The central government announced on Friday new policies enabling residents of Shenzhen and Zhuhai to make more frequent visits to the neighbouring special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau according to a statement issued by the National Immigration Administration (NIA) on Friday.
Starting on January 1, permanent residents of Zhuhai City will be able to apply for a “one trip per week” permit for Macau. Under the policy, they can visit Macau once per calendar week, with a maximum stay of seven days per trip, the statement said.
Also starting on January 1, permanent residents and residence permit holders in the Guangdong-Macau In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin will be eligible to apply for multi-entry permits to Macau, enabling unrestricted visits for up to seven days per stay within a one-year validity period, the statement said.
Meanwhile, starting yesterday, permanent residents of Shenzhen and holders of residence permits in the city will be eligible to apply for multi-entry permits to Hong Kong. The permits allow unlimited visits to the city within a year, with each stay capped at seven days, the statement said.
The measures are seen as the central government’s latest efforts to enhance mobility and foster deeper integration within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA), the statement said.
Macau’s Public Security Police (PSP) expressed their gratitude to the central government for the new policy in a statement released on Friday, adding that the force will maintain a close liaison with the National Immigration Administration and keep a close watch on various border checkpoints, while continuing to enhance the efficiency of immigration clearance and to ensure that the new policy will be implemented in a satisfactory manner.
The Public Security Police also said in the statement that the measures would solidify Macau’s status as a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure while promoting regional integration.
The Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) said in separate statement on Friday that it will make good use of the various measures that benefit Macau, continue to deepen the cross-border integration of “Tourism +” attractions, do a good job in publicity and promotion activities, promote the “Macau Courtesy Campaign”, enhance the competitiveness of Macau’s tourism, continue to expand visitor sources, and promote the diversified and sustainable development of Macau’s tourism industry.
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 land border checkpoint between the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) and Zhuhai City’s Gongbei Port (checkpoint).
