Hong Kong and Macau residents can apply for temporary mainland Chinese travel permits using a mobile app from Thursday, with the policy one of two new measures announced by the country’s immigration authorities to allow for smoother travel.
The Exit and Entry Administration said that residents from the two cities, alongside those from Taiwan, could now apply for the seven-day permits if they had lost their regular papers while travelling on the mainland and needed to fly domestically or go somewhere by train.
The application process could be done instantly using the National Immigration Administration’s mobile app, it added.
Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.
Central authorities said the new measure could help prevent delays if someone lost, forgot or damaged their standard permits but urgently needed to travel by plane or train on the mainland.
But the temporary permit cannot be used to cross the mainland’s borders.
The previous system required Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan residents who had lost their mainland permits while travelling to visit public security authorities and file an application in person.
Under the second new policy, central authorities can now issue official proof linking the mainland travel documents of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan residents with their Chinese residence permits, which are granted to those who have lived on the mainland for more than six months.
Such residents can apply for the proof using mainland immigration authorities’ online service platform, or at the offices of the Exit and Entry Administration.
The measure streamlined the verification process for holders of both permits who hoped to access various services, mainland authorities said.
Under the previous system, those holding both permits could use one of the documents for financial or internet services, but the other paper might not be accepted as an alternative form of proof.
The Exit and Entry Administration said the two new policies aimed to facilitate the integration of Hong Kong and Macau residents into the rest of the country by using technological solutions to address their urgent and practical needs.
More from South China Morning Post:
- Hong Kong multi-entry scheme ‘likely to cover more mainland cities this year’
- 20,000 mainland travel permits issued to Hong Kong permanent residents in past 3 months
For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2025.
