New Mainland Travel Permit system welcomed as 98% of British Chamber of Commerce members applied
Starting in July of this year, non-Chinese nationals who are permanent residents of Hong Kong and Macao have applied for a Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents (Non-Chinese Citizens), allowing them to use self-service lanes at mainland checkpoints.
Nearly two months after implementing the new measures, many foreign residents in Hong Kong have praised the convenience. This morning, Simon Manning, the managing director of Nina Hospitality, used his new Mainland Travel Permit to travel to Shenzhen via the Lok Ma Chau checkpoint.
Manning stated that he had applied for and received his new permit a month ago, and this was not his first time using it. Typically, it takes about 15 minutes to cross the border with the new permit, which he finds very convenient. Previously, Manning traveled to the mainland monthly for work and expects to increase his trips north. He also plans to visit the mainland with his family for leisure in the future.
In the past, Manning used the "APEC Business Travel Card" and a Chinese visa for his trips to the mainland. He described the application and renewal processes for these documents as cumbersome, with the APEC card requiring renewal every six months and necessitating the use of non-resident lanes at the border, where his colleagues had to wait for him outside the checkpoint. He described the new measures as a significant innovation that facilitates business in the industry and hopes that in the future, the new permit could be extended to require renewal only every ten years.
Manning also noted that, according to his knowledge, 98% of the British Chamber of Commerce members have applied for the Mainland Travel Permit. He has heard similar enthusiastic responses from the European, Malaysian, and Singaporean Chambers of Commerce.
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