The Macau government announced on Thursday that it will issue 914 additional permits for Macau-registered cars to enter Hong Kong via the Hong-Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB) — 558 for individuals and 356 for companies.
According to an announcement published in the Official Gazette (BO) on Thursday, the application period started Thursday and will end on October 23. The 914 permits will be valid for three years. Applicants will enter a lucky draw to get a permit, the results of which will be announced on October 29. Those obtaining a permit through the lucky draw will have to pay 1,000 patacas for the permit.
Before the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge opened in October 24 last year, the Macau government issued 600 permits for Macau-registered cars entering Hong Kong via the delta bridge, while the Hong Kong government issued 300 permits for Hong Kong-registered cars entering Macau via the bridge. Among the 600 permits issued by the Macau government valid for one year, 300 were for individual applicants while the other 300 were for Macau-registered companies. Each individual applicant or company applicant who obtained the one-year permit via a lucky draw during the application period in June last year had to pay 30,000 patacas for the permit.
Drastic fee reduction
The government has drastically reduced the permit fee, from 30,000 patacas last year to just 1,000 patacas this year.
The 300 permits issued by the Hong Kong government last year prior to the opening of the bridge for Hong Kong-registered cars were valid for three years.
In August this year, the Macau government launched an application process — which ended early last month — for the owners of the 600 permits to renew their permits. The renewed permits will be valid for three years. The owners of the 600 permits only had to pay 1,000 patacas to renew their permits.
The Hong Kong government announced in a statement on Thursday that it will issue 500 new permits for Hong Kong-registered cars to enter Macau via the delta bridge. Among the 500 new permits also valid for three years, 250 will be for individual applicants and 250 will be for company applicants. The Hong Kong government will launch the application process on October 21.
According to Thursday’s announcement in the Official Gazette, an individual applicant for a permit must be a Macau resident who is gainfully employed in Hong Kong, runs a company there, or owns a property there — residential property, commercial property, or a plot of land, parking spaces are excluded.
An individual applicant for a permit among the 600 one-year permits last year had to be a Macau permanent resident who was gainfully employed in Hong Kong or ran a company there.
According to Thursday’s announcement, concerning the other 356 permits for company applicants, a company registered both in Macau and Hong Kong can apply for a permit. A company registered in Macau which has links with a Hong Kong-registered company can also apply for a permit.
A company applicant for a permit among the 600 permits last year had to have a company registered in Macau holding over 50 per cent of the shares of its subsidiary in Hong Kong.
According to a statement by the Transport Bureau (DSAT) on Thursday about the local government’s launch of the 914 additional permits, the 356 new permits for “company applicants” include some existing permits whose owners did not renew their permits earlier this year. A DSAT spokesperson told The Macau Post Daily last night that the 356 permits include six existing company permits whose owners did not renew their permits during the August-September period.
