Russian & Chinese Truckers Get Improved Mutual Visa Access Facilities

Russian truckers and logistics companies employed on the China trade delivery run will be happy to learn that the Chinese government has approved procedures that should simplify entry of Russian truckers to China.

Following the results of the 29th regular meeting of the heads of Government of Russia and China, a protocol was signed on amendments to the Agreement between the Government of Russia and the Government of the People’s Republic of China on facilitating travel of citizens, according to th Cabinet of Ministers of Russia. This document expands the list of places where Chinese visas can be issued to Russian truckers. This will simplify and speed up cargo transportation between countries.

Following the meeting, a memorandum was also signed between the Federal Customs Service and the General Customs Administration of the People’s Republic of China on the development of a single window mechanism.

The draft protocol on facilitating travel between Russia and China was prepared in the beginning of August this year and approved by the Government of Russia. It expands the list of departments and institutions where Russian truckers can be issued visas to enter the People’s Republic of China.

Currently, such documents can be obtained in only a few places in Siberia and the Far East – in the representative offices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Barnaul, Birobidzhan, Blagoveshchensk, Vladivostok, Khabarovsk and Chita. With the adoption of the additional protocol, the updated list will include all “representative offices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Transport and subordinate organisations with their regional branches.” That amounts to over 100 outlets.

This will greatly simplify and speed up the obtaining of visas and therefore increase the supply on the market of road freight transportation between Russia and China. At the moment, according to carriers, visa processing is a long and somewhat expensive process.

Similarly, the document expands the list of places where Chinese drivers can obtain Russian visas.

In addition, the additional protocol also specifies the duration of continuous stay in China for multiple-entry visas issued on the basis of notes or official letters – up to 30 days, while the current version of the agreement does not specify them in principle.

During last week’s meetings between Russia’s Prime Minister, Mikhail Mishustin and Li Qiang, China’s Premier, several other important documents were signed to promote the development of transportation and increase trade turnover between the countries.

These include a memorandum between the Ministry of Transport of Russia and the Ministry of Transport of the People’s Republic of China on the use of highly automated vehicles for cross-border cargo transportation, as well as memorandum between the Federal Customs Service and the General Customs Administration of China on the development of a single window mechanism and on methodological and information cooperation in the field of customs statistics of foreign trade between the countries.