Also unveiled on 3 November was the rollout of “document-free” facial-recognition clearance lanes at five busy Shenzhen land ports—Huanggang, Luohu, Liantang, Futian and Wenjindu—as well as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) Port.
Travellers who pre-register their facial and fingerprint data with China’s National Immigration Administration can now cross the border simply by walking through a biometric corridor, cutting average processing time to under 10 seconds. The lanes run in parallel with traditional e-channel booths and are open to Hong Kong residents, Mainland visitors holding valid permits and frequent foreign travellers registered under China’s smart-travel programmes.
![Facial-recognition e-gates launched at Shenzhen and Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge ports]()
For global-mobility managers, the new technology promises much faster commuting for employees who cross the boundary daily between Hong Kong headquarters and Shenzhen R&D sites. Pilot data shared by Shenzhen authorities show throughput improvements of up to 30 %, alleviating peak-hour congestion that often pushes queue times well above one hour.
Employers should brief staff on the voluntary enrolment process and updated privacy rules. While China issued nationwide guidelines on the safe application of facial recognition earlier this year, companies remain responsible for informing staff of data-sharing implications and obtaining consent where required by Hong Kong or EU GDPR rules.
Looking ahead, Hong Kong’s Immigration Department says it will introduce compatible biometric gates at its side of the Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau checkpoints in 2026, paving the way for true one-stop clearance.
Travellers who pre-register their facial and fingerprint data with China’s National Immigration Administration can now cross the border simply by walking through a biometric corridor, cutting average processing time to under 10 seconds. The lanes run in parallel with traditional e-channel booths and are open to Hong Kong residents, Mainland visitors holding valid permits and frequent foreign travellers registered under China’s smart-travel programmes.
For global-mobility managers, the new technology promises much faster commuting for employees who cross the boundary daily between Hong Kong headquarters and Shenzhen R&D sites. Pilot data shared by Shenzhen authorities show throughput improvements of up to 30 %, alleviating peak-hour congestion that often pushes queue times well above one hour.
Employers should brief staff on the voluntary enrolment process and updated privacy rules. While China issued nationwide guidelines on the safe application of facial recognition earlier this year, companies remain responsible for informing staff of data-sharing implications and obtaining consent where required by Hong Kong or EU GDPR rules.
Looking ahead, Hong Kong’s Immigration Department says it will introduce compatible biometric gates at its side of the Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau checkpoints in 2026, paving the way for true one-stop clearance.
