Russia and Malaysia to Finalize Mutual Visa-Free Travel
Russia and Malaysia plan to agree on a mutual visa-free regime for short-term trips by the end of the year.
Consensus
- Russia and Malaysia plan to finalize a mutual visa-free regime for short stays by the end of 2026.
- The agreement is in high degree of readiness.
- Currently, Russian citizens can visit Malaysia without a visa for up to 30 days, but Malaysian citizens still require a visa to enter Russia.
- The visa-free regime is expected to boost tourism and facilitate direct air travel between Moscow and Kuala Lumpur.
- In 2025, Russia recorded a record number of 140,000 tourists visiting Malaysia.
Points of divergence
- The fifth joint Russia-Malaysia commission meeting in Vladivostok expressed intent to complete the agreement by the end of the current year (2024). — vesti
- The agreement is expected to accelerate the launch of direct flights between Moscow and Kuala Lumpur, originally planned for early 2026 but delayed due to the Middle East situation. — kommersant
Coverage (2 sources)
- Russia and Malaysia plan to agree on visa-free regime by end of 2026 — Вести
- Russia and Malaysia intend to agree on mutual visa-free travel by the end of the year — Коммерсантъ