Shanghai rolls out welcome mat for visa-free Russian travelers

At 9 am on Sept 15, flight MU592 touched down at Terminal 1 of Shanghai Pudong International Airport, marking a new chapter in travel between Russia and China. Onboard were the first group of Russian citizens to arrive in Shanghai under China's visa-free entry policy for Russian nationals, which came into effect on the day.

The policy, valid until Sept 14, 2026, allows Russian citizens holding ordinary passports to stay in China for up to 30 days without a visa for business, tourism, family visits, and transit purposes.

"The visa-free policy eliminates the need to prepare entry declaration materials, saving a lot of time. It's incredibly convenient," said Katkova Ekaterina, a Russian traveler. She expressed her intention to return with her family for a holiday, thanks to the new policy.

Bykova Kristina, a Russian business traveler heading to Yiwu in Shanghai's neighboring Zhejiang province for trade talks, also commended the new policy.

"It was much faster than I expected! With the visa-free policy, I just need my passport and a plane ticket to fly directly to Shanghai and meet clients right away," she said. "The customs clearance process is smoother, and the border officers even provide guidance in Russian. I believe this policy will attract more Russians to China for tourism and business."

China and Russia have in recent years strengthened cooperation on cross-border travel and exchanges. In August 2023, the two nations reinstated visa-free group travel, boosting tourism flows. China also signed a visa exemption pact with Russia and extended the duration of visa-free transit stays to 240 hours, moves that contributed to a marked rise in Russian arrivals.

In the first eight months of this year, Shanghai welcomed 196,000 Russian nationals, a 56 percent increase from the previous year.

To support the expanded visa-free policy, Shanghai's immigration authorities have streamlined entry procedures and now offer 24/7 multilingual support via the 12367 hotline.

The city has welcomed 3.64 million foreign visitors this year, a 42.2 percent year-on-year increase. More than half of these travelers entered using visa-free policies.