In an exhaust gas turbocharger for an internal combustion engine including an exhaust gas turbine in the exhaust line and a compressor in the intake tract of the internal combustion engine, and the exhaust gas turbine includes a gas inlet passage with a variable guide vane structure supported on one side of a support ring arranged in the inlet flow passage to the turbine wheel, the support ring is mounted in a floating manner such that the side thereof, which faces away form the guide vanes is exposed to the gas pressure in the inlet flow passage in order to bias the support ring toward the opposite inlet flow passage wall and spacer sleeves with expansion properties similar to those of the guide vanes are provided between the support ring and the opposite flow passage wall for delimiting the clearance between the guide vanes and the opposite flow passage wall.