operating budget 

Institutional 4 £755.00 per year 6 x cards: £1 – £5 million operating budget 

Institutional 5 £863.00 per year 7 x cards: £5 – £10 million operating budget 

Institutional 6 £1,079.00 per year 8 x cards: > £10 million operating budget 

Membership fees vary depending on your membership category. You can find the current fees for all membership categories. In 2027 the fees are: 

• Regular Individual membership £93  

• Student membership £49 

• Retired membership £49 

ICOM membership runs from 1 January to 31 December each year. This is a global calendar across all countries. We are unable to pro rata membership fees for part of a year.  

Membership through the UK opens in the autumn prior to the forthcoming membership year. In 2027: 

• 2027 renewals will open on 1^st October 2026 

• New applications for 2027 will open on 2^nd November 2026.  

Applications are made online through the ICOM UK membership portal. Choose the membership category that applies to you, complete the application and make your payment. 

This depends on your membership category. You may need to provide information about your role, employment or organisation to confirm your eligibility. Students will need to submit confirmation of their course place and a valid student card for the current academic year. 

We aim to process applications as quickly as possible. Processing times can vary, particularly during busy periods, particularly from October to January. New applications usually take around eight weeks to process. Your application will go through eligibility checks here in the UK before being sent to Paris for final checks and processing. Your new card will then be sent back to the UK to be validated for the current year and dispatched to you. We offer several postage options including tracked and international shipping. We will contact you if we need any further information. 

You can apply to rejoin online when membership applications open in the autumn. If you are unsure which category applies to you now, please contact us before applying. If your previous membership was held prior to 2022 or in another country, you will need to create a membership account via our membership portal. Please share your old membership number with us so we can link your account. Contact us if you do not know your previous membership number.   

You can renew your membership online through the ICOM UK membership portal. Log in, check your details and payment information, and complete your renewal. 

If you have opted for automatic renewal, your membership will renew automatically using your saved payment details. You can check or update your renewal settings through the membership system. You can toggle the auto-renew option on or off at any time during the membership year but it will not take effect until the next renewal period at the beginning of October.  

Yes, the membership application window is open from the autumn of the previous year until the end of April in the membership year. Membership applications and renewals for 2027 will therefore close on 30^th April 2027.  

Your membership will lapse if you do not renew by the deadline of the end of April. You can reapply when applications reopen, but your membership will not be continuous. 

Yes. If your circumstances have changed, you can request a change to your membership category. For 2027, you will be able to make this change yourself in the membership portal. Please contact us if you are unsure which category applies to you. 

You cannot continue as a Student member once your studies have ended. If you still meet the criteria for another membership category, you can change category when you renew. 

ICOM membership is managed by national committees. Your membership will be hosted by the country in which you reside for the majority of the year. If you move to another country, please contact the relevant ICOM National Committee about transferring or applying for membership there. We can help with an introductory email and your membership number if needed.  

You can update your details through the ICOM UK membership portal. Please make sure your contact details are kept up to date so that you receive important membership information. 

You will also have a logon to the ICOM global portal in Paris (known as IRIS). Please note that these two system are not linked.   

Please email membership@icomuk.org if you have trouble logging on to the online systems. 

If you have current membership, there will be two separate online systems you can use.  

The ICOM UK membership portal is where you can  

• make changes to your membership details like updating your address 

• manage your subscription, opting in or out of auto-renew 

• update your membership payment method 

The ICOM global portal (IRIS) is run by our colleagues in Paris and is not connected to the UK system. Here you can 

• view and update your personal information 

• manage your International Committees 

If your membership has auto-renewed at the beginning of October, your membership sticker will be dispatched to the address you have specified in the membership portal in time for the beginning of the membership year on 1^st January. 

Please email us if you have not received it or if you have moved.  

Membership cards are issued by ICOM in Paris and sent to the membership team in the UK before being dispatched to you by post. Please allow up to eight weeks for your card to arrive. You will receive an email when the card is produced in Paris which will indicate that the card is about to be posted to the UK.  

If your card has not arrived, or has been lost or damaged, you can request a replacement through the ICOM UK website. If the card did not arrive, we will send a replacement free of charge. Replacement cards after initial issue cost £10 and may take up to six weeks to arrive.  

ICOM membership gives you access to professional networks, international committees, publications, learning resources, events and discounts. Members also have access to ICOM UK bursaries and, at participating museums, free or discounted admission using their ICOM card. See our page here for more benefits.

Many museums and galleries around the world offer free or discounted admission to ICOM members. In the UK, acceptance varies by institution, so we recommend checking with the museum before you visit, particularly for special exhibitions. See our page here for selected information about where you can use your card in the UK.   

ICOM members can join up to four International Committees. You can choose your committees through your ICOM member account. One committee can be selected with voting rights, with up to three additional committees for information and networking. 

Yes, individual ICOM UK members can apply for ICOM UK bursaries, subject to the scheme’s eligibility criteria and available funding. There are different bursaries for different types of professional development and costs. All information is on our UK Bursary page here.  

Contact us at membership@icomuk.org