Hong Kong’s border control points were put to the test over the mainland’s extended 1–3 January New-Year holiday, but the Immigration Department’s numbers show the system is now operating at close to pre-pandemic capacity. A total of 3.2 million passenger movements—1.63 million arrivals and 1.57 million departures—were processed in just 72 hours. Lo Wu (620,000 movements) and Lok Ma Chau/Futian (570,000) again proved to be the work-horses of the boundary, while airport, ferry-terminal and bridge crossings rounded out the total. ([visahq.com](https://www.visahq.com/news/2026-01-05/hk/32-million-cross-border-movements-push-hong-kong-checkpoints-to-85-of-pre-covid-volumes/?utm_source=openai))
Officials credit three changes for keeping average clearance times below 20 minutes despite the surge. First, extra MTR intercity trains were subsidised under the Greater Bay Area Transport Facilitation Scheme, adding 18,000 seats a day on the East Rail line. Second, all e-Channel lanes at the busiest land ports were kept open around the clock; newly installed contact-less “QR-e-Channel” gates meant fully-vaccinated Hong Kong residents could clear immigration in under 20 seconds. Third, roving “immigration marshals” triaged passengers to the fastest available queue, a practice copied from Changi and Schiphol airports.
For business travellers the lesson is clear: the physical infrastructure may be unchanged, but digital throughput has increased markedly. Companies with shuttle staff between Shenzhen tech parks and Hong Kong headquarters can again schedule same-day meetings without allowing the 90-minute buffer that became the norm during 2023–24. Airport transfer times also improved; Cathay Pacific reported that 89 per cent of its transit passengers connected within 60 minutes over the holiday.
![Hong Kong checkpoints handle 3.2 million cross-border movements during three-day mainland New-Year break]()
Amid these encouraging developments, travellers who still need guidance on visa requirements or passport validity can streamline preparations through VisaHQ. The platform’s dedicated Hong Kong portal (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) offers up-to-date information on entry rules for more than 200 nationalities and can arrange eVisas, passport renewals and document legalisation in just a few clicks—saving corporate travel departments valuable time as cross-border volumes rebound.
The data underline Hong Kong’s determination to rebuild its role as the Greater Bay Area’s aviation and professional-services hub. With passenger volumes now at 85 per cent of the 2019 baseline, analysts expect the city to hit full recovery by Golden Week in May—two quarters ahead of earlier forecasts. That in turn should feed directly into hotel occupancy, MICE bookings and expatriate assignment approvals over the spring budgeting cycle.
Practically, mobility managers should update travel policies to reflect the faster clearance process: remind staff to activate the ImmD mobile app’s QR-code feature, pre-register fingerprints if they have not travelled recently, and expect occasional spot checks as authorities calibrate the contact-less system. Human-resources teams should also revisit per-diem assumptions; what was a two-night Shenzhen–Hong Kong trip in 2024 can often be executed in a single day in 2026.
Officials credit three changes for keeping average clearance times below 20 minutes despite the surge. First, extra MTR intercity trains were subsidised under the Greater Bay Area Transport Facilitation Scheme, adding 18,000 seats a day on the East Rail line. Second, all e-Channel lanes at the busiest land ports were kept open around the clock; newly installed contact-less “QR-e-Channel” gates meant fully-vaccinated Hong Kong residents could clear immigration in under 20 seconds. Third, roving “immigration marshals” triaged passengers to the fastest available queue, a practice copied from Changi and Schiphol airports.
For business travellers the lesson is clear: the physical infrastructure may be unchanged, but digital throughput has increased markedly. Companies with shuttle staff between Shenzhen tech parks and Hong Kong headquarters can again schedule same-day meetings without allowing the 90-minute buffer that became the norm during 2023–24. Airport transfer times also improved; Cathay Pacific reported that 89 per cent of its transit passengers connected within 60 minutes over the holiday.
Amid these encouraging developments, travellers who still need guidance on visa requirements or passport validity can streamline preparations through VisaHQ. The platform’s dedicated Hong Kong portal (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) offers up-to-date information on entry rules for more than 200 nationalities and can arrange eVisas, passport renewals and document legalisation in just a few clicks—saving corporate travel departments valuable time as cross-border volumes rebound.
The data underline Hong Kong’s determination to rebuild its role as the Greater Bay Area’s aviation and professional-services hub. With passenger volumes now at 85 per cent of the 2019 baseline, analysts expect the city to hit full recovery by Golden Week in May—two quarters ahead of earlier forecasts. That in turn should feed directly into hotel occupancy, MICE bookings and expatriate assignment approvals over the spring budgeting cycle.
Practically, mobility managers should update travel policies to reflect the faster clearance process: remind staff to activate the ImmD mobile app’s QR-code feature, pre-register fingerprints if they have not travelled recently, and expect occasional spot checks as authorities calibrate the contact-less system. Human-resources teams should also revisit per-diem assumptions; what was a two-night Shenzhen–Hong Kong trip in 2024 can often be executed in a single day in 2026.
