Русский
The agreement between the governments of Russia and Saudi Arabia on the mutual abolition of visa requirements for citizens of the two countries comes into force on May 11, the Russian Foreign Ministry has said. The statement reads:
“On May 11, 2026, the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the mutual abolition of visa requirements for citizens of the Russian Federation and citizens of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia signed in Riyadh on December 1, 2025, comes into force. In accordance with this agreement, Russian citizens “may enter and stay in Saudi Arabia without visas for a continuous period or for a total of no more than 90 days during a calendar year provided that they do not engage in labor activity, receive an education, or reside in the kingdom.” Russian citizens traveling to Saudi Arabia for the aforementioned purposes, as well as to perform the Hajj or Umrah during the Hajj period, must still obtain an appropriate visa. Similar rights are granted to citizens of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia when visiting the Russian Federation.”
Nearly 75,000 tourists from Saudi Arabia visited Russia last year, a 15% increase, while Russian visitors to Saudi Arabia doubled to over 100,000. Russian tourists are sought-after, as they tend to have more disposable income than Europeans do and spend more money on arrival at their destinations.
The annual Haj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia runs from the evening of Sunday, May 24 to Friday, May 29, this year. Several Russian regions are Muslim, including Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Dagestan, Chechnya, Ingushetia, Kabardino-Balkaria, and Karachay-Cherkessia. In December 2025, Rustam Minnikhanov, the President of Tatarstan, stated that there are more than 20 million Muslims living in Russia.
