Starting July 10, non-Chinese, i.e., foreign permanent residents of Macau can apply for ID card-like travel permits to enter mainland China on multiple trips for up to 90 days each time within a five-year validity period, and China Travel Service (Macao) Limited Entry Permit Centre Department Deputy General Manager Conny Chan Kit Mui told the Post that as of 5 p.m. yesterday, the number of online applications received by the agency had reached about 1,700, mostly Portuguese nationals.
The National Immigration Administration (NIA) announced in early July that non-Chinese nationals who are permanent residents of Hong Kong and Macau may apply from July 10 for Hong Kong and Macau Residents’ Entry and Exit Permits for Travelling to and from the Mainland, underlining that those travelling to and from the mainland for short-term entry purposes such as investment, visiting relatives, tourism, business, seminars and exchanges, can submit their applications in person to China Travel Service (Hong Kong) Limited and China Travel Service (Macao) Limited respectively.
After completing the fingerprint collection and other formalities at border checkpoints, the travel card holders are exempted from filling in the alien entry card and can go through e-channels, according to NIA, which stresses in a statement on its website that permit holders shall not work, study or engage in activities such as news reporting while in the mainland.
Speaking to the Post on WeChat, Chan noted that among the about 1,700 applicants who have made online appointments, about 820 have meanwhile been processed, with nationals from Portugal, Malaysia and the Philippines accounting for most of the applicants.
This file photo taken on July 10 shows the four dedicated service counters for processing applications by foreign permanent residents of Macau for special travel permits to enter mainland China at China Travel Service (Macao) Limited on the first floor of Nam Kwong Building in Zape. – Photo: Yuki Lei
