Hong Kong is accelerating the digital overhaul of its land and sea checkpoints with two flagship projects unveiled in a Legislative Council reply late on 11 November. The Immigration Department confirmed that its pilot “Seamless e-Channel” at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) Hong Kong Port—an automated gate that uses facial-recognition instead of travel documents—will be extended from the departure hall to the arrival hall in the coming months. More than 79,000 permanent residents have enrolled since the pilot opened on 25 June, representing almost 80 % of those eligible and accounting for over 200,000 passenger movements. Officials also disclosed that December will see the launch of an Automated Transportation On-board Clearance System. The scheme will allow pre-registered private-car drivers and passengers to remain in their vehicles while multiple cameras capture their faces and match them to immigration databases in roughly 20 seconds—down from the current two-minute stop-and-show-passport procedure. The pilot applies initially at the HZMB port during off-peak hours and, if successful, will be rolled out to other boundary control points such as West Kowloon High-Speed-Rail. Both initiatives form part of Hong Kong’s long-term plan to adopt “collaborative inspection and joint clearance” with Shenzhen and to support the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area’s goal of seamless people and cargo flows. Authorities are simultaneously studying 24-hour cargo clearance at additional crossings and flexible quota arrangements for cross-boundary private cars. For business travellers and mobility managers, the upgrades promise materially shorter clearance times, reduced document handling, and the ability to keep high-value executives in controlled environments (vehicle cabins) during clearance—an attractive risk-management feature. Companies moving goods by road can also expect faster turnaround once the contact-less system is extended to freight vehicles. In practical terms, eligible Hong Kong permanent residents aged 11 or above who have passed through HZMB at least six times in the previous 90 days can register online or in person for the Seamless e-Channel. Firms with cross-boundary car permits should monitor Immigration Department notices in December for enrollment details for the on-board clearance pilot.
Source: HKSAR Government Press Release
