The Macau government has announced that from today vehicle passengers aged 14 or below can also pass the Hengqin border checkpoint’s vehicle inspection channels with the driver in the car, a relaxation from children aged 10 or below.
The Public Security Police (PSP) announced the new measure, which took effect at 00:00 today, in a statement on its WeChat account on Friday.
The Macau-mainland joint checkpoint on Zhuhai’s Hengqin island operates 24/7.
The new measure covers all Chinese nationals as well as foreign nationals who are Hong Kong and Macau residents.
Since July last year, non-Chinese nationals who are permanent residents of Hong Kong and Macau have been able to apply for a mainland travel permit, officially known as “Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents (Non-Chinese Citizens)”. However, holders of this version of the travel permits can only stay for up to 90 days each time they enter the mainland, unlike their Chinese-national counterparts who are not subject to a limitation on the length of time they stay in the mainland.
The mainland travel permits held by Hong Kong and Macau Chinese nationals are colloquially known as Home Return Permits.
Moreover, while the Home Return Permits for adults are valid for 10 years and those held by under 18s are valid for five years, the mainland travel permits held by Hong Kong and Macau non-Chinese nationals, regardless of age, are only valid for five years.
The PSP statement noted with the implementation of the new measure from today, the four special categories allowed to pass the Hengqin checkpoint’s vehicle inspection channels in the car with the driver now comprise three categories of Chinese nationals or those holding a Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents (Non-Chinese Citizens), namely those aged 70 or over, those aged 14 or below, and pregnant women, as well as anyone with disabilities regardless of nationality.
When crossing the Macau-Hengqin joint checkpoint, vehicle passengers in general, i.e., those not among the four special categories, are required to pass border controls via its immigration clearance hall for vehicle passengers located near the vehicle inspection channels, i.e., they have to get out of the car and walk to the immigration clearance hall to go through its inspection channels before returning to the car.
The PSP statement also underlined that the new measure, which has been jointly decided by the Public Security Police and Zhuhai’s immigration authorities, aims to make it more convenient for people to travel between Macau and Hengqin and advance the high-quality Macau-Hengqin integrated development.
This undated handout photo released by the Public Security Police (PSP) on Friday shows a PSP officer guiding car drivers to the Hengqin joint checkpoint’s vehicle inspection channels.
