Episode Details

Non-Chinese permanent residents of the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions applying for a new card-style Chinese mainland travel permit have welcomed its potential to facilitate business and leisure travel while calling for clearer and more detailed guidance during the application process.

When applications opened on Wednesday, a flood of non-Chinese permanent residents lined up at China Travel Service offices in the two regions to submit their documents. Some even arrived an hour before they opened.

The permits cost HK$260($33) and enable multiple entries to the mainland for five years. Each stay is limited to 90 days, providing flexibility for travelers to engage in business, tourism or other activities.

Applicants need to go to designated CTS offices in person to submit documents. The CTS office in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong, has set up two dedicated counters to process applications, with processing and issuance expected to take 20 working days.

A bank employee from the United States said everything went smoothly for his application in a CTS office on Hong Kong Island, as he had thoroughly checked the required documents in advance.

He said he's curious about the mainland and looks forward to traveling to Guilin, in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, after he gets the permit.

South Korean Tony Kim Taejung, 33, works as an airline customer adviser and has lived in Hong Kong for around 11 years. He goes to Shenzhen, Guangdong province, every week for dining or shopping, but said the clearance procedure was cumbersome as he had to fill out an arrival card every time.

With the new permit, he will be able to use the e-channel to cross the border, without needing to present his passport.

Australian content creator Aaron Busch, who applied in Mong Kok, said the process could be challenging for expats who don't speak Chinese, as there was limited English guidance available at the office.

Two Indians failed to submit applications due to their inability to understand and read Chinese. Seeking the permit to engage in business on the mainland, they initially went to the immigration department, but were instructed to go to the CTS office first.

Listen Now