Russian Foreign Ministry allowed indefinite extension of visa-free travel with China
Russia and China are discussing the introduction of a permanent visa-free regime for citizens of the two countries. This was announced on July 28 by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko.
"In addition, prospects for securing visa—free travel for citizens on a permanent basis are being discussed with China," he said in an interview with the portal. Arctic.ru .
Rudenko added that the introduction of a visa-free entry regime by Russia and China on a reciprocal basis has given a powerful incentive to the development of bilateral tourist exchanges. By the end of 2025, the mutual tourist flow between the countries increased by 17%, exceeding the mark of 3 million trips, and in the first quarter of this year, the growth rate of the number of trips amounted to 50% in annual terms.
The Deputy Foreign Minister said that relevant departments plan to increase the volume of tourist flow from China to 5.5 million people by 2030, and the Far East is expected to have up to 1.8 million visitors. Currently, the Chinese destination accounts for three quarters of the total foreign tourist flow in the Far Eastern Federal District.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on May 19 that the mutual visa-free regime between Russia and China would help the two countries to actively develop business and tourist exchanges, as well as establish contacts between citizens. According to the president, Moscow is interested in the peoples of the two countries becoming closer, better understanding each other and adopting all the good things from rich traditions and heritage.
On April 5, Chinese Ambassador to Moscow Zhang Hanhui said that it was desirable to extend the visa-free regime between Russia and China indefinitely. According to him, the current visa-free travel format has already provided citizens of both countries with a significant number of convenient conditions.
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