In a 12 February circular, Hong Kong’s festival task-force detailed a suite of measures designed to keep Lunar New Year passenger flows smooth and safe. A temporary joint command centre staffed by Immigration, Police, Customs and MTR Corporation officers will run at Lo Wu Control Point from 14 to 23 February, coordinating crowd diversion in real time with Shenzhen counterparts.
The notice reiterates the 11.38 million-passenger forecast and highlights technology tweaks: since 19 January, the eligible age for automated e-channel use was lowered to seven years for both Hong Kong and Macao permanent residents. Non-permanent residents with valid Documents of Identity may now self-enrol at kiosks on either side of the boundary, expanding the fast-track queue to tens of thousands of frequent family visitors.
Land boundary data will be pushed to the public via the Security Bureau’s Easy Boundary dashboard every 15 minutes. The Transport Department has also installed Bluetooth sensors on shuttle-bus lanes at Lok Ma Chau and Shenzhen Bay to feed live wait-times to logistics operators.
![Government Activates Cross-Agency Command Centre, Expands Mutual E-Channel Use Ahead of Holiday Rush]()
Travelers seeking extra assurance about travel documentation can turn to VisaHQ’s Hong Kong portal (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/), which provides step-by-step visa guides, application checklists and courier submission services for Mainland China, Macao and over 200 other destinations—a handy safety net if last-minute paperwork threatens to derail tightly scheduled festival plans.
For corporates, the command centre offers a single escalation point when VIP movements or urgent shipments need priority clearance. Several electronics exporters have already registered contact details in case outbound finished goods risk missing connecting flights. HR teams should brief travelling employees on the lowered e-channel age, as staff may wish to enrol dependants before Easter trips.
Officials remind travellers to carry valid documents—lost-ID acknowledgement slips are not accepted at e-channels—and to allow extra time on 14 and 22 February, the predicted outbound and inbound peaks.
The notice reiterates the 11.38 million-passenger forecast and highlights technology tweaks: since 19 January, the eligible age for automated e-channel use was lowered to seven years for both Hong Kong and Macao permanent residents. Non-permanent residents with valid Documents of Identity may now self-enrol at kiosks on either side of the boundary, expanding the fast-track queue to tens of thousands of frequent family visitors.
Land boundary data will be pushed to the public via the Security Bureau’s Easy Boundary dashboard every 15 minutes. The Transport Department has also installed Bluetooth sensors on shuttle-bus lanes at Lok Ma Chau and Shenzhen Bay to feed live wait-times to logistics operators.
Travelers seeking extra assurance about travel documentation can turn to VisaHQ’s Hong Kong portal (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/), which provides step-by-step visa guides, application checklists and courier submission services for Mainland China, Macao and over 200 other destinations—a handy safety net if last-minute paperwork threatens to derail tightly scheduled festival plans.
For corporates, the command centre offers a single escalation point when VIP movements or urgent shipments need priority clearance. Several electronics exporters have already registered contact details in case outbound finished goods risk missing connecting flights. HR teams should brief travelling employees on the lowered e-channel age, as staff may wish to enrol dependants before Easter trips.
Officials remind travellers to carry valid documents—lost-ID acknowledgement slips are not accepted at e-channels—and to allow extra time on 14 and 22 February, the predicted outbound and inbound peaks.
