Arguably the worst parts about making a trip up to mainland China from Hong Kong are the long slog through the unnecessarily large checkpoint spaces and queuing up to go through immigration twice. Shenzhen daytrippers will be glad to know that things have now been streamlined with the opening of the new Huanggang Port on October 12.
Huanggang is now the first checkpoint in Hong Kong to adopt the ‘Collaborative Inspection and Joint Clearance’ mode – which basically means that travellers only have to go through immigration once to clear both the Hong Kong and mainland Chinese checks. Going from two sets of queues to clear either e-Channels or manual document checks, to a single set of gates via fingerprint scanning will save a significant amount of time that would better be spent shopping, eating, or getting massaged.
In the past, foreign passport holders without a Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents (colloquially referred to as the ‘wui heung jing’ in Cantonese) have always had to go through the manual clearance queues, but Huanggang’s new facilities include dedicated e-Channels for foreign travelers.
The Huanggang Port is equipped with 134 e-Channels and 68 manual counters. If you haven’t done so yet, it’s a good idea to register in advance via the Hong Kong e-Channel mobile app or at service kiosks, so you can use the e-Channels or face-scanning clearance instead of the slower manual counters. You can also do the registration directly at the turnstiles when crossing, in a one-off process that should only take a minute or two.
The process is also streamlined for cross-boundary private cars, which can complete Shenzhen-Hong Kong Customs and Immigration checks in a single stop as well. Drivers can stay in the car while accompanying passengers must disembark with their luggage and proceed to L1M and L3M levels to complete immigration formalities.
To make travel even easier, multiple routes for franchised buses and green minibuses have been added to the Huanggang Port building. These include seven bus routes to neighbourhoods like Kai Tak, Wu Kai Sha, and Siu Sai Wan, while six minibuses connect to areas like Mong Kok and Tuen Mun. These options can be accessed from the public transport interchange on the 2/F of the port building.
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