Hainan for Russians: Sanya or Boao, and Which Visa-Free Rule Applies

If you are a Russian citizen travelling to Hainan specifically for treatment, you have two decisions to make: where to go — the resort city of Sanya or the Boao Lecheng pilot zone — and on what basis to enter. In short: China's general 30-day visa exemption for Russians has been extended to 31 December 2027, but medical treatment is not among its purposes^[1]. Hainan's 30-day visa-free policy for 61 countries, which include Russia, names medical treatment explicitly, but it applies only if you enter through a port in Hainan, and only within the province^[3]. Sanya suits traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), check-ups and recovery. Boao Lecheng is for access to specific imported drugs and devices not yet approved in China. How the zone itself works is covered in detail in our Boao Lecheng guide. This page covers what matters specifically for a trip from Russia.

Three visa-free regimes for Russians in Hainan

The stay is counted from 0:00 on the day after the day of entry^[2][3].

A few details of the Hainan policy that are easy to miss:

• Ports of entry. These include Haikou (Meilan), Sanya (Phoenix) and Qionghai (Boao) airports^[4].
• Nothing to file in advance. In a 2024 notice the Foreign Affairs Office of Hainan Province states that entry is granted after inspection at the border, without advance declaration^[5]. The current texts also make no mention of a travel-agency invitation^[3][4].
• Arrive on a direct flight or via a third country, Hong Kong or Macao^[5]. A connection in another city in mainland China does not qualify. The Russian Consulate General in Harbin gives an example: on a Novosibirsk — Beijing — Sanya itinerary, the 30-day Hainan policy cannot be used^[6].
• You still need an arrival card. The Sanya Tourism Development Bureau notes that travellers entering under the individual 61-country visa-free policy must fill in the electronic arrival card. You can do this on the National Immigration Administration (NIA) website, in the "移民局12367" app or in the WeChat/Alipay mini-program. The airport also has kiosks and paper cards^[8].
• Accommodation registration. Hotels register you from your passport at check-in^[9]. If you are not staying in a hotel, register within 24 hours at a police station or through the Haiyiban app^[4]. More in our guide to accommodation near hospitals.

Which regime fits if you are travelling for treatment

There is no separate rule "for Russian patients" in the official texts. What follows is therefore our reading of the documents, not the authorities' position.

1. Medical treatment is named only in the Hainan policy. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists the purposes of the general exemption for Russians as business, tourism, visiting family and friends, exchanges and transit^[1]. The Hainan policy names medical treatment explicitly — in the NIA's Chinese text the word is 就医^[3].
2. The purpose of your trip is checked at the border. The Chinese Embassy warns that border officers may refuse entry if the purpose does not match the conditions of the visa exemption. It advises carrying an invitation, tickets and an accommodation booking^[2]. The decision on entry is made by the immigration officer at the port^[7].
3. The advice to "use the nationwide regime first" does not override point 1. The Hainan authorities recommend that people eligible for nationwide visa-free rules use those first^[4][8]. A 2024 notice from the province's Foreign Affairs Office allows a choice when several exemptions apply^[5]. But you can only choose among regimes that cover the purpose of your trip, and medical treatment is covered only by the Hainan policy.

The practical conclusion:

• Treatment in Hainan, 30 days or less — the Hainan policy. Fly to the island on a direct flight and state your real purpose at the border: medical treatment. Carry your appointment confirmation or a letter from the hospital, your accommodation booking and a return ticket.
• Treatment outside Hainan or longer than 30 days — a visa before you travel. The Chinese Visa Application Service Center in Moscow places medical treatment under the S2 visa ("personal matters", stays of up to 180 days)^[11]. It requires medical certificates from a Russian institution, a summary with the diagnosis and an invitation letter from a Chinese medical institution. On the application form, the medical institution is entered as the inviting party^[12].
• Mixed purpose (for example, a holiday plus a check-up) — check with the Chinese Embassy in advance. The visa center's phone is +7 495 127 0860^[12]; the embassy's consular section is on +7 499 951 8435 on working days, 14:30–18:30^[2]. Once in China, you can call the 24-hour immigration service hotline +86 12367^[8].

If you are already in Hainan and need to extend your stay or travel to the mainland, apply for a visa at the exit-entry administration of Hainan's public security authorities before your visa-free stay expires^[4]. A 2025 provincial government page says the application must be made at least 7 days before the stay expires. Offices include ones in Sanya and Qionghai; the information line is +86 898 12367^[9]. In 2019 the Ministry of Public Security and the NIA announced a measure for foreigners coming to Hainan for treatment, in support of the Boao Lecheng zone's policies. Foreign patients and accompanying family members can apply for a visa or residence permit matching the treatment period, on the strength of a certificate from a Hainan medical institution^[10]. Check with the exit-entry administration how this measure is applied today.

Companions enter on their own basis. We found no rule in the official texts under which a patient's "medical treatment" purpose automatically extends to relatives. The 2019 measure mentions accompanying family members only in connection with a visa or residence permit based on a hospital certificate^[10]. General advice for families is in our guide to travelling with companions; general entry rules are in Visa and entry.

Getting there from Russia: direct flights

In the Aeroflot Group's winter schedule (25 October 2026 to 27 March 2027), direct flights to Sanya are listed from Moscow and from St Petersburg, Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg, Irkutsk, Kazan, Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, Ufa and Khabarovsk. Moscow — Sanya frequency has been increased compared with last winter^[13]. According to Sheremetyevo's seasonal schedule, flight SU 224 to Sanya operates on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays from late November 2026^[14]. Hainan Airlines flies from Sheremetyevo to Haikou: in the winter schedule, flight HU 766 operates on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays^[15]. Schedules change, so check dates with the airline.

Both routes are direct, so they qualify for the Hainan policy^[5][6]. Boao Lecheng lies on the island's east coast. According to West China Lecheng Hospital, the hospital is about 1 h 45 min by car from Sanya, about 2.2 hours from Sanya airport and about 1.5 hours from Haikou airport. The nearest railway station is Boao, 3.7 km from the hospital; Boao airport is 7.3 km away^[16].

Sanya or Boao: the difference

Sanya: hospitals in our directory

Our directory currently lists four hospitals in Sanya. Below is what their pages and the sources behind them say. None of them lists service languages.

• Sanya Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine — a public 3A TCM hospital at 106 Fenghuang Road^[25]. The hospital initiated the Sanya International Friendship Sanatorium of TCM, which the city government funded. The sanatorium's official page lists an international treatment department made up of an international acupuncture clinic and an international medical clinic. The hospital says it serves guests from more than 40 countries and receives over 10,000 foreign guest visits a year, and Russia appears in the list of countries on that page^[17]. According to our page, there is no dedicated international-desk phone and no price list. What to expect at a first appointment is covered in our guide to a first TCM visit. Procedures are described under TCM therapies and TCM; for prices and checking a clinic, see TCM in China for Russians.
• Sanya Central Hospital (Hainan Third People's Hospital) — according to the city health commission's 2021 profile, the only large general 3A hospital in southern Hainan, at 1154 Jiefang Road. The profile lists a foreign-related medical services department and a 24-hour emergency green channel^[23]. No contacts for that department are published, and the official website did not open from abroad.
• Sanya People's Hospital — the municipal hospital at 558 Jiefang Road. Since June 2021 it has been under the in-depth management of West China Sanya Hospital of Sichuan University, a name it also uses; phones and e-mail are published on a municipal government page^[24]. Our page does not list an international department, although the hospital is on the 2025 provincial list of international outpatient departments (see below)^[18].
• Hainan Hospital of PLA General Hospital — a military public hospital in Haitang District. The enquiry number 96301 comes from an August 2022 municipal notice issued during COVID-19 restrictions, which we found only as a news repost^[26]; it may have changed. No international department or English-language services were found in the sources checked.

In June 2025 the Hainan government published a list of 31 institutions with international outpatient departments; appointments can be booked online or in person. From Sanya, the list includes Sanya People's Hospital and Sanya Hospital of TCM; from Qionghai, Ruijin Hainan Hospital and Boao Super Hospital^[18]. The list does not state the languages of these departments. All facilities in the city are on our page of Sanya hospitals; transport and accommodation are on the Sanya city page. If your plan includes recovery, see our guide to recovery and travel activities.

Boao Lecheng: when to go there specifically

Boao Lecheng makes sense if you need a specific drug or device approved abroad but not yet registered in China, and an authorised hospital in the zone has confirmed a licence for that exact product. The mechanism, limits and steps are covered in detail in our Boao Lecheng guide, so we will not repeat them here.

What matters for patients from Russia:

• Russia is among the countries patients come from. According to the Hainan government, in 2025 the zone hosted nearly 10,000 overseas medical trips from 14 countries and regions, including Russia^[19]. In the first quarter of 2026 the zone received 3,053 inbound medical tourists, and Russia is again named among the countries^[20]. These are figures on the number of trips, not on treatment outcomes.
• A single service center for international patients. In 2026 the zone opened a center that helps with visas and coordinates transfers, recovery and the tourism part of the trip. It runs a foreign-language hotline and a service-officer system: each international patient is assigned a dedicated staff member^[19]. In the CGTN report that gives the first-quarter 2026 figure, one institution said it offers one-on-one services in several languages, including Russian^[20]. Our report on the launch of this center is in the news section.
• Not every facility has international services. Our directory lists seven facilities in the zone (Boao hospitals). International services are mentioned on the pages of West China Lecheng Hospital and Boao Evergrande International Hospital. The pages of Boao Super Hospital and Ruijin Hainan Hospital do not list an international department, although both hospitals are on the 2025 provincial list of international outpatient departments^[18].
• Haikou as a back-up. In the provincial capital our directory lists three 3A hospitals (Haikou). Haikou People's Hospital lists a dedicated English-language line for its international clinic.

When to go: Sanya's climate

According to long-term data from Sanya's Bureau of Natural Resources and Planning, the rainy season runs from May to October and brings 91.7% of annual rainfall, while the dry season runs from November to April. The average temperature is 20.9 °C in January and 28.5 °C in June^[21]. According to the China Meteorological Administration, tropical cyclones affect Sanya most from June to November^[22]. Both sources are old (2012 and 1992), so check a current forecast before you travel. If predictable weather matters for your recovery, aim for the dry season. Most of it falls within the winter flight schedule, which runs from 25 October to 27 March^[13].

Limits to weigh

• The visa exemption ties you to the island. If your treatment plan changes while you are in Hainan, you cannot move to a hospital in Beijing or Shanghai without a visa^[4].
• 30 days is a hard limit. If a course of treatment or post-procedure follow-up may run longer, plan a visa or an extension from the start^[9].
• Russian is not guaranteed. None of the Sanya hospital pages in our directory lists Russian as a service language. Arrange an interpreter in advance — see our guide to language and interpreters.
• Follow-up at home. Monitoring after treatment and care for any complications will fall to doctors in Russia. Take your discharge summary and all results with you — see our guide to medical records and follow-up.
• Insurance. No policy is required to enter under the general visa exemption, but the Russian Consulate General in Guangzhou considers one necessary given the high cost of medical services in China^[7]. Ask your insurer whether the policy covers planned treatment — see our guide to insurance for treatment abroad.
• Payment. Check with your bank in advance whether your card will work in China. What works with Russian cards is covered in paying for treatment in China from Russia; the general rules are in our guide to paying with Alipay and WeChat Pay.
• Medical decisions belong to your doctor. Only your own doctor can judge whether the flight, a procedure or an imported drug is right for you. This article is not a substitute for a consultation.

Checklist before you buy tickets

1. Define the purpose of the trip (treatment, a check-up or a holiday) and the place: Hainan only, or the mainland as well.
2. If it is Hainan only and no more than 30 days, choose a direct flight to the island or a connection outside mainland China.
3. Get written confirmation of your appointment from the hospital, and for an S2 visa, an invitation letter. Our hospital inquiry letter template can help you write the request.
4. Fill in the electronic arrival card before departure.
5. Book accommodation and find out who handles accommodation registration.
6. Save your contacts: the Chinese Embassy in Moscow, the immigration service hotline +86 12367 and Hainan's exit-entry information line +86 898 12367.