Article 61 of the Saudi Antiquities Law

المادة 61 من نظام الآثار والمتاحف والتراث العمراني

A fee may be set for entry to museums and to any other sites where temporary exhibitions are held, and the regulations set the controls for this.

Official text (Arabic)

This article has not been amended since the law was issued.

يجوز تحديد مقابل مالي للدخول إلى المتاحف وإلى أي مواقع أخرى تقام فيها عروض مؤقتة، وتحدد اللوائح ضوابط ذلك.

This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers

Article 61 explained in plain English

This article permits charging an entry fee at museums and temporary exhibitions.

The rule: a fee for entry may be set.
Places covered:
- Museums.
- Any other sites where temporary exhibitions are held.
The controls: set by the regulations.

The text does not state the amount of the fee or who sets it, and does not distinguish between public and private museums, but leaves the controls to the regulations. It is therefore wrong to say that a museum owner is entirely free to set fees without controls, or that fees are prohibited; the baseline is that they are permitted as the regulations determine.

Note that the rule covers sites where temporary exhibitions are held, such as exhibitions organized for a limited period, and not only permanent museums. The text uses the permissive form ("may"), so setting a fee is not an obligation; entry may be free or paid depending on the controls. The article also does not distinguish between visitors and does not mention exemptions for particular groups such as students; the text does not deal with these matters.

Anyone who runs a museum and wants to set an entry fee should refer to the controls set by the regulations.

Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.

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