BUSINESS

China to Add Russians to Visa-Waiver Program

Published: Sep. 3, 2025 6:25 p.m. GMT+8

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Russian tourists shop in China. Photo: China National Radio

China will soon include Russians in its continually expanding visa-waiver program, as travel between the neighbors continues to grow.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Tuesday that the trial policy will be valid for one year from Sept. 15, allowing holders of ordinary Russian passports to enter China for up to 30 days for purposes including business, tourism, family visits, exchanges and transit.

Since 2023, China has added dozens more nations to its visa-waiver program.

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China will allow Russians visa-free entry for up to 30 days from Sept. 15, 2024, expanding its visa-waiver program.
The policy follows rapidly increasing travel; over 2.25 million trips occurred Jan-Sept 2024, up 49% year-on-year, and nearly 1.9 million Russians visited China in 2024.
Aviation capacity increased, with 5,483 round-trip flights and 1.29 million seats between both countries in Q1 2024, up over 30% year-on-year.

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Who’s Who

Qunar: Qunar is a Chinese travel platform. Following the announcement of China's new visa-waiver program for Russians, searches on Qunar for flights departing from Moscow nearly doubled within 30 minutes. The most frequent searches were for Moscow-to-Beijing flights.

Trip.com Group Ltd.: Trip.com Group Ltd. is an online travel agency that has identified the top 10 domestic destinations favored by Russian travelers to China. These destinations include major cities like Beijing and Shanghai, as well as tourist spots such as Sanya and Zhangjiajie.

Umetrip: Umetrip (航旅纵横) is a flight-tracker, as mentioned in the article. It reported that the number of passenger trips between China and Russia exceeded 2.25 million between January 1 and September 1 of this year, representing a 49% year-on-year increase. This data highlights the growing travel demand between the two countries.

Cirium: Cirium, an international aviation data provider, reported that in the first quarter, there were 5,483 round-trip flights between China and Russia. These flights offered nearly 1.29 million seats, representing year-on-year increases of 37.4% and 32.8% respectively, indicating a significant rise in aviation capacity.

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What Happened When

2023：: China added dozens more nations to its visa-waiver program.

August 2023：: China and Russia resumed a mutual visa-free mechanism for visitors travelling as part of a group tour.

2024：: Nearly 1.9 million Russians visited China.

December 2024：: China expanded a transit visa-free policy that covers 54 countries, including Russia, increasing the permitted stay to 10 days and the number of eligible ports of entry to 60.

First quarter of 2025：: There were 5,483 round-trip flights between China and Russia, with nearly 1.29 million seats, showing significant increases year-on-year.

First half of 2025：: Beijing received about 212,700 visits by Russians, up 63.6%.

From January 1, 2025 to September 1, 2025：: The number of passenger trips between China and Russia exceeded 2.25 million.

Tuesday, 2025-09-02：: China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the trial visa-waiver policy for Russians will be valid for one year beginning September 15, 2025.

Tuesday, 2025-09-02：: Russian President Vladimir Putin visited China, holding talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and attending the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and events marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Tuesday, 2025-09-02：: Within 30 minutes of the visa-waiver policy announcement, searches on Qunar for flights from Moscow surged by nearly 100% compared to a week earlier.

Wednesday morning, 2025-09-03：: Putin appeared at a massive military parade in Beijing alongside more than 20 world leaders including North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.

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