To provide a method for safely and efficiently producing a ruthenium carbene complex of industrially usable price useful as a catalyst for metathesis reaction using inexpensive raw materials.

The method comprises carrying out a reaction between a ruthenium complex of the general formula:Ru(X1)2[P(R1)3]3(wherein, X1 is a halogen atom; R1 is a (substituted) aromatic hydrocarbon group ), a phosphine compound of the general formula:P(R2)3(wherein, R2 is a 2-8C aliphatic hydrocarbon group or 5-8C alicyclic hydrocarbon group) and a halogeno compound of the general formula:R3CH(X2)2(wherein, R3 is a (substituted) aromatic hydrocarbon group; and X2 is a halogen atom) in the presence of a reducing metal to obtain the objective ruthenium carbene complex of the general formula:Ru(X1)2[P(R2)3]2(=CHR3)(wherein, X1, R2 and R3 are the same as mentioned above, respectively).