Putin Announces Visa-Free Travel for Chinese Nationals to Russia: A Step Towards Strengthened Bilateral Relations

President Vladimir Putin announced on Tuesday that Chinese citizens will soon be able to enter Russia without a visa, following a recent decision by Beijing to remove visa requirements for Russian travelers.

Since September, individuals holding Russian passports have enjoyed the ability to visit China without a visa for up to 30 days, under a one-year trial initiative that Putin referred to as a «gesture of goodwill,» indicating that Moscow would respond in kind.

While receiving Chinese Premier Li Qiang at the Kremlin, Putin reiterated this commitment, stating in televised comments that «equivalent measures for citizens of the People’s Republic of China traveling to Russia will be implemented very soon.»

Putin noted, “This will undoubtedly provide a beneficial and significant boost to the advancement of our relations,» although he did not provide specifics on when Russia would eliminate visa requirements for holders of Chinese passports.

Currently, Russia and China share a mutual visa-free arrangement for group tours, which had been temporarily halted when China closed its borders for nearly three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Last year, China permitted Russian travelers in transit to remain for up to 10 days without requiring a visa.

Putin’s announcement in September regarding the elimination of visa requirements for Chinese nationals sparked a surge in searches for hotels and flights by Chinese tourists looking to visit Russia in early October, as they anticipated Russia’s forthcoming implementation of visa-free entry.