general visitor terms and conditions

This is a translated version of the original Dutch text. In the event of any conflict or inconsistency between the English text and the Dutch text, the Dutch text will prevail. No rights can be derived from this translated version.

The 'Stichting Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum Amsterdam', hereinafter to be called ‘The National Maritime Museum’ will do everything reasonably possible to have visit to the museum complex and the exhibits and activities organised by The National Maritime Museum proceed in accordance with the visitor's wishes. The National Maritime Museum will strive for optimum diligence with regard to the visitor. The National Maritime Museum will endeavour to limit any nuisance or inconvenience for the visitor to a minimum and to safeguard the visitor's safety as much as possible. The National Maritime Museum is interested in visitor suggestions to improve its services.

1. general provisions: definitions

article 1.1
'The National Maritime Museum' refers to the organisation that manages and operates the museum complex, including, but not limited to, the management and museum officials who have the authority to act on behalf of this organisation. 'The National Maritime Museum' also refers to 'Het Scheepvaartmuseum Enterprise B.V.' and legal persons who are appointed as such by The National Maritime Museum.

article 1.2
'The museum complex' refers to the entirety of spaces (built-up and without structures), situated in Amsterdam at Kattenburgerplein 1, that falls under the legal or management authority of the management of The National Maritime Museum, included, but not limited to, exhibition and event spaces, restaurant, terrace, the VOC ship Amsterdam, the boathouse and the Royal Barge, the museum ships, jetties, bridges and other outdoor spaces, depot, and dependencies.

article 1.3
‘The Museum’ refers to the museum complex, excluding the courtyard open square, the museum shop and the public restaurant.

article 1.4
'Visitor' refers to anyone who enters the museum complex and/or visits an exhibition, or attends an activity after an invitation that is being organised by The National Maritime Museum or third parties with the permission of The National Maritime Museum in the museum complex.

article 1.5
When a visitor enters the museum complex, either as a paying visitor or as a guest, they are considered to have entered into an agreement with The National Maritime Museum to which the Visit Terms and Conditions apply. The Visit Terms and Conditions also apply to special activities inside or outside of the regular opening hours and/or aimed at other than regular visitors, such as in the case of a rented space, hospitality catering, shop visits, and so on.

article 1.6
The applicability of the Visit Terms and Conditions is without prejudice to any applicability of other (contractual) terms and conditions and/or arrangements of The National Maritime Museum. Concurrence with other specific (contractual) terms and conditions of The National Maritime Museum does not negate the Visit Terms and Conditions. In the event of conflict, the specific terms and conditions or provisions issued for a special activity will prevail over the Visit Terms and Conditions.

article 1.7
The Visit Terms and Conditions refer to the general visit terms and conditions of The National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam, as registered at the Chamber of Commerce in Amsterdam.

article 1.8
The Privacy Statement refers to the privacy statement of The National Maritime Museum as can be consulted on the website www.hetscheepvaartmuseum.nl.

2. accessibility

article 2.1
The museum complex is located in a heritage building with exhibits and activities spread out over multiple floors as well as outside the building in the open air. The National Maritime Museum endeavours to achieve as much integral accessibility as possible. For both outside and inside the building, circumstances should be taken into account that affect personal accessibility. Individual circumstances and/or the condition of the weather can have a significant impact on this.

article 2.2
The visitor is advised to familiarise themself of any limitations regarding personal accessibility. Particularly when accessing the outdoor museum, potential slippery conditions due to weather conditions must be taken into account.

article 2.3
When entering the museum complex, the visitor is advised to familiarise themself with the escape routes that are to be used in case of an emergency or threat thereof. The use of lifts is prohibited in the event of an emergency.

article 2.4
For information about the circumstances that may entail limitations for personal accessibility and the options for individual assistance, the visitor is advised to contact employees from the Guest Services department or the security department.

3. ticket sales, special offers, and prices

article 3.1
All price listings made by The National Maritime Museum in writing or other written information is binding insofar as it concerns their own information material that is present within the Museum at the time of the claim, or has been recently distributed by or on behalf of The National Maritime Museum. The National Maritime Museum is not liable for errors that are attributable to the deliberate intent, blame, or negligence of third parties.

article 3.2
When present in the Museum, every visitor must have a valid admission ticket and, if necessary, a reservation for a time slot. They only have access via the intended entrances and paths.

article 3.3
The visitor is required at all times to, if requested, show the admission ticket, any voucher, or card that entitles them to a discount on the admission price and the reservation for the time slot to officials, including (but not limited to) security personnel, who are identifiable in that capacity.

article 3.4
The visitor is not entitled to a refund of the admission price or any other compensation in the case of loss or theft of the admission ticket before they enter the museum. If a visitor does not make use of an admission ticket purchased in advance, this is at the visitor's own risk and expanse; this also applies if the admission ticket is only valid for a certain time and/or date. An admission ticket that has been obtained cannot be exchanged. Nor will the admission price be refunded. The paid admission price may be refunded in the event of circumstances outside the buyer's influence make it impossible to visit the museum. However, the latter will be at the exclusive discretion of the management, without prejudice to the provisions in 3.6.

article 3.5
The (potential) visitor may be denied entry to the Museum if it is discovered that the admission ticket, the discount card, or the voucher has not been obtained from The National Maritime Museum or an organisation authorised to issue such by The National Maritime Museum.

article 3.6
The National Maritime Museum will refund the admission price paid by the visitor plus travel expenses incurred, exclusively in the event the visitor has to leave the museum complex prematurely due to an unannounced drill in the context of company emergency response (article 23 of the Dutch Working Conditions Act), as well as in the event of an actual emergency that leads to the full or partial evacuation of the museum complex.

article 3.7
The provisions in this article do not apply to visitors who enter and are present in the museum complex as guests in the meaning of article 1.4.

4. presence in the museum complex

article 4.1
Visitors are prohibited from being present or moving to another part of the Museum than to which the admission ticket allows them access.

article 4.2
During their presence in the museum complex, the visitor must behave in accordance with public order, decency, and with the rules of common courtesy applying to the nature of the activity being visited. The visitor is also required to immediately follow the suggestions and instructions given by officials, including but not limited to security personnel, who are identifiable in that capacity. If an authorised official of The National Maritime Museum, who must be identifiable in that capacity, reasonably finds that the visitor acts in violation of these norms, suggestions, or instructions in any way, the visitor may be denied further entry to the museum complex, without the visitor having any right to reimbursement of the costs of the admission ticket and any other expenses incurred.

article 4.3
In order to be able to offer a safe and responsible visit to the museum, additional measures apply starting on 1 June 2020, intended to prevent infection with the coronavirus. In this context, The National Maritime Museum follows the Dutch guidelines by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and the protocol of the Museumvereniging and 'Veilig Samen Uit'. An overview of these additional measures has been included as an appendix and constitutes an integral part of these visit terms and conditions for the duration of the period in which the mentioned government measures apply.

article 4.4
In the museum complex, the visitor is prohibited from, among others:

a. offer goods of any kind to third parties, or to provide them freely;

b. block other visitors deliberately and for an extended time or to limit their ability to see the exhibited objects;

c. bother other visitors, including, but not limited to, by using mobile phones, portable music devices, or other sources of noise; the use of such devices can however be explicitly allowed in certain rooms by The National Maritime Museum;

d. bring pets or other animals, unless they are explicitly allowed in certain rooms or if concerns a guide dog and it accompanies a visitor with an identification card;

e. to smoke;

f. bring food and other consumables and consume them there;

g. bring substances or objects that are dangerous in the opinion of an official of The National Maritime Museum identifiable in that capacity, including, but not limited to, c, canes, umbrellas, or large bags/backpacks; at one's own risk, these can be stored into the lockers made available for that purpose by The National Maritime Museum or left in areas indicated for that purpose by the museum;

h. in private rooms to be indicated by The National Maritime Museum, use wheelchairs, mobility scooters, prams, child carriers, and pushchairs, other than those which are made available by The National Maritime Museum;

i. touch exhibited objects and exhibition materials, such as display cases, lighting, separators, and such, unless this has been expressly and explicitly allowed. Parents or minders of children must strictly ensure that the children do not touch exhibited objects. Young children must be held by the hand or transported in a pushchair; similarly, teachers and minders of groups will ensure that the group members they supervise do not touch the exhibited objects.

article 4.5
In special cases in which general safety of people or the collection reasonably requires such action, a senior official of The National Maritime Museum, who must be identifiable in that capacity, may request access to the (hand) luggage carried by the visitor. If this is deemed necessary, specially trained personnel may also ask the visitor to cooperate with a security frisking when entering or leaving the museum complex. The potential visitor is warned that this measure is in effect before entering the museum complex.

article 4.6
A video surveillance system is operational in The National Maritime Museum. The National Maritime Museum has a justifiable interest to have its security personnel monitor the museum complex using this surveillance system. This video surveillance system serves to monitor proper compliance with the Visit Terms and Conditions and House Rules and Code of Conduct of The National Maritime Museum as Event Location and to identify violations as quickly as possible. The video surveillance system protects the museum complex, the collection, visitors, and staff. Visitors agree to the possibility that they will be recorded on video. The camera footage that is obtained will only be used internally, except in the event that there is a violation of the Visit Terms and Conditions or of the House Rules and Code of Conduct of The National Maritime Museum as event location. In such cases, The National Maritime Museum has the right to make the footage available to police and investigative services, or the insurance company, for example. The footage – except in the case of calamities that justify a longer retention period – will be deleted and destroyed within no more than 4 weeks after the date of recording.

article 4.7
Other than with express prior permission from the management of The National Maritime Museum, the visitor is prohibited from making photo, video, and film recordings in the Museum, if and insofar as that involves use of lights, flash devices, and/or, tripods. The National Maritime Museum may appoint areas where, barring prior written permission, there is a full ban on taking any photos, videos, or recording films.

article 4.8
The National Maritime Museum observes strict copyrights. Publication or duplication of photo, video, and film recordings, based on (parts of) the presentation or collections, regardless of the way in which it is done or the media being used, including electronic media, is prohibited without prior written permission from the management of The National Maritime Museum.

article 4.9
The National Maritime Museum can deny access to the museum complex permanently or for a certain period to the visitor who, during one or more prior visitor to the Dutch museum complex, deliberately damaged an object or in any other way justifies the fear of damage. In any case, The National Maritime Museum can submit all its visits to the measures as described in article 4.4. of these Visit Terms and Conditions. The decision to deny access will be communicated to the visitor in question without delay and without motivation, and if possible in writing.

article 4.10
The National Maritime Museum processes the personal data of people who engage in the deliberate damaging of the museum complex or the collection, as well as of those who violate the Visitor Terms and Conditions or The House Rules and Code of Conduct of The National Maritime Museum as Event Location. The National Maritime Museum maintains a file containing the data of visitors who are present on this list in order to be able to deny them entrance.

article 4.11
During events, it is possible that photos and/or video recordings will be made of the Event, the participants, and the visitors by a photographer engaged by The National Maritime Museum, hereinafter referred to as 'the Recordings'. 'Event' refers to a celebratory and/or business activity, a reception, or presentation, in the broadest possible meaning, that takes place in the museum complex or on the museum complex's grounds. The National Maritime Museum assumes that the use of these Recordings on the website and/or its social media falls within its justified marketing interests, naturally while observing the privacy of the data subjects. Upon entry, visitors are informed of the possibility of this type of Recordings and the use thereof. Visitors who do not wish to be recorded in photos or videos are given the option to communicate this during the event.

5. complaints

article 5.1
The National Maritime Museum will do everything possible to have the visit to the museum complex or the exhibits and activities organised by The National Maritime Museum proceed in accordance with the published offer. This also includes the obligation to inform the public as much as possible about full, partial, or early closing of the museum complex and/or exhibits organised by The National Maritime Museum. Furthermore, The National Maritime Museum will inform the potential audience about disruptive maintenance work, renovation, or (re)decorating of spaces. The visitor can never derive a right for compensation for damages from this.

article 5.2
Complaints are inadmissible with regard to the following circumstances. These circumstances can never lead to any obligation to compensate damages by The National Maritime Museum to the visitor:

a. complaints that relate to objects from The National Maritime Museum's permanent collection not being visible;

b. complaints that relate to the partial closure of the museum complex, including, but not limited to, partial closure resulting from preparing or taking down exhibits;

c. complaints and circumstances that relate to nuisance or inconvenience caused by other visit including, but not limited to, noise complaints, inappropriate behaviour, theft, and assault;

d. complaints and circumstances that relate to nuisance or inconvenience caused by maintenance work, including, but not limited to, a renovation or the (re)decorating of spaces;

e. complaints and circumstances that relate to nuisance or inconvenience caused by the not properly functioning of facilities in the museum complex.

article 5.3
Complaints about any museum visits and claims for damages including requests to refund the admission price must reach The National Maritime Museum within six weeks after the visit took place. Complaints and claims which are submitted after this time period, will not be taken into consideration.

article 5.4
The National Maritime Museum will investigate the complaint and will respond to it in writing within 30 days after receiving it. If the investigation has not been concluded by that time, then the person making the complaint will be informed of this, as well as the expected time when the investigation will be completed.

article 5.5
The visitor can submit complaints, advertising, and suggestions for improvement in writing by filling out a form that can be obtained from the desk in the courtyard of the museum complex and by requesting this form via The National Maritime Museum's website (www.hetscheepvaartmuseum.nl). The personal data of the people in question will only be processed internally in accordance with the relevant purpose, namely to answer and handle the complaint, advertising, or suggestion as well as possible. This data will be retained for as long as needed to conclude the complaint, advertising, or suggestions and any questions regarding it.

6. liability of the museum

article 6.1
The presence of the visitor in the museum complex is at their own expense and risk.

article 6.2
The National Maritime Museum is only liable for property damage and/or consequential damages suffered by the visitor or injury suffered by the visitor which is directly and exclusively the consequence of deliberate intent or gross negligence on the part of The National Maritime Museum or its officials, with the understanding that only damage against which The National Maritime is insured or should reasonably have been insured will be eligible for compensation, and to the maximum amount used in the insurance policy in question. The liability of The National Maritime Museum is excluded from, among others:

a. damage resulting from the actions of third parties, including people engaged by The National Maritime Museum and tenants of (spaces in) the building and by people engaged by these third parties;

b. damage resulting from not complying with instructions given by officials of The National Maritime Museum and not complying with the general rules of courtesy;

c. damage in any way caused by other visitors.

d. damage caused to the visitor's vehicle(s).

article 6.3
The National Maritime Museum is never responsible for damages suffered by the visitor that has arisen as a result of force majeure on the part of The National Maritime Museum. Force majeure also refers to any circumstance independent of the will of The National Maritime Museum – even if it could have been foreseen as a possibility at the time of entering into the agreement – that temporarily or permanently prevents compliance with the agreement, as well as, insofar as not already included, war, acts of war, civil war, terrorism, civil unrest, riots, police and/or fire brigade activities, work strike, transport difficulties, fire, and other serious disruptions to the operation of The National Maritime Museum or in the building, weather conditions, and public transport not operating for any reason.

7. liability of visitors

article 7.1
The visitor of the museum complex is liable for all direct and indirect damage they cause, whether or not the result of not observing these visit terms and conditions and indemnifies The National Maritime Museum against relevant claims by third parties.

article 7.2
The (original) legal owner of the admission ticket is also responsible and liable for damages caused by the holder of this admission ticket.

article 7.3
Parents or minders of children are responsible and liable for the behaviour of minor children brought by them at all times. Teachers and minders of groups, without prejudice to everyone's personal responsibility and liability, are also responsible and liable for the behaviour of group members under their supervision.

article 7.4
Organisations who organise meetings, events, and/or parties in the museum complex or have them organised are always responsible and liable for the behaviour of guests invited through their actions, without prejudice to the personal responsibility and liability of these guests.

8. personal data

Insofar as personal data is processed in the context of an Agreement and the related Assignment, this is done with care and in accordance with the rules pursuant to the General Data Protection Regulation and the Dutch GDPR Implementation Act. For information about this, The National Maritime Museum refers to the Privacy Statement of The National Maritime Museum that has been included on its website www.hetscheepvaartmuseum.nl. The Privacy Statement describes the rights of data subjects with regard to the processing of personal data for which The National Maritime Museum acts as controller. The 'Privacy Statement' refers to the privacy statement of The National Maritime Museum as can be consulted on the website www.hetscheepvaartmuseum.nl.

9. lost and found

article 9.1
Items found by the visitor in the museum complex can be given to the Security department.

article 9.2
The National Maritime Museum will endeavour as much as possible to find the owner of or party entitled to the found item and will be in regular contact with local police for that purpose. Found items of which, after six months of retention by The National Maritime Museum, no request has been made by the owner or entitled party, will be handed over to the local police.

article 9.3
If the owner or entitled party of a found item comes forward, they have the choice to pick up the goods themselves, or have them sent to them at their expense. In both cases the owner or entitled party must provide valid identification.

10. applicable law

article 10.1
These Visit Terms and Conditions and the agreement between the visitor and The National Maritime Museum are subject to Dutch law.

article 10.2
All disputes that result from the agreement between the visitor and The National Maritime Museum are exclusively brought to the competent court in Amsterdam for a decision.

11. final provision

article 11
If one or more of the previously mentioned articles are not legally valid or will lose their legal validity, the other provisions will remain legally valid. In such a case, a new provision will replace the non-valid provision that matches the old non-valid provision as much as possible in terms of substance, scope, and/or purpose.

supplementary terms and conditions for visitors in connection with the corona crisis

These Supplementary Terms and Conditions for Visitors of the National Maritime Museum have been drawn up on the basis of the Protocol for the Safe and Responsible Reopening of Museums of the Museum Association, approved on 16 May 2020.

The current health and hygiene guidelines imposed by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environmental ways (RIVM) form the basis of this protocol.

When making a reservation for a visit to the museum complex, visitors are expressly informed of the applicability of these Supplementary Terms and Conditions for Visitors in addition to the regular Terms and Conditions for Visitors. Visitors are urged to comply with these Supplementary Terms and Conditions for Visitors and the guidelines contained therein. A copy of these Supplementary Terms and Conditions for Visitors can be found on the website of the National Maritime Museum and can be downloaded when making an online reservation or when purchasing a ticket. In addition, these terms and conditions can be viewed free of charge at the entrance to the National Maritime Museum.

During their stay in the museum complex, visitors must behave in accordance with the hygiene measures included in the (Supplementary) Terms and Conditions for Visitors and the measures in the event of health problems.

Hygiene measures are understood to mean:

a. Wash your hands after touching areas where others have been.

• 20 seconds with soap and water, then dry hands thoroughly with paper towel or blower.
• Then dispose of paper in a closable bin.
• Wash your hands before you go outside, when you come home, when you've blown your nose, before dinner, and after you've been to the toilet.

b. Cough and sneeze in the inside of your elbow.

c. Use paper tissues to blow your nose and then throw it away in a closable bin.

d. Wash your hands afterwards.

e. Do not shake hands.

f. Keep a distance of 1.5 meters from each other.

Measures in case of health problems are understood as:

a. Do you have symptoms of a cold, such as congestion, runny nose, sore throat, light cough or fever (up to 38 degrees Celsius)? Stay home!

b. Do you have a cold or fever (above 38 degrees Celsius) and/or are you suffering from shortness of breath? Stay home, and that includes housemates.

the following also applies to visitors

1. Do not leave home in case of health problems. Visitors are welcome if they and their housemates have not had any symptoms for at least 24 hours.
2. You may only come to the museum with more than one person if you share a household.
3. Visitors are in possession of a valid online entrance ticket in advance with a start time for a fixed day and the start time at which the booking was made; they arrive on time or no more than 15 minutes before the start time - i.e. no earlier - to avoid queues. For the time being, it is not possible to visit the museum without an online entrance ticket with starting time.
4. Avoid public transport where possible, travel as much as possible with your own transport, and go especially to museums in (the vicinity) of your place of residence.
5. Pay as much as possible with card or a contactless method (card or mobile).
6. Group tours, arrangements, or activities will not take place for the time being. Group tickets are not available.
7. Schools with plans for school trips with children under the age of 12 follow the current advice from the RIVM.
8. Taking photos or video recordings is not allowed (for the time being).
9. Keep one and a half metres away from visitors who do not belong to your own household.
10. Always follow the hygiene measures.
11. Always follow the instructions of the museum's staff and volunteers.
12. The National Maritime Museum reserves the right to deny admission to visitors who do not comply with the (Supplementary) Terms and Conditions for Visitors and to ask them to leave the museum complex. Article 3.4. of the original Terms and Conditions for Visitors applies to this

Michael Huijser General Director of The National Maritime Museum