Starting Thursday, residents of Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, and Taiwan region can now apply for a temporary electronic travel pass to meet urgent Chinese mainland travel needs, according to the National Immigration Administration (NIA).
They may also request to share information between their travel and residence permits to simplify their life on the mainland.
In a statement, the NIA announced that residents from these regions who lose, damage or mislay their travel permits before boarding trains or flights on the mainland can apply for a temporary electronic pass, valid for one week, through the agency’s online service platform, 12367. Residents in need can apply twice per month.
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Previously, they had to obtain written confirmation from local immigration offices in such situations.
Additionally, residents holding both travel and residence permits can now apply through the same platform to link the two documents. Previously, the data for these permits were managed separately, leading to cross-verification issues.
Government agencies and businesses serving Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents can also integrate their systems with the NIA's authentication platform for automatic verification.
An immigration official said the initiative is part of broader efforts to address the needs and expectations of Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan residents through innovative solutions.
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The official added that the NIA has collaborated with over 20 departments and enterprises, including the Ministry of Public Security, the People’s Bank of China, and the China National Railway Group, to streamline immigration-related paperwork in areas such as transportation, finance, and telecommunications.
The NIA has already implemented over 40 service measures for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents across 10 sectors, including transportation, finance and telecommunications, benefiting those residents through free real-time verification services.
Moving forward, the NIA will continue to enhance its efforts to support Hong Kong and Macao SARs in better integrating into the national development strategy and to promote cross-strait integration and development, the official said.
With Xinhua inputs
