BEIJING – Two checkpoints in Guangdong Province will pilot express border inspection channels for eligible travellers between the mainland and Hong Kong and Macau, starting next Wednesday, the National Immigration Administration (NIA) has announced.
According to an NIA statement yesterday, under the pilot programme, those travelling frequently between the mainland and Hong Kong and Macau for personal reasons no longer need to present travel documents at border checks, on condition that they allow border inspectors to collect and verify their facial features, fingerprints and other personal information, according to the statement.
Such travellers, aged at least 14, include mainland residents with valid documents for multiple entries into the Hong Kong and Macau special administrative regions (SARs), and Hong Kong and Macau residents holding valid permits for entering the mainland.
However, travellers still need to carry their physical permits for other procedures upon arrival, the statement noted.
The pilot program will be implemented at Shenzhen Bay Port (border checkpoint) in the city of Shenzhen, which is adjacent to Hong Kong, and Gongbei Port in Zhuhai City neighbouring Macau.
The pilot channels currently do not apply to mainland residents holding entry-exit permits issued for official business, the statement added.
An NIA official has told Xinhua that the programme will make travel for convenient, facilitate personnel flow between the mainland and Hong Kong and Macau and promote the two SARs' better integration into overall national development.
- Xinhua, MPD
Caption: This undated pixelated handout photo provided by the Public Security Police Force (PSP) recently shows a traveller passing through the e-channels at Macau's Barrier Gate checkpoint, the main landborder checkpoint between the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) and Zhuhai City's Gongbei Port in Guangdong Province.
