Visa-free entry for Russian citizens has been extended through end of next year, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry

China has extended visa-free travel for Russian citizens through the end of 2027, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday, signaling closer cross-border ties between the two nations. The statement came a day after Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing for a two-day visit.

Russia and China have steadily expanded cooperation across trade, finance, energy infrastructure, manufacturing, technology and investment. Visa-free travel arrangements and new air routes have further boosted tourism and business exchanges, while universities and regional authorities continue to deepen joint research, investment and cross-border commercial initiatives.

"China has decided to extend its visa-free policy for Russian citizens until December 31, 2027, in order to further facilitate people-to-people exchanges between the two countries," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told journalists.

Guo stressed that holders of ordinary Russian passports can enter China without a visa for business, tourism, family visits, and exchange programs for stays of up to 30 days. Beijing introduced the simplified entry regime for a one-year trial period last September.

Russia will extend its visa-free regime with China through 2027 in response to Beijing's decision, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said later in the day. Peskov added that the visa-free arrangement between the two countries had proven "highly effective."

In December, Russia granted Chinese citizens visa-free entry for stays of up to 30 days.

Earlier this year, official data from Federal Security Service showed that Russian citizens made 2.5 million trips to China in 2025, marking a more than 30% increase compared to the previous year, and nearly returning to the pre-pandemic level of 2.6 million recorded in 2019.

Chinese citizens accounted for more than half of the 1.64 million foreign tourists who visited Russia in 2025, according to the country's border control. In the fourth quarter alone, the number of Chinese tourists rose 23.8% year-on-year following the introduction of the visa-free regime.

(RT.com)