Non-Chinese Permanent Residents of Hong Kong and Macao SARs Eligible to Apply for Mainland Travel Permits from July 10

The 27th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China was celebrated on July 1, 2024. On the same day, the Exit and Entry Administration, P.R.C. announced that the Mainland Travel Permits for Hong Kong and Macao Residents (Non-Chinese) would be issued to non-Chinese permanent residents of Hong Kong and Macao SARs from July 10, 2024, as part of the efforts to improve communication and exchanges between the residents of the Chinese mainland and the two SARs, and to facilitate the integration of the two SARs into the broader national development framework.

According to the relevant provisions stipulated in the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China and the Basic Law of the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, a permanent resident in Hong Kong or Macao SAR can be either a Chinese citizen or a non-Chinese citizen. With the rapid development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the high-quality progress of the Belt and Road Initiative, Hong Kong and Macao SARs are being deeply integrated into the national development framework of China to an unprecedented extent. Currently, non-Chinese permanent residents of the two SARs, like those permanent residents who are Chinese citizens, are showing a growing need for investment visits, business negotiations, academic activities, scientific and technological exchanges, tourism, and recreational experiences in the Chinese mainland. The exchanges between residents from the Chinese mainland and the two SARs are becoming more and more frequent. To facilitate the travel of the permanent residents of Hong Kong and Macao SARs to and from the Chinese mainland, the Exit and Entry Administration, P.R.C. decided to issue the Mainland Travel Permits for Hong Kong and Macao Residents for the non-Chinese permanent residents of the two SARs in accordance with the laws.

According to an official of the Exit and Entry Administration, P.R.C., non-Chinese permanent residents in Hong Kong and Macao SARs now have the option to apply for the Mainland Travel Permits for Hong Kong and Macao Residents (Non-Chinese) based on their needs. For any non-Chinese permanent resident who will apply for the first time, he/she must submit the application in person to China Travel Service (Holdings) Hong Kong Limited or China Travel Service (Macao) Ltd., two companies authorized by the Exit and Entry Administration, P.R.C. to offer the relevant services. If a travel permit has expired or been damaged or lost during its holder's stay in the Chinese mainland, an application for replacement or reissuance shall be submitted in person to the exit-entry administration of a public security organ at or above the municipal level (in a region with districts) in the Chinese mainland; alternatively, the holder can first apply for an exit permit, leave the Chinese mainland, and apply for the replacement or reissuance at China Travel Service (Holdings) Hong Kong Limited or China Travel Service (Macao) Ltd. A holder of a Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents can enter and exit the Chinese mainland multiple times within the five-year validity period of the permit, with each stay period not exceeding 90 days. According to the regulations specified in the announcement on preserving fingerprints and other biometric information of foreign nationals entering China by the Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China in 2017, holders of the Mainland Travel Permits for Hong Kong and Macao Residents, who have submitted their fingerprints at exit-entry ports and completed other necessary procedures, may use fast lanes to enter and exit the Chinese mainland. The holders are prohibited from working, studying, or participating in activities like news interviews in the Chinese mainland. Individuals planning to engage in any of the aforementioned activities must apply for visas or stay/residence permits at the commissioner's offices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in Hong Kong and Macao SARs, or the exit-entry administrations of the public security organs in the Chinese mainland in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations.

The official stated that the implementation of this new policy will further contribute to the communication and exchanges between the residents in the Chinese mainland and the two SARs, and facilitate business investment, cultural tourism, education, scientific research, etc. The policy is also aimed at the integration of Hong Kong and Macao SARs into the national development framework of China, and the long-term prosperity and stable growth of the two SARs supported by preferential services. Moving forward, the Exit and Entry Administration, P.R.C. will focus on enhancing reforms and innovation for exit-entry management services, continuously promote the new practices of the "One Country, Two Systems" policy in the field of exit-entry management, and spare no effort to serve high-level openness and promote high-quality development, to help the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to reach new heights. The Exit and Entry Administration will also strive to ensure better and more efficient exchanges between the residents from the Chinese mainland and the two SARs, and foster the greater and more rapid growth of the two SARs through their integration into the broader national development framework.