Hong Kong’s latest cross-border mobility experiment—the “Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles (Entry into Urban Area)” scheme—has passed its first-month milestone and the numbers suggest solid pent-up demand. Transport and Logistics Secretary Mable Chan told reporters on 23 January that more than 2,500 mainland motorists have already lodged applications, with over 1,000 confirmed bookings to enter the city using their own cars. The pilot, launched on 23 December 2025, lets eligible private cars registered in Guangdong drive across the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge and, for the first time, circulate within Hong Kong’s urban road network under a daily quota system.
Unlike earlier “northbound” arrangements—under which Hong Kong cars visit Guangdong—the southbound programme relies on a fully digital permit process managed by Hong Kong’s Transport Department. Applicants upload licence and insurance data, obtain Mainland customs clearance online and then select a time slot. Vehicles must carry an electronic identification tag and can stay up to seven consecutive days per trip. The scheme caps entries at 2,000 vehicles per day to protect road capacity, though industry groups are already lobbying for a higher ceiling before the Lunar New Year travel rush.
Motorists who find the paperwork or new digital procedures daunting can turn to specialist facilitators such as VisaHQ, which offers step-by-step assistance for Hong Kong entry formalities, vehicle documentation and other travel requirements. More information is available at https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/.
![Guangdong-to-Hong Kong ‘Southbound’ self-drive scheme tops 2,500 applications in first month]()
Early feedback from the hospitality sector is upbeat. The Hong Kong Hotel Owners Association said bookings from self-drive mainland visitors are climbing and could push average occupancy close to 90 per cent over the February holiday week. Several hotels have rolled out bundled parking-plus-room packages, while malls and theme parks are planning fuel-card and dining promotions to lengthen visitor stays.
Policy-makers see the initiative as more than a tourism booster. By allowing mainland residents to explore the city under their own steam, officials hope to disperse spending beyond traditional shopping precincts and to deepen integration inside the Greater Bay Area. The daily-quota model is also a live test bed for balancing mobility gains with Hong Kong’s long-standing vehicle-population controls, congestion management and road-safety standards.
If take-up continues to rise smoothly—without snarling traffic or overwhelming car parks—the Transport and Logistics Bureau is expected to review the quota after the first quarter. Success could pave the way for reciprocal enlargements of the northbound scheme and, ultimately, a more seamless cross-boundary motoring regime across the Pearl River Delta.
Unlike earlier “northbound” arrangements—under which Hong Kong cars visit Guangdong—the southbound programme relies on a fully digital permit process managed by Hong Kong’s Transport Department. Applicants upload licence and insurance data, obtain Mainland customs clearance online and then select a time slot. Vehicles must carry an electronic identification tag and can stay up to seven consecutive days per trip. The scheme caps entries at 2,000 vehicles per day to protect road capacity, though industry groups are already lobbying for a higher ceiling before the Lunar New Year travel rush.
Motorists who find the paperwork or new digital procedures daunting can turn to specialist facilitators such as VisaHQ, which offers step-by-step assistance for Hong Kong entry formalities, vehicle documentation and other travel requirements. More information is available at https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/.
Early feedback from the hospitality sector is upbeat. The Hong Kong Hotel Owners Association said bookings from self-drive mainland visitors are climbing and could push average occupancy close to 90 per cent over the February holiday week. Several hotels have rolled out bundled parking-plus-room packages, while malls and theme parks are planning fuel-card and dining promotions to lengthen visitor stays.
Policy-makers see the initiative as more than a tourism booster. By allowing mainland residents to explore the city under their own steam, officials hope to disperse spending beyond traditional shopping precincts and to deepen integration inside the Greater Bay Area. The daily-quota model is also a live test bed for balancing mobility gains with Hong Kong’s long-standing vehicle-population controls, congestion management and road-safety standards.
If take-up continues to rise smoothly—without snarling traffic or overwhelming car parks—the Transport and Logistics Bureau is expected to review the quota after the first quarter. Success could pave the way for reciprocal enlargements of the northbound scheme and, ultimately, a more seamless cross-boundary motoring regime across the Pearl River Delta.
