Hong Kong gazettes bill to enable joint immigration checks at Shenzhen crossing
Passengers will undergo departure and arrival clearance at single checkpoint by presenting only travel document required for their destination
Hong Kong authorities have gazetted a new law regulating an upgraded border crossing between the city and Shenzhen, marking another major step towards introducing a joint clearance model that is expected to cut clearance times from 30 minutes to five.
The Huanggang Port Hong Kong Port Area Bill was gazetted on Tuesday, with a Security Bureau spokesman saying the official opening date of the upgraded port had yet to be finalised with mainland Chinese authorities.
“The official opening date is to be agreed upon by the Guangdong and Hong Kong governments,” the spokesman said.
The bill provides the legal grounds for the city to implement a co-location arrangement at the border crossing, which would be the first to use a “joint inspection” model for clearance.
Under the arrangement, passengers will undergo departure and arrival clearance at a single checkpoint by presenting only the travel document required for their destination, instead of passing through separate counters.
The bill will be tabled at the Legislative Council on Wednesday for the first and second readings.
Ahead of the local law, the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, China’s top legislative body, passed a bill to authorise the city’s jurisdiction over part of the port area on June 26.