Macau, China, 16 Nov – From December Macau permanent residents will no longer need to fill in a declaration form when entering Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong and Macau governments will announce more details regarding the mutual immigration convenience measures shortly, according to Macao Daily News.
The immigration officials of the two places had said earlier that their electronic passenger clearance channels were expected to be open to permanent identity cards holders from another SAR by the end of this year.
The Macau immigration authority will also give similar immigration facilities to Hong Kong permanent residents.
According to the paper Macau permanent identity cards have been included in the scope of "valid travel documents" in Hong Kong , which provides a legal basis for allowing Macau residents to use the automated passenger clearance systems .
According to the existing definition of a "valid travel document" under the Immigration Ordinance of Hong Kong, Macau permanent identity cards are outside of the scope primarily because they do not indicate the holders’ nationalities.
A Hong Kong government spokesperson said that they planned to first open the "e-Channels" at the Shun Tak (Sheung Wan) and Kowloon ferry terminals to Macau permanent residents.
To facilitate longer stays for Macau visitors in Hong Kong, the government plans to extend the limit for permanent residents from 14 days to 180 days, and from 14 days to 30 days for non-permanent residents.
Macau has a population of 530,000 people and Hong Kong has 7 million inhabitants.
(MacauNews)
