Russia ready to make visa-free travel with China permanent, Putin says

Russia is ready to work with China to make the visa-free regime between the two countries permanent, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in Bishkek.

“We are ready to work together to make the visa-free regime permanent, if the Chinese side considers this possible and beneficial,” the Russian leader said during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

He noted that tourist traffic between the two countries increased by 43% in the first half of the year, driven by the visa-free arrangement.

On December 1, 2025, the Russian president signed a decree allowing Chinese citizens to enter Russia visa-free for stays of up to 30 days under the principle of reciprocity, with the measure in effect until September 14, 2026. China had previously introduced a similar visa-free regime for Russian citizens. The two sides later mutually extended visa-free entry until the end of 2027.

By Jeyhun Aghazada