China to Trial Visa-Free Entry for Russian Citizens Starting September 15, 2025 — Will Visits to China Surge?”
According to China Xinhua news : China will allow Russian citizens to visit China without a visa for up to 30 days during a one-year trial period starting September 15, 2025 , a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said on September 2, 2025.
“From Sept. 15, 2025, to Sept. 14, 2026, a trial visa-free policy will be in effect for Russian citizens with regular passports,” spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters, according to the state-run TASS news agency.
Russians will be able to enter China without a visa for business, tourism, family visits or educational exchanges, he said.
The announcement came as Russian President Vladimir Putin met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, where the two leaders praised their growing partnership as a bulwark against the West.
Russia’s Association of Tour Operators said the relaxed rules could boost Russian tourism to China by up to 40%. More than 1 million Russians traveled there in the first half of 2025, up nearly a third from the previous year, making China their fifth-most visited destination, according to Russia’s border service.
Since lifting Covid-19 restrictions and reopening its borders in 2023, China has expanded visa-free entry to 75 countries.
30 days for many in Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Mideast
In December 2023, China announced visa-free entry for citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia. Almost all of Europe has been added since then. Travelers from five Latin American countries and Uzbekistan became eligible now, followed by four in the Middle East. The total will grow to 75 on July 16 with the addition of Azerbaijan.
No major African country is eligible for visa-free entry, despite the continent’s relatively close ties with China.
North Americans and some others in transit can enter for 10 days
Those from 10 countries not in the visa-free scheme have another option: entering China for up to 10 days if they depart for a different country than the one they came from. The policy is limited to 60 ports of entry, according to the country’s National Immigration Administration. Please find updated 240 hour transit visa free introduction.
The transit policy applies to 55 countries, but most are also on the 30-day visa-free entry list. It does offer a more restrictive option for citizens of the 10 countries that aren’t: the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Sweden, Russia, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Indonesia, Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.
If you are a Russian passport holder and have already purchased our service, as long as your visa application has not yet been submitted to the Chinese embassy or consulate, we will issue you a full refund. Thank you.