Hong Kong’s interdepartmental Festival Arrangements Working Group warned on December 23 that a record 11.52 million passengers will pass through the SAR’s airports, ports and land checkpoints between December 24-28 and December 31-January 4. Of those, 9.65 million are expected at land boundary control points (Lo Wu, Lok Ma Chau Spur Line and Shenzhen Bay will each see well over 150,000 passengers a day).
To keep queues moving, the Immigration Department (ImmD) has cancelled leave for frontline officers, opened temporary counters and set up a joint command centre with Police, Customs and MTR staff at Lo Wu. Crucially, ImmD highlighted technology upgrades rolled out this year: more than 700 automated e-Channels now operate city-wide, and the age threshold for Hong Kong permanent residents using e-Channels has been lowered from 11 to seven years (children must be at least 1.1 m tall). Contactless e-Channel QR codes and facial-recognition lanes for PRC electronic passport holders in transit are also live at all control points.
![Immigration Department forecasts 11.5 million border crossings over Christmas and New Year, expands e-Channel capacity]()
While the SAR Government is streamlining border processes, individual travellers and corporate mobility teams should still confirm they have the correct travel documents. VisaHQ’s Hong Kong service (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) allows users to check real-time visa requirements, submit applications online and track approvals, ensuring that staff and family members can glide through control points without last-minute document issues.
The SAR Government is negotiating with Shenzhen to extend operating hours at several boundary control points on New Year’s Eve. HZMB and Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang will maintain 24-hour service, while other checkpoints may add late-night windows to spread demand.
For corporates moving staff or goods, the message is clear: avoid peak days (December 25 and 28 are flagged as the busiest), encourage travellers to use e-Channels, and monitor the Security Bureau’s “Easy Boundary” portal for real-time wait times. Employers should also remind young travellers that replacement ID acknowledgements are not accepted at e-Channels—original passports or Re-entry Permits are mandatory.
To keep queues moving, the Immigration Department (ImmD) has cancelled leave for frontline officers, opened temporary counters and set up a joint command centre with Police, Customs and MTR staff at Lo Wu. Crucially, ImmD highlighted technology upgrades rolled out this year: more than 700 automated e-Channels now operate city-wide, and the age threshold for Hong Kong permanent residents using e-Channels has been lowered from 11 to seven years (children must be at least 1.1 m tall). Contactless e-Channel QR codes and facial-recognition lanes for PRC electronic passport holders in transit are also live at all control points.
While the SAR Government is streamlining border processes, individual travellers and corporate mobility teams should still confirm they have the correct travel documents. VisaHQ’s Hong Kong service (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) allows users to check real-time visa requirements, submit applications online and track approvals, ensuring that staff and family members can glide through control points without last-minute document issues.
The SAR Government is negotiating with Shenzhen to extend operating hours at several boundary control points on New Year’s Eve. HZMB and Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang will maintain 24-hour service, while other checkpoints may add late-night windows to spread demand.
For corporates moving staff or goods, the message is clear: avoid peak days (December 25 and 28 are flagged as the busiest), encourage travellers to use e-Channels, and monitor the Security Bureau’s “Easy Boundary” portal for real-time wait times. Employers should also remind young travellers that replacement ID acknowledgements are not accepted at e-Channels—original passports or Re-entry Permits are mandatory.
