The Change
As of January 1, 2025, Federal Law No. 260-FZ of August 8, 2024 reformed the rules governing visa-free stays in Russia. The law introduces a strict limit of 90 days per calendar year for nationals of countries that have visa-free agreements with Russia.
Under the previous system, the rule was 90 days in total within each 180-day period. The count was cumulative, so a quick exit and re-entry, commonly known as a "border run" or "visa run," did not restart the clock. But travelers could alternate 90 days in Russia and 90 days abroad, reaching close to 180 days of presence a year. This pattern was widely used by long-term visitors, remote workers, and informal residents from CIS and other visa-free countries.
The new law eliminates this possibility by switching to a calendar-year calculation: a maximum of 90 days of total presence between January 1 and December 31.
How the New Calculation Works
The Calendar Year
The 90-day cap is tied to the calendar year. On each entry, the days already spent on Russian territory since January 1 of the current year are added up. Once that total reaches 90, the individual must leave and cannot return visa-free before January 1 of the following year, when the full 90-day quota is restored.
Practical Example
Consider a citizen of Brazil (visa-free entry to Russia for up to 90 days):
- January 15, 2025: Enters Russia.
- April 14, 2025: Departs after 90 consecutive days. The 90-day quota for 2025 is now exhausted.
- April 15, 2025: Cannot re-enter under visa-free rules for the rest of 2025. Must wait until January 1, 2026, when a new 90-day quota opens.
In practice, someone who uses all 90 days in a single block must wait until the following January 1 before being eligible for another visa-free entry.
Split Stays
Travelers who split their visits face the same arithmetic. For example:
- 30 days in February 2025 + 30 days in June 2025 + 30 days in October 2025 = 90 days used in calendar year 2025.
- The next visa-free entry would not be possible until January 1, 2026.
the clock now runs on the calendar year, not a 180-day cycle. Whoever burns all 90 days must wait until January 1 of the following year before being eligible again, and visa-free presence can no longer exceed 90 days a year, against close to 180 before.
Countries and Nationals Affected
The reform applies to all countries with which Russia maintains bilateral visa-free agreements. The major ones include:
CIS Countries (Most Affected)
- Ukraine (Ukraine terminated the 1997 bilateral visa-free agreement, but a Russian presidential decree of 29 September 2023 keeps entry visa-free for Ukrainian citizens, even on expired documents)
- Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus (Belarus has a separate Union State arrangement with Russia, and its citizens are generally not subject to the 90-day limit)
- Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Moldova
Other Visa-Free Countries
- Serbia (30 days per visit, now subject to the 90-day annual cap)
- Israel (90 days visa-free)
- Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Chile (various bilateral agreements)
- South Korea (60 days visa-free)
- Thailand, Cuba, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Who Is Not Affected
- Citizens of countries requiring visas for Russia (including EU member states, the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, and Japan) are not directly affected, as their stay is already governed by the terms of their visa.
- Citizens of Belarus are generally exempt under the Russia-Belarus Union State framework.
- Holders of residence permits (VNZh) or temporary residence permits (RVP) are not subject to the 90-day visa-free limit.
Enforcement Mechanism
Border Records
Every entry into and departure from Russia is recorded at border control, which is what makes the calendar-year count possible: the days spent in the country since January 1 are added up for each foreign national. Once the 90 days are used up, there is no visa-free basis to stay in Russia until January 1 of the following year.
Penalties for Overstays
Foreign nationals found to have exceeded the 90-day limit face the following consequences:
- Administrative fine: 2,000 to 5,000 rubles with administrative expulsion under Article 18.8, part 1.1, of the Code of Administrative Offences, and 5,000 to 7,000 rubles in Moscow, St Petersburg and the Moscow and Leningrad regions (part 3.1). Federal Law No. 294-FZ of 4 August 2026 raises these ranges to 4,000-7,000 and 7,000-9,000 rubles from 3 November 2026.
- Entry ban: Since February 5, 2025, exceeding the 90 days allowed in a calendar year exposes the foreign national to a three-year entry ban under Article 27 of Federal Law No. 114-FZ, and longer overstays carry longer bans.
- Deportation: In cases of significant overstays or repeat violations, the individual may be formally deported, which carries a five-year entry ban and is recorded in the person's immigration file.
These penalties are not new (they existed under the prior law), but their practical impact increases significantly now that alternating stays is no longer possible.
The Online Entry Application (RuID), Extended to End 2027: Who It Affects
Since 30 June 2025, Russia has been testing an online entry application, often described as an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA), filed through the Gosuslugi RuID mobile app. It applies only to travelers entering without a visa: neither classic visa holders nor e-visa holders are concerned.
What you need to know:
- Experiment extended to 31 December 2027. Originally scheduled to end on 30 June 2026, it was extended by Government Decree No. 468 of 27 April 2026. The step stays voluntary: an eligible visa-free traveler can still enter without having filed an application and will not be turned away at the border.
- Apply between 90 days and 72 hours before arrival, in the Gosuslugi RuID app. A shorter notice is allowed in emergencies.
- Exemptions: Belarusian citizens, children under 6, diplomatic and consular staff and international-organization staff, as well as their families, are excluded from the experiment.
- The date to watch: December 2026. The government has instructed the ministries concerned to prepare, by early December 2026, a mandatory Gosuslugi registration for foreigners entering visa-free, meant to replace the migration card for them. That is when the rule may tighten.
Key point: if you travel on an e-visa or a classic visa, the online entry application does not apply to you. It targets only nationals of countries that hold a visa-free agreement with Russia. Fingerprints and a facial photo on arrival, however, do apply to you at equipped crossings (see our guide to border biometrics).
Impact on Long-Term Visa-Free Residents
The reform's most significant impact falls on three groups:
1. Central Asian Labor Migrants Without Work Permits
Hundreds of thousands of citizens from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan previously maintained long-term presence in Russia through border runs while working informally. The new law forces these individuals to either regularize their work or leave Russia for extended periods between stays: Tajiks and Uzbeks need a work patent (patent na rabotu), while Kyrgyz citizens, as nationals of a Eurasian Economic Union member state, need neither a patent nor a work permit to sign an employment contract.
2. Remote Workers and Digital Nomads
A growing number of foreigners from visa-free countries had been using Russia as a low-cost base for remote work, cycling in and out to reset their visa-free period. This is no longer viable under the 90-days-per-year system.
3. Bi-National Families
Families where one spouse holds Russian citizenship and the other is from a visa-free country but has not obtained a residence permit are affected. The non-Russian spouse can now spend a maximum of 90 days per year in Russia without a visa, making continuous family life impossible without a formal immigration status.
Alternatives for Those Affected
Foreign nationals who need to spend more than 90 days per year in Russia have several legal options:
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Obtain a work patent (patent na rabotu): Required of citizens of visa-free countries outside the Eurasian Economic Union (citizens of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan need neither a patent nor a work permit). The monthly cost depends on the region: in Moscow it rose from 8,900 to 10,000 rubles in 2026. Allows legal employment and stay for the duration of the patent.
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Apply for a temporary residence permit (RVP): Grants the right to live in Russia for up to three years, with the possibility of progressing to a permanent residence permit.
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Apply for a permanent residence permit (VNZh): Provides indefinite residence rights. Since 1 November 2019 (Federal Law No. 257-FZ), the permit is issued to foreign citizens without an expiry date; before that, it was valid for five years and had to be renewed.
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Obtain a visa: Some nationals of visa-free countries may apply for a work, study, or private visa through a Russian consulate, which provides a separate legal basis for stay that is not subject to the 90-day visa-free limit. For the spouse of a Russian citizen, that private visa takes the form of the one-year multiple-entry family visa.
Key Legal References
- Federal Law No. 260-FZ of August 8, 2024, amending Federal Law No. 115-FZ "On the Legal Status of Foreign Citizens in the Russian Federation."
- Federal Law No. 114-FZ of August 15, 1996, "On the Procedure for Exit from the Russian Federation and Entry into the Russian Federation."
- Code of Administrative Offences of the Russian Federation, Article 18.8 (violations of entry, stay, or residence rules by foreign nationals).
The new rule represents a clear signal that Russia intends to formalize the status of long-term foreign residents. Those who previously relied on the border-run system should seek legal immigration status or adjust their travel plans accordingly.
