The Identification Service Bureau has confirmed that about 19,500 non-Chinese Macao permanent residents will be eligible for Mainland Travel Permits when the scheme comes into effect on 10 July, TDM reports.
Most are reportedly Portuguese, US and Thai citizens, and the figure represents 2.7 percent of the SAR’s total population.
The new permit scheme, announced 1 July, grants eligible applicants from both Macao and Hong Kong the right to visa-free travel to mainland China for periods of up to 90 days at a time. Previously, only SAR residents with Chinese nationality were able to freely travel across the borders.
[See more: What to know about the Mainland Travel Permit for non-Chinese permanent residents of Macao and Hong Kong]
The South China Morning Post has reported that Hong Kong is home to about 270,000 foreign permanent residents who will be eligible for the scheme.
The new five-year permits will enable bearers to engage in activities such as tourism, business, visiting family and seminars – but not to work.
Issued by the China Travel Service, each permit costs HK$260 for an initial application. Permits are expected to be issued within 20 working days of an application being officially accepted.
