Starting September 15, 2025, Beijing will grant Russian citizens a visa exemption allowing them to stay in China for up to 30 days.
China announced on Tuesday that it would grant a visa exemption to Russian citizens holding ordinary passports for stays of up to 30 days, effective from September 15, 2025, to September 14, 2026.
This measure will allow Russian nationals to travel to China without a visa for various reasons, such as tourism, business, family visits, cultural exchanges, or transit.
The announcement was made by Guo Jiakun, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who emphasized that “under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, China-Russia relations have been moving forward on a high level.”
“China attaches high importance to facilitating cross-border travel between the two countries and supports our two peoples in strengthening exchanges and making positive contribution to promoting the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era. We welcome more friends from Russia to visit China,” Guo Jiakun said.
For their part, Chinese citizens can currently enter Russia with an electronic visa (e-Visa), valid for stays of 30 days. They can also benefit from a visa exemption when traveling in organized groups for stays not exceeding 15 days.
The SCO meeting as a backdrop
This announcement comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin is currently in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit.
This summit, which brings together several Eurasian leaders, aims to strengthen economic, security, and diplomatic cooperation between member states.
Vladimir Putin’s presence reflects the strategic rapprochement between Beijing and Moscow in a geopolitical context marked by regional and global realignments.
Other countries benefiting from visa exemptions in China
Russia joins the list of countries benefiting from unilateral visa exemption measures decided by China:
- Until December 30, 2025: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea and Switzerland.
- Until May 31, 2026: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay.
- Until June 8, 2026: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Saudi Arabia.
- From September 15, 2025, to September 14, 2026: Russia.
