On July 20, 2026, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an order… (китай · россия · гражданин)
On July 20, 2026, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an order extending the temporary visa-free entry regime for citizens of China until December 31, 2027. The change updates a previous decree from December 1, 2025, and aligns with China’s concurrent extension of visa-free access for Russians.
Consensus
- President Vladimir Putin signed an order on July 20, 2026, to extend the visa-free entry regime for citizens of China.
- The new deadline for the visa-free regime is December 31, 2027.
- The extension modifies the previous decree from December 1, 2025, No. 872.
- The visa-free access applies to both Russian and Chinese citizens traveling for tourism, business, transit, or visiting relatives.
- Both Russia and China have synchronized their mutual visa-free arrangements until December 31, 2027.
- The original visa-free regime was introduced by China in September 2025 and mirrored by Russia in December 2025.
Points of divergence
- China also extended the visa-free access for Russian citizens to December 31, 2027, on May 20, as announced by China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. — fontanka
- Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed during their meeting in Beijing in May to continue the mutual visa-free regime. — kommersant
- Boris Titov, a special presidential envoy for international organizations, noted an increase in tourism exchange after the introduction of the visa-free regime. — vedomosti
- In the first three months of 2026, nearly 220,000 citizens from China visited Russia. — vedomosti
- In the first quarter of 2026, mutual tourist trips between Russia and China reached 825,000 — double the number for the same period in 2025. — vedomosti
- In 2025, 834,466 Chinese tourists visited Russia, a 1.6% decrease compared to 2024. — vedomosti
- In 2025, Schengen countries issued about 175,000 multiple-entry visas to Russians — a 21% drop from 2024. — vm
- Cypriot visa centers have reopened in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other Russian regions. — vm
- Russian citizens can now travel to Saudi Arabia without a visa starting May 11. — vm
Coverage (9 sources)
- President Vladimir Putin amends Presidential Decree No. 872 on visa-free entry for Chinese citizens — МИД России
- Russia extends visa-free regime for Chinese citizens until the end of 2027 — Фонтанка
- Putin extends visa-free regime with China until the end of 2027 — Коммерсантъ
- Putin extends visa-free entry for Chinese citizens — Коммерсантъ
- Putin extends visa-free entry for Chinese citizens until the end of 2027 — Московский кэш
- Visa-free entry to Russia for Chinese citizens extended until December 31, 2027 — Вести
- Putin extends visa-free entry for Chinese citizens until the end of 2027 — Ведомости
- Russia extends visa-free entry for Chinese residents until the end of 2027 — Вечерняя Москва
- Russia extends visa-free regime for Chinese citizens until December 31, 2027; Putin signs decree — РИА Новости (Telegram)