Eligible Hong Kong residents entering and exiting Macao will be able to make use of the city’s iris-scanning checkpoint channels starting from 12 pm tomorrow, the Public Security Police (PSP) said in a statement yesterday.
Hong Kong permanent residents who are 11 years or older will be permitted to register for the biometric system, which is currently in use across six checkpoints. They include the Border Gate, the Macao Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, Macao International Airport, Taipa Ferry Terminal, the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal and the Inner Harbour Ferry Terminal.
To make use of the iris scanning channels, Hong Kong residents need to simply go through automated channels that have a registration function. The process “generally takes about 25 seconds,” the PSP said.
Manual registration is also available between 10 am to 7 pm at five out of the six ports equipped with iris-scanning channels, with the sole exception being the Inner Harbour Ferry Terminal.
The PSP said the new measure will “facilitate Hong Kong residents’ travel to Macao” after the two SARs launched a successful scheme last August that allows residents from the two SARs to cross between the two cities with a QR code.
[See more: Hengqin Port is introducing card-free automated barriers]
Currently there are 81 iris channels scattered across the six Macao checkpoints, with 71 of them featuring second-generation recognition devices such as larger monitors and face tracking systems that allow for improved crossings.
The PSP stated that it is planning to install another 71 iris scanning channels across the various checkpoints later this year, and is looking into the possibility of the system’s user base to include “non-resident workers and non-resident students who are long-term stayers in Macao.”
The law enforcement agency said the new technology creates a more streamlined and hygienic crossing experience, and permits usage of the automated channels by those whose fingerprints cannot be read.
PSP data indicates that as of May, some 300,000 Macao residents were registered for the iris crossing channels, with over 15.78 million people having made use of the service. This figure is equivalent to 42 percent of the usage rate for the conventional automated channels.
