Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree granting visa-free entry to Russia for Chinese citizens. The document was posted on the portal for publishing government regulations.
The decree stipulates that until September 14, 2026, Chinese citizens may enter Russia visa-free with a regular passport and stay in the country for up to 30 days for tourism, visiting, or business purposes, as well as to participate in various events or transit. The simplified procedure does not apply to those entering for work, study, residence, or international road transport (including drivers, crew members, freight forwarders, and translators).
The decree comes into force on the day of signing.
China was the first to introduce a visa-free regime with Russia as a year-long experiment . China's decision came into effect on September 15. Putin 's decree sets the same deadline as China's—until September 14, 2026. Russians can stay in China visa-free for 30 days "for business, tourism, sightseeing, visiting relatives and friends, or as part of an exchange."
On September 15, ATOR reported that not a single Russian had been denied entry to China. Some cases of denials were reported later. For example, TourDom learned that a Russian citizen was denied entry to China due to unclear stamps in his passport regarding a visit to Turkey. ATOR reported that Russians with Turkish residence permits in their passports could have been denied entry to China previously due to visa restrictions .
In November, the Telegram channel Baza reported on increased security checks at the Chinese border, including cases of Russian tourists having items and medications purchased in China confiscated. Tour operator Spektrum explained to RBC that the delays were "organizational" and due to increased passenger traffic due to the introduction of visa-free travel. The situation should normalize once China adapts its infrastructure and optimizes procedures, the tour operator believes.
0 Comments