30,000 non-Chinese residents get mainland travel permit

Up to 30,000 non-Chinese residents in Hong Kong and Macau have applied for the home-return permits to travel to the mainland, said Peng Ling, chief of China’s Exit and Entry Administration.

This came as China previously announced that it would extend the issuance of the mainland travel permit, generally known as the home-return permit, to non-Chinese permanent residents of the two SARs to enhance people-to-people exchanges.

Peng said today that since the implementation of the new policy, over 30,000 non-Chinese residents in Hong Kong and Macau have applied for these permits, with some of them having already experienced the convenience and efficiency of customs clearance on the day they received their permits.

She said non-Chinese residents in the two cities are contributors and builders of the society and the issuance of the travel permits is a significant reform that comprehensively and accurately implements the "One Country, Two Systems" policy. 

The move also actively responds to the latest needs and expectations of Hong Kong and Macau society, she said.

Meanwhile, Peng said the new travel permit allows holders to travel to the mainland multiple times during the five-year validity period and can accommodate travelers’ needs to stay for up to 90 days each time for purposes such as investment, visiting relatives, tourism, business, seminars and exchanges.

Permit holders can also enjoy convenient customs clearance procedures - being exempted from filling out arrival cards for foreigners and having access to faster self-service clearance.