As an important part of transmission line protection device, distance protection has been widely applied in high voltage and ultra-high voltage power grid. However, the existence of transition resistance seriously threatens the correctness of distance protection action, which may cause mal-operation or miss operation easily. In the light of the existing research results, firstly, this paper emphasizes the classification, configuration, setting principles and the influence of transition resistance on the performance of distance protection. Secondly, it summarizes the current research achievements of impedance relay, distance relay and ranging protection with resistance to transition resistance and analyzes the problems that may be faced in practical application. Thirdly, it discusses the development trend of distance protection based on the current situation of power grid and electrical technology, which hope to provide a reference for further research on the resistance to transition resistance of distance protection. This work is supported by Science and Technology Project of State Grid Corporation of China (No. 521104170012 and No. 521101180004).