Just four months after Beijing and Moscow began granting ordinary passport holders 30-day visa-free entry, cross-border travel through Heilongjiang’s Suifenhe land port has exploded. Xinhua reports 10,007 foreign tourist crossings between 1 and 7 January—an 83 % year-on-year increase that far outpaces the border’s pre-pandemic flow.
Tour operators on both sides are capitalising with weekend shopping charters, timber-industry inspection tours and Chinese-language ski packages to Russia’s Krasnaya Sopka resort. Manufacturers are also jumping in: relaxed paperwork allows engineers to conduct factory-acceptance tests on Russian-made machine tools shipped via Vladivostok without lengthy visa processing.
For travellers who still need help untangling the fine print—whether it’s securing supporting documents, arranging onward visas or simply keeping abreast of changing regulations—VisaHQ offers an easy online gateway. Its China desk (https://www.visahq.com/china/) provides real-time requirement updates, digital application tools and concierge support, ensuring smooth passage even when rules shift or supplemental permits are required.
![China–Russia Mutual Visa-Free Scheme Spurs 83 % Tourism Surge at Suifenhe Border]()
Local authorities have upgraded infrastructure to keep pace. Suifenhe has added e-Channel lanes and a joint customs-immigration counter that stamps travellers out of China and into Russia in under 90 seconds. Faster clearance is equally valuable to freight forwarders moving e-commerce parcels along the Trans-Siberian land bridge, shaving hours off transit times to EU markets.
Compliance remains crucial. Travellers still need proof of accommodation, medical insurance and sufficient funds, and cumulative stays may not exceed 90 days in any 180-day period. Corporates using rotational staff are advised to monitor days-in-country or apply for separate work visas once thresholds near.
The pilot runs until 14 September 2026, after which both governments will assess flows and security data before deciding whether to make the waiver permanent or expand it to additional crossings such as Heihe–Blagoveshchensk. Early numbers suggest strong economic incentives to keep the gates open.
Tour operators on both sides are capitalising with weekend shopping charters, timber-industry inspection tours and Chinese-language ski packages to Russia’s Krasnaya Sopka resort. Manufacturers are also jumping in: relaxed paperwork allows engineers to conduct factory-acceptance tests on Russian-made machine tools shipped via Vladivostok without lengthy visa processing.
For travellers who still need help untangling the fine print—whether it’s securing supporting documents, arranging onward visas or simply keeping abreast of changing regulations—VisaHQ offers an easy online gateway. Its China desk (https://www.visahq.com/china/) provides real-time requirement updates, digital application tools and concierge support, ensuring smooth passage even when rules shift or supplemental permits are required.
Local authorities have upgraded infrastructure to keep pace. Suifenhe has added e-Channel lanes and a joint customs-immigration counter that stamps travellers out of China and into Russia in under 90 seconds. Faster clearance is equally valuable to freight forwarders moving e-commerce parcels along the Trans-Siberian land bridge, shaving hours off transit times to EU markets.
Compliance remains crucial. Travellers still need proof of accommodation, medical insurance and sufficient funds, and cumulative stays may not exceed 90 days in any 180-day period. Corporates using rotational staff are advised to monitor days-in-country or apply for separate work visas once thresholds near.
The pilot runs until 14 September 2026, after which both governments will assess flows and security data before deciding whether to make the waiver permanent or expand it to additional crossings such as Heihe–Blagoveshchensk. Early numbers suggest strong economic incentives to keep the gates open.
