China has quietly renewed—and lengthened—its 30-day unilateral visa-free entry scheme for holders of ordinary Russian passports. According to an English-language dispatch from Moscow-based business wire AK&M dated 24 June 2026, the waiver, which had been slated to expire in September, will now run until at least 14 September 2026. Russian travellers may enter China for business, tourism, family visits, cultural exchanges or transit and remain for up to 30 consecutive days without needing to obtain an M or L visa beforehand. For employers and mobility managers this keeps a valuable fast-track in place at a time when Sino-Russian trade is growing in double digits and air links between the two countries have almost fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels.
If plans change or longer stays become necessary, VisaHQ’s China desk can step in to secure the appropriate M or L visas, invitation letters and stay permits—often on an expedited timeline. Their online portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) lets travellers upload documents and track progress in real time, providing an extra layer of assurance alongside the 30-day visa waiver.
The extension means that short-cycle assignment visits—factory acceptance tests, project kick-offs or sales roadshows—can continue to be organised at short notice without navigating China’s still-paper-heavy visa process or fingerprint appointments at consular posts. The move also signals Beijing’s broader strategy of using visa diplomacy to deepen commercial and political ties. Since late 2025 China has rolled out or prolonged 30-day visa-free entry to more than 50 countries, including Canada, the UK and several Gulf and Latin American states, as part of a push to restore inbound travel to 2019 levels by the end of 2026. Officials at the National Immigration Administration (NIA) say the waivers will be reviewed again in Q3 2026 with the possibility of making some permanent. Practical tip: Travellers must carry proof of onward or return travel within 30 days and show hotel confirmations or an invitation letter on arrival. Stays exceeding the limit require application for a stay permit at local Public Security Bureau offices before the 30-day clock runs out. Overstays incur daily fines of RMB 500 and possible re-entry bans. Looking ahead, multinational companies with operations in Russia should monitor whether Moscow reciprocates by expanding its own temporary visa-free access for Chinese citizens—currently capped at 30 days but due to lapse in December 2026.
If plans change or longer stays become necessary, VisaHQ’s China desk can step in to secure the appropriate M or L visas, invitation letters and stay permits—often on an expedited timeline. Their online portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) lets travellers upload documents and track progress in real time, providing an extra layer of assurance alongside the 30-day visa waiver.
The extension means that short-cycle assignment visits—factory acceptance tests, project kick-offs or sales roadshows—can continue to be organised at short notice without navigating China’s still-paper-heavy visa process or fingerprint appointments at consular posts. The move also signals Beijing’s broader strategy of using visa diplomacy to deepen commercial and political ties. Since late 2025 China has rolled out or prolonged 30-day visa-free entry to more than 50 countries, including Canada, the UK and several Gulf and Latin American states, as part of a push to restore inbound travel to 2019 levels by the end of 2026. Officials at the National Immigration Administration (NIA) say the waivers will be reviewed again in Q3 2026 with the possibility of making some permanent. Practical tip: Travellers must carry proof of onward or return travel within 30 days and show hotel confirmations or an invitation letter on arrival. Stays exceeding the limit require application for a stay permit at local Public Security Bureau offices before the 30-day clock runs out. Overstays incur daily fines of RMB 500 and possible re-entry bans. Looking ahead, multinational companies with operations in Russia should monitor whether Moscow reciprocates by expanding its own temporary visa-free access for Chinese citizens—currently capped at 30 days but due to lapse in December 2026.
