Cross-border travel between mainland China and Macau will get a major speed boost this week. The Zhuhai Border Inspection Station confirmed that, from Monday 26 January 2026, the ‘three-gate’ co-operative inspection fast-track channel at the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge (HZMB) Zhuhai Highway Port will be opened to a much wider pool of foreign travellers.
Until now the lane – jointly operated by mainland immigration and Macau police – could only be used by pre-registered mainland, Hong Kong and Macau residents plus a small number of business-card holders. Under the new policy three additional categories are admitted: (1) holders of a foreign passport and a Chinese foreign-permanent-resident ID card; (2) holders of an e-passport and a mainland residence permit valid for at least six months; and (3) Macau residents with a foreign passport, a multi-entry Chinese visa valid for six months or more, and a Macau ID card. Travellers must complete a one-time biometric registration with either side’s border agency; their data are then shared so that subsequent crossings can be completed in seconds at automated e-gates.
Those who fall into the newly expanded categories but still need to obtain or renew Chinese visas, residence permits or Macau travel documents can streamline the process through VisaHQ. The visa specialist’s online portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) provides real-time requirement checks, digital application assistance and optional courier pickup, helping travellers secure the paperwork they need to breeze through the three-gate channel.
![HZMB fast-track to open for foreign passport holders from January 26]()
Border officials told 21st Century Business Herald that system upgrades, staff training and a stress test have been completed. They expect the change to divert significant volumes away from conventional counters at the bridge – already the busiest road crossing in the Greater Bay Area, with 31.3 million passenger movements in 2025. Foreign passenger throughput alone rose 28.7 percent last year to almost 570,000, driven by Southeast-Asian and European tour groups who value the direct coach link between Hong Kong International Airport and Macau’s casinos.
For companies shuttling staff between Hong Kong’s financial centre, Zhuhai’s tech parks and Macau’s conference venues, the expanded fast-track means less queuing and better schedule reliability. Immigration consultants note that fingerprints and face templates captured for the bridge can also be used at other co-operative lanes in Hengqin and Qingmao, creating a single biometric token for the western Pearl River Delta.
The move is another example of China’s incremental ‘smart border’ strategy: automate low-risk travellers, free officers for risk targeting, and knit the Greater Bay Area into one labour market. With Spring Festival traffic looming, businesses are urged to register eligible employees early and to remind travellers to carry the same passport used for enrolment.
Until now the lane – jointly operated by mainland immigration and Macau police – could only be used by pre-registered mainland, Hong Kong and Macau residents plus a small number of business-card holders. Under the new policy three additional categories are admitted: (1) holders of a foreign passport and a Chinese foreign-permanent-resident ID card; (2) holders of an e-passport and a mainland residence permit valid for at least six months; and (3) Macau residents with a foreign passport, a multi-entry Chinese visa valid for six months or more, and a Macau ID card. Travellers must complete a one-time biometric registration with either side’s border agency; their data are then shared so that subsequent crossings can be completed in seconds at automated e-gates.
Those who fall into the newly expanded categories but still need to obtain or renew Chinese visas, residence permits or Macau travel documents can streamline the process through VisaHQ. The visa specialist’s online portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) provides real-time requirement checks, digital application assistance and optional courier pickup, helping travellers secure the paperwork they need to breeze through the three-gate channel.
Border officials told 21st Century Business Herald that system upgrades, staff training and a stress test have been completed. They expect the change to divert significant volumes away from conventional counters at the bridge – already the busiest road crossing in the Greater Bay Area, with 31.3 million passenger movements in 2025. Foreign passenger throughput alone rose 28.7 percent last year to almost 570,000, driven by Southeast-Asian and European tour groups who value the direct coach link between Hong Kong International Airport and Macau’s casinos.
For companies shuttling staff between Hong Kong’s financial centre, Zhuhai’s tech parks and Macau’s conference venues, the expanded fast-track means less queuing and better schedule reliability. Immigration consultants note that fingerprints and face templates captured for the bridge can also be used at other co-operative lanes in Hengqin and Qingmao, creating a single biometric token for the western Pearl River Delta.
The move is another example of China’s incremental ‘smart border’ strategy: automate low-risk travellers, free officers for risk targeting, and knit the Greater Bay Area into one labour market. With Spring Festival traffic looming, businesses are urged to register eligible employees early and to remind travellers to carry the same passport used for enrolment.
