The Macau government organised a media tour yesterday afternoon briefing reporters about the Macau-Hengqin joint border checkpoint’s new immigration clearance hall for vehicle passengers, which will open at 3 p.m. today.
From this afternoon, all eligible vehicle passengers can pass border controls via the new hall just next to the checkpoint’s vehicle inspection channels without having to use its pedestrian immigration building anymore.
The Macau Public Security Police (PSP) said yesterday that the new hall’s operational start will make it more comfortable for vehicle passengers to cross the Macau-Hengqin border.
Since the Macau-mainland joint checkpoint on Zhuhai’s Hengqin island opened in August 2020, vehicle passengers in general had been required to pass border controls via its pedestrian immigration building, except four special groups, who were always allowed to pass border controls via the checkpoint’s vehicle inspection channels with the drivers, namely Chinese nationals including pregnant women, the elderly aged 70 or over, children aged 10 or below, as well as all those with disabilities.
The Hengqin checkpoint’s 30 vehicle inspection channels comprise 15 departure channels (from Macau to Hengqin) and 15 arrival channels (from Hengqin to Macau).
The 15 channels on each side comprise nine for passenger vehicles (cars and tourist coaches) and six for goods vehicles.
From today, all vehicle passengers in the four special groups are still allowed to cross the Macau-Hengqin border together with the drivers.
From 3 p.m. today, all passengers of non-commercial vehicles with up to nine seats, such as private cars, crossing the Macau-Hengqin border can pass border controls via the checkpoint’s new immigration clearance hall for vehicle passengers without having to use its pedestrian immigration building.
However, from today other vehicle passengers, such as tourist coach passengers not among the four special groups, will still be required to pass border controls via the pedestrian immigration building, i.e., they cannot use the vehicle inspection channels’ adjacent immigration clearance hall for vehicle passengers.
The same as the Hengqin checkpoint’s pedestrian immigration building and vehicle inspection channels, the “joint inspection and one-time release” immigration clearance system has also been adopted at its new immigration clearance hall for vehicle passengers, where they will be required to pass border controls only once when completing their departure and arrival formalities.
The Hengqin checkpoint’s pedestrian immigration building and vehicle inspection channels operate 24/7. Its vehicle-passenger immigration clearance hall that will come into service this afternoon also operates 24/7.
11 channels on each side
During yesterday’s media tour, PSP senior officer Kuok Lai In showed reporters how vehicle passengers can walk from the transport platform on the Hengqin checkpoint’s Macau-administered zone to the new immigration clearance hall for vehicle passengers.
Kuok noted that the vehicle-passenger immigration clearance hall comprises eight e-channels and three manual inspection channels on each of the departure and arrival sides.
On each side, the hall has a capacity for up to 1,500 travellers to pass border controls per hour, Kuok said.
Kuok underlined that the new hall will make it a shorter walking distance for vehicle passengers to cross the Macau-Hengqin border.
The new hall’s operational start expects to make it more comfortable for vehicle passengers to cross the border more quickly, Kuok said.
With the new facility to open this afternoon, eligible vehicle passengers will no longer have to cross the border with other pedestrian travellers.
Yesterday’s media tour arranged for reporters to cross the Macau-Hengqin border via the new vehicle-passenger immigration clearance hall without requiring them to pass border controls, after which the reporters were briefed about the hall at the Hengqin side.
Daily capacity of up to 16,000 vehicles
At the Hengqin side, media workers were briefed by Peng Bo, a mainland official tasked with overseeing the construction development of the Hengqin checkpoint and its transport facilities.
Peng said that currently around 5,400 Macau vehicles with a permit to travel within Hengqin, colloquially known as a single licence plate, cross the Macau-Hengqin border, on average, every day. He noted that the Hengqin checkpoint’s vehicle inspection channels have a capacity of up to 16,000 vehicles per day, because of which the vehicle channels and their adjacent immigration hall for passengers are able to meet the current need.
Peng said that currently it takes a car two minutes, on average, to pass the checkpoint’s vehicle inspection channels, while each vehicle passenger is expected to be able to pass border controls at the new hall in 30 seconds. He mentioned as an example that if a car has three passengers, the driver can be expected to only have to wait for his or her passengers for a short time after crossing the border, and vice versa.
This photo taken during yesterday’s media tour shows the e-channels at the Hengqin checkpoint’s vehicle-passenger immigration hall. – Photos: Tony Wong
Public Security Police (PSP) senior officer Kuok Lai In (centre) briefs reporters at the entrance of the vehicle-passenger immigration hall yesterday, as Macau Customs Service senior officer Lei Hoi Heng (left) and Health Bureau (SSM) official Lei Pui I look on.
Peng Bo, a mainland official tasked with overseeing the construction development of the Hengqin checkpoint and its transport facilities, yesterday talks to reporters outside its vehicle inspection channels en route to Macau.
