“Smart Immigration Clearance” Applied to Upgraded One-stop Joint Services Lanes at Hengqin Port

MACAU, May 5 - To implement the spirit of the important instructions of “fulfilling the function of early and pilot implementation” and “bringing the integration of Hengqin and Macao to a higher level” given by President Xi Jinping during his inspection to Macao and the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, the Public Security Police Force, the Public Security Forces Affairs Bureau, the Zhuhai General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection and the Economic Development Bureau of the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin collaborate to promote intelligence upgrade at the Hengqin Port, enhance clearance convenience and efficiency and achieve high quality development of Macao-Hengqin integration with technology empowerment. To further unleash the benefits of Smart Immigration Clearance, through the consultation between the relevant units of Macao and Hengqin, it is decided that Smart Immigration Clearance measures will be introduced at the One-stop Joint Services Lanes at the Hengqin Port on 7 May 2026. This marks a new step in the smart development of the Hengqin Port and further enhances the facilitation standard of cross-boundary travel between Macao and Hengqin.

Smart Immigration Clearance was first applied to the joint inspection automated channels installed at the Passenger Inspection Hall and the Immigration Clearance Hall for On-board Passengers of the Hengqin Port on 5 November 2025. After six-months’ stable operation, the system proves to be reliable. The operation for immigration clearance is easy and simple. As of 30 April, over 280,000 eligible persons had registered for this service. The number of passengers who had used the service was over 4,660,000, accounting for about 35% of the overall number of users of the joint inspection automated channels. On this basis, the application of Smart Immigration Clearance is now extended to the One-stop Joint Services Lanes so that drivers need not present their physical identity document for immigration clearance. By passing the dual biometric verification of their fingerprint and facial features, they can quickly go through the frontier inspection of Macao and Hengqin. The overall immigration clearance efficiency is therefore enhanced.

Smart Immigration Clearance at One-stop Joint Services Lanes is applicable to the following four types of drivers:

1. Macao residents: holding a valid Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents (including non-Chinese citizens) and having registered for the automated clearance service of the Mainland
2. Hong Kong permanent residents: holding a valid Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents (including non-Chinese citizens) and having registered for the automated clearance services of the Mainland and Macao
3. Mainland residents: holding a valid Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao with multiple-entry endorsement for stay (D), visiting relatives (T), business visit (S), talents (T) or other purposes (Q), and having authorized the Macao competent authorities to read their fingerprint data when applying to the immigration control department on the Mainland for the above-mentioned travel document
4. Residents from the Region of Taiwan: holding a 5-year Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents and having registered for the automated clearance services of the Mainland and Macao

Registration for Smart Immigration Clearance Service at One-stop Joint Services Lanes

When going through immigration clearance formalities at the One-stop Joint Services Lanes at the Hengqin Port (from Macao to Hengqin or from Hengqin to Macao), eligible drivers should present their valid identity document according to the instructions shown on the “one-step personal data collection kiosk”. After completing the fingerprint and facial feature verification, they should read the “declaration of the registration for Smart Immigration Clearance at One-stop Joint Services Lanes” carefully and tap the “Agree” button. The registration consent is transmitted to the Macao and Mainland frontier inspection authorities simultaneously for record filing. Then, the registration procedure is completed.

In order to use the document-free clearance service at the One-stop Joint Services Lanes, all drivers are required to complete the registration as mentioned above even though they have registered for the use of Smart Immigration Clearance service at the joint inspection automated channels or at the traditional vehicular lanes at other Mainland ports.

Smart Immigration Clearance Procedure at One-stop Joint Services Lanes

When using the One-stop Joint Services Lanes for immigration clearance, drivers who have completed the registration procedure need not present their physical document to the “one-step personal data collection kiosk”. They just have to go through the fingerprint and facial feature verification according to the instructions and the frontier inspection by both Macao and Hengqin authorities is completed.

The upgraded lanes not only support document-free clearance but also retain the “card scan” function to satisfy the needs of different drivers. It is worth noting that drivers using the Smart Immigration Clearance service should still bring along their valid physical identity document for identity verification by the frontier inspection officers when necessary.

To ensure smooth implementation of the new measures, at the initial phase, the frontier inspection authorities and relevant units in Macao and Hengqin will deploy additional police officers and technical staff to the spot to provide guidance and assistance for the drivers so that they can quickly complete the registration procedure and get familiar with the clearance procedure. Moreover, the authorities will closely monitor the operation of the system, promptly inspect and address any unforeseen issues, spare no efforts in safeguarding the stability and high efficiency in the operation of the Smart Immigration Clearance system, and ensure safe and smooth passage for vehicles.

The upgrade of the One-stop Joint Services Lanes for the application of Smart Immigration Clearance at the lanes is a practical step in facilitating system interface, technical collaboration and service innovation of both Macao and Hengqin. Such measures serve as pilot demonstration of cross-boundary governance under the “one country, two systems” framework. In the future, the Public Security Police Force, the Public Security Forces Affairs Bureau, the Zhuhai General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection and the Economic Development Bureau of the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin will continue to align with the “Macao + Henqgin” strategic position and actively dovetail with the second-phase development of the Cooperation Zone by centering around the core objective of the Macao-Hengqin integration development. The bureaus will also continue to intensify the development of smart ports and explore more diversified, more convenient and more efficient clearance modes to provide facilitation to the Macao residents in the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin in the aspects of living and employment, enabling efficient and smooth flow between people of the two places. The government organizations will strive to inject new impetus for regional high quality integration development and contribute to the enrichment of the practice of “one country, two systems”.