Hong Kong introduces contactless immigration channels featuring facial recognition technology

The new ‘contactless e-channels’ will enable users to cross the border in seven seconds flat, immigration official says

The e-channels have so far been installed at Hong Kong International Airport, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge and the Shenzhen Bay border crossing

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Hong Kong is introducing new ‘contactless e-channels’ to enable smoother immigration at three checkpoints. Photo: Dickson Lee

Published: 8:20pm, 30 Nov 2021Updated: 1:52pm, 1 Dec 2021

Contactless immigration clearance channels using QR codes and facial recognition technology will be introduced for the first time on Wednesday at three Hong Kong border control points.

Hong Kong residents aged 11 and up who register on a mobile app will be able to enter and leave the city through the new “contactless e-channels”, installed at Hong Kong International Airport, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge and the Shenzhen Bay border crossing.

Immigration Department assistant director for information systems Gavin Ho Ka-wing said the new channels enhanced the convenience and safety of the immigration clearance process, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The process is more convenient because we do not have to take the ID cards out of our purses and handbags,” he said. “It is more hygienic as we do not need to share the same fingerprint readers.”

The new contactless route will give travellers entering the city an alternative to traditional manned counters and the existing fingerprint-scanning e-channels.

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