Hengqin Port is currently launching new cardless channels that allow travellers to cross between Macao and Hengqin through a face scan. That’s according to the governor of Guangdong province, Wang Weizhong, who was speaking during the open day of the Guangdong National People’s Congress yesterday.
Wang said he believed the new channels would improve the checkpoint experience for travellers. Such document-free lanes are already in operation at Macao’s busiest land crossing, Gongbei Port, which introduced some 40 channels – 20 for arrivals and 20 for departures – as part of a pilot scheme launched on 20 November last year.
To be eligible for the card-free channels, travellers are required to be Macao, Hong Kong or mainland residents who are 14 years or over. They must also possess the appropriate documents such as a valid Mainland Travel Permit, in the case of residents from the SARs.
While the channels allow travellers to dispense with their physical cards, they are still required to carry such documents during their trip, as they are necessary for accommodation, transport and inspection by officials.
[See more: Zhuhai’s government makes Hengqin a major focus for 2025]
“It’s really easy. You just scan your face, press ‘agree’ and then you can pass through,” a Macao resident identified by the surname Lei said to the media during the channels’ inauguration at the Gongbei Port. “I think it’s faster and more convenient.”
Meanwhile, the deputy director of the Gongbei Inspection Station remarked that the card-free channels aligned with “people’s expectations for convenient clearance,” noting that it “effectively” streamlined the procedure.
While Hengqin Port’s traffic still pales in comparison to the over 110 million crossings that were made at the Gongbei Port last year, foot and vehicular traffic at the port has been steadily growing in recent years.
Last year, it registered more than 22.8 million crossings, an increase of 36 percent year-on-year.
