Saudi Arabia and Russia launch a visa-free regime from 11 May

From 11 May, citizens of Russia and Saudi Arabia will be able to travel to each other visa-free. The new regime allows a stay of up to 90 days total per year for tourism, business visits, or family trips.

The regime immediately applies to all passport types, including ordinary ones. Such agreements often initially cover only diplomatic and official documents, but here the rules cover regular travellers right away.

The visa-free regime does not apply to work, study, or religious trips, including Hajj. Such cases still require a separate visa.

The agreement was signed in December 2025 at the Saudi-Russian Investment Forum in Riyadh. It takes effect on 11 May.

For Saudi Arabia, this is a notable step: Russia will become the first country outside the Gulf with which the kingdom introduces visa-free entry for ordinary passport holders. That makes the news significant not just for tourists, but for business travel between the two countries as well.

In practice, the new regime will reduce preparation for short trips, since travellers will no longer need to go through standard visa processing. But the purpose of the trip still matters: visa-free entry does not replace a work, study, or religious visa.