At its annual review press conference on 13 February, the Immigration Department revealed that 335 million passenger trips were processed across Hong Kong’s air, land and sea checkpoints in 2025—up 12 % on the previous year and only 3 % shy of the pre-pandemic peak in 2018. Mainland visitors remained the dominant segment, representing 76 % of inbound traffic, while long-haul arrivals from Europe and North America climbed 15 % after airlines restored capacity.
To handle the rebound, Director of Immigration Benson Kwok announced that twelve extra biometric e-channels will open at Hong Kong International Airport this quarter. More eye-catching, however, is the pilot of contactless e-channels at the Hong Kong Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge in Q2 2026. Using high-definition facial recognition, the gates match travellers’ images to the department’s encrypted database in about five seconds—two seconds faster than today’s fingerprint-based lanes—eliminating the need to touch surfaces.
For travellers looking to make the most of these faster lanes, VisaHQ can help streamline the paperwork before they even reach the checkpoint. The firm’s Hong Kong platform (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) consolidates visa requirements, biometric enrolment tips and same-day courier options, ensuring business teams and holidaymakers arrive with the correct documents ready for the new contactless e-channels.
![Hong Kong Logs Record 335 Million Crossings in 2025; Contactless E-Channels to Debut at HZMB]()
The first phase will be limited to frequent-traveller Hong Kong residents, but officials said expansion to Macau residents and selected Mainland permit holders could follow before the National Day travel peak. For multinational employers the change promises shorter queue times for shuttling staff to Zhuhai tech parks or Hengqin integrated resorts, while reducing hygiene concerns that resurfaced during this winter’s flu wave.
Tech suppliers say the HZMB installation is a proving ground for a broader migration to touch-free gates across Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau in 2027. Data-privacy groups have asked for clear retention policies; the department insists templates mirror GDPR-style safeguards and that images are purged after verification. System integrators are working with Airport Authority Hong Kong to retrofit similar readers at the SkyPier ferry pier used by transit passengers from the Greater Bay Area.
Beyond automation, the department reported 3,700 immigration-related arrests last year and deported 2,600 rejected non-refoulement claimants. Kwok said intelligence-led operations would continue, but the immediate priority is “keeping the gates moving” as Lunar New Year traffic surges.
To handle the rebound, Director of Immigration Benson Kwok announced that twelve extra biometric e-channels will open at Hong Kong International Airport this quarter. More eye-catching, however, is the pilot of contactless e-channels at the Hong Kong Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge in Q2 2026. Using high-definition facial recognition, the gates match travellers’ images to the department’s encrypted database in about five seconds—two seconds faster than today’s fingerprint-based lanes—eliminating the need to touch surfaces.
For travellers looking to make the most of these faster lanes, VisaHQ can help streamline the paperwork before they even reach the checkpoint. The firm’s Hong Kong platform (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) consolidates visa requirements, biometric enrolment tips and same-day courier options, ensuring business teams and holidaymakers arrive with the correct documents ready for the new contactless e-channels.
The first phase will be limited to frequent-traveller Hong Kong residents, but officials said expansion to Macau residents and selected Mainland permit holders could follow before the National Day travel peak. For multinational employers the change promises shorter queue times for shuttling staff to Zhuhai tech parks or Hengqin integrated resorts, while reducing hygiene concerns that resurfaced during this winter’s flu wave.
Tech suppliers say the HZMB installation is a proving ground for a broader migration to touch-free gates across Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau in 2027. Data-privacy groups have asked for clear retention policies; the department insists templates mirror GDPR-style safeguards and that images are purged after verification. System integrators are working with Airport Authority Hong Kong to retrofit similar readers at the SkyPier ferry pier used by transit passengers from the Greater Bay Area.
Beyond automation, the department reported 3,700 immigration-related arrests last year and deported 2,600 rejected non-refoulement claimants. Kwok said intelligence-led operations would continue, but the immediate priority is “keeping the gates moving” as Lunar New Year traffic surges.
