South China Morning Post journalists reported that tens of thousands of travellers queued for hours at the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge (HZMB) on Christmas Day, with outbound trips by 9 p.m. reaching 644,000—up 16 percent on last year. Police issued congestion alerts for HZMB, Shenzhen Bay and Lo Wu, advising travellers to stagger departures or use lesser-known crossings.
The marathon lines underscore infrastructure bottlenecks as mainland and Hong Kong residents exploit expanded multiple-entry permits and cheaper hotel rates across the boundary. Shuttle-bus (“Gold Bus”) wait times exceeded 90 minutes at peak, while taxi queues stretched outside the departure hall.
For travellers who realize at the last minute that their visa or permit might not cover an unexpected delay, VisaHQ can provide rapid online processing, renewal, or extension services for China, Hong Kong and Macau travel documents, complete with real-time tracking and corporate account management: https://www.visahq.com/china/. Leveraging such support can prevent administrative hiccups from compounding the physical bottlenecks at busy crossings.
![Christmas Gridlock at Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge Shows Capacity Strain]()
For mobility planners the episode is a cautionary tale: contingency routing via Heung Yuen Wai or Huanggang could save hours on holiday egress. Corporates relocating staff for short festive breaks may wish to fund flexible tickets or arrange private coach charters that can switch checkpoints on short notice.
Immigration experts also warn that missed bus slots can cascade into overstay risks if travellers fail to exit Hong Kong within visa validity. Employers should remind staff to keep digital copies of entry stamps and monitor allowable stay days in HRIS systems.
HZMB authorities said they will review lane-allocation algorithms and may pilot time-slot reservations similar to those used at Shenzhen Bay to smooth 2026 Lunar New Year peaks.
The marathon lines underscore infrastructure bottlenecks as mainland and Hong Kong residents exploit expanded multiple-entry permits and cheaper hotel rates across the boundary. Shuttle-bus (“Gold Bus”) wait times exceeded 90 minutes at peak, while taxi queues stretched outside the departure hall.
For travellers who realize at the last minute that their visa or permit might not cover an unexpected delay, VisaHQ can provide rapid online processing, renewal, or extension services for China, Hong Kong and Macau travel documents, complete with real-time tracking and corporate account management: https://www.visahq.com/china/. Leveraging such support can prevent administrative hiccups from compounding the physical bottlenecks at busy crossings.
For mobility planners the episode is a cautionary tale: contingency routing via Heung Yuen Wai or Huanggang could save hours on holiday egress. Corporates relocating staff for short festive breaks may wish to fund flexible tickets or arrange private coach charters that can switch checkpoints on short notice.
Immigration experts also warn that missed bus slots can cascade into overstay risks if travellers fail to exit Hong Kong within visa validity. Employers should remind staff to keep digital copies of entry stamps and monitor allowable stay days in HRIS systems.
HZMB authorities said they will review lane-allocation algorithms and may pilot time-slot reservations similar to those used at Shenzhen Bay to smooth 2026 Lunar New Year peaks.
