Hong Kong and Macau permanent residents can now use a QR code for border crossing purposes under a joint measure designed to make immigration and clearance more convenient between the two special administrative regions.
The new measure is scheduled to become effective on Friday (19 July), saving QR code users the hassle of presenting physical documentation.
At a launch ceremony took place on Thursday morning, government officials said that the new immigration method would involve fingerprint and facial recognition screenings.
Benson Kwok, director of the Immigration of Hong Kong said in his address that nearly 2.5 million Hong Kong residents had registered to use the self-service channels in Macau.
According to Ng Wai Han, director of the Public Administration and Civil Service Bureau, as many as 300,000 Macau residents who have registered for Hong Kong’s e-channel services can update their Macao One Account accounts to generate a specific QR code for themselves.
The new function will be found in the ‘My border crossing’ section on the home page.
In 2023, the Macau authorities introduced digital identification to that app, enabling local residents to verify their identity at the immigration halls on the borders between Zhuhai and Macau.
When will non-permanent residents benefit from the new initiative?
The authorities said that they were considering the possibility of extending the new QR code immigration initiative to non-permanent residents in its next phase.
“At this stage, it is difficult to predict the number of potential applicants. However, both the Hong Kong and Macau systems have undergone thorough stress tests,” Ng told the media.
Under current arrangements, only permanent residents aged 11 or over are allowed to make registrations in Macau, Hengqin, or Hong Kong to use the e-channel services in Hong Kong.
Those aged 18 or older are allowed to make registrations at the self-service machines located at the 24-hour government service centres across the city, as well as the round-the-clock administrative service centre in Hengqin.
About three hours after successful registration, applicants will be allowed to produce their permanent resident ID card or QR code for the e-channel services.
