Russia, China in talks to expand Visa-Free tourism travel: Izvestia
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Russia and China are negotiating a new visa-free travel agreement for tourist groups of three or more people, aiming for a final deal by June 2025
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China President Xi Jinping, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin walk inside the Kremlin's Grand Palace at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (AP)
Moscow and Beijing are currently discussing establishing visa-free travel arrangements for tourist groups consisting of at least three people, the Russian Ministry of Economic Development told Izvestia on Saturday.
Russia and China are in talks to ease entry rules for tourist groups, with the Russian Ministry of Economic Development telling Izvestia that visa-free travel for groups of three or more people is under discussion and that the final agreement is expected to be reached in June 2025.
"We are negotiating with the Chinese Foreign Ministry, we have received the vision of our Chinese colleagues on amendments to the Agreement on visa-free group tourist trips, and we are working on them. In June, at a meeting of the bilateral tourism commission in Qingdao, we plan to agree on the final version of the document," the ministry stated.
Previously, the agreement on visa-free group trips, signed by Moscow and Beijing in February 2000, allowed organized groups of five to 50 people to travel between the two countries without visas for stays of up to 15 days, but this arrangement was suspended during the coronavirus pandemic from January 2021 until February 2023.
Interest in China as a travel destination is steadily increasing in Russia, with the country now ranking among the top five most popular foreign destinations for Russian tourists, according to Dmitry Gorin, vice president of the Russian Union of Travel Industry (PCT), who shared this insight with Izvestia.
"Over 170 flights a week are operated to various cities in China, about nine airlines are already flying, tickets are extremely affordable, which makes it possible to popularize this direction," he noted.
Hainan Island significantly boosts tourist flows by allowing Russians visa-free entry and direct flights, while China has also extended transit visa-free stays from seven to 10 days since late last year and expanded visa-free entry points from 39 to 60 across 24 regions.
Could China and Russia have comprehensive visa-free travel?
Beijing has repeatedly expressed support for fully abolishing visa requirements with Russia, as Chinese Ambassador to Moscow Zhang Hanhui emphasized in 2023 that such a move would be mutually beneficial, a position later reaffirmed by Charge d'Affaires Zhang Wei of the Chinese Embassy in March 2025, Izvestia highlighted.
At the same time, the Russian Ministry of Economic Development has previously indicated that a complete visa waiver is not currently under discussion, as the existing visa-free group travel arrangements are deemed adequate for now.
Experts have stated one major concern with the complete abolishment of Visas is illegal immigration, since Russia and China's border, one of the longest in the world, would make border management rather difficult.
Experts believe a full visa-free regime with Russia is likely to be finalized shortly, though they caution that implementing such an agreement requires thorough bilateral preparations, which could extend the process beyond a single year.
