SCIO: 30,000 non-Chinese permanent residents of HK and Macao have submitted applications for special travel permits

Non-Chinese permanent residents of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and Macao SAR are eligible to apply for special travel permits to enter the Chinese mainland since July 10.

The State Council Information Office (SCIO) held a press conference on Promoting High-Quality Development today (Aug. 19). Peng Ling, director general of the Department of Citizens Exit-Entry Management of the National Immigration Administration, said that 30,000 non-Chinese permanent residents of Hong Kong and Macao have submitted applications since the implementation of the new policy and that some of the permit holders enjoyed the convenience on the day they got the permit.

She said that as they are contributors to Hong Kong and Macao, the issue of travel permits for them to enter the mainland corresponds to the "one country, two systems" principle and the new needs and expectations of Hong Kong and Macao, serving as a major measure of institutional opening-up with regard to exit-entry management.

She also pointed out that, permit holders can travel to and from the mainland as many times as they like within the five-year validity period, compared with the previous practice of passports, thus making it possible for them to travel to and from the mainland as they wish. They can stay in the mainland for up to 90 days at a time, which meets their needs for investment negotiations, trade cooperation, scientific research exchanges, visiting relatives and friends, etc. Exempted from filling in an arrival card, they can choose to go through the e-channel, enjoying the great efficiency.

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