Business travellers heading to Hong Kong will find the airport arrival process significantly faster from 27 February 2026. The Immigration Department announced that the eligibility threshold for its self-service immigration clearance system (e-Channel) has been cut from frequent-visitor cards and multiple prior entries to simply two landings at Hong Kong International Airport within the past 24 months.
Under the revamped scheme, qualifying visitors—whether they hold passports requiring visas or enjoy visa-free entry—can enrol free of charge at dedicated counters in the arrivals hall. Registration has been streamlined: travellers now present the passport used for entry, have a photograph taken and sign a consent form; fingerprints are no longer collected for electronic-passport holders. On subsequent trips they can use automated gates at all control points, shaving several minutes off clearance times that often swell during conference seasons and major trade fairs.
For anyone still sorting out entry requirements ahead of those first two qualifying landings, VisaHQ can simplify the paperwork. The company’s Hong Kong page (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) lets travellers check whether they need a visa, submit applications online and receive real-time updates—ideal for business visitors who want their documents in order before enrolling in e-Channel.
![Hong Kong relaxes e-Channel rules so frequent visitors can register after just two trips]()
The liberalisation is part of the government’s post-pandemic drive to restore Hong Kong’s reputation as an easy, ‘friction-less’ hub for commerce. According to the Tourism Board, more than 60 million passengers transited the airport in 2025, with corporate traffic rebounding to 84 % of 2019 levels. Officials predict the easier e-Channel access could divert 20 % of foreign arrivals away from manned counters during peak hours, improving overall throughput.
Airlines and hotel groups have welcomed the move. Cathay Pacific says it will include e-Channel sign-up reminders in its mobile-app trip timeline, while major conference venues plan to add on-site enrolment kiosks for delegates. Immigration consultants advise frequent flyers to keep proof of prior entries—such as landing-slip PDFs—in hand when registering. Travellers who use non-electronic passports must still provide fingerprints, and the department cautions that anyone overstaying or changing travel documents will need to re-enrol.
The government hinted that further digital enhancements are on the way, including QR-code boarding-pass integration and facial-recognition upgrades that could eventually eliminate the need for any manual enrolment.
Under the revamped scheme, qualifying visitors—whether they hold passports requiring visas or enjoy visa-free entry—can enrol free of charge at dedicated counters in the arrivals hall. Registration has been streamlined: travellers now present the passport used for entry, have a photograph taken and sign a consent form; fingerprints are no longer collected for electronic-passport holders. On subsequent trips they can use automated gates at all control points, shaving several minutes off clearance times that often swell during conference seasons and major trade fairs.
For anyone still sorting out entry requirements ahead of those first two qualifying landings, VisaHQ can simplify the paperwork. The company’s Hong Kong page (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) lets travellers check whether they need a visa, submit applications online and receive real-time updates—ideal for business visitors who want their documents in order before enrolling in e-Channel.
The liberalisation is part of the government’s post-pandemic drive to restore Hong Kong’s reputation as an easy, ‘friction-less’ hub for commerce. According to the Tourism Board, more than 60 million passengers transited the airport in 2025, with corporate traffic rebounding to 84 % of 2019 levels. Officials predict the easier e-Channel access could divert 20 % of foreign arrivals away from manned counters during peak hours, improving overall throughput.
Airlines and hotel groups have welcomed the move. Cathay Pacific says it will include e-Channel sign-up reminders in its mobile-app trip timeline, while major conference venues plan to add on-site enrolment kiosks for delegates. Immigration consultants advise frequent flyers to keep proof of prior entries—such as landing-slip PDFs—in hand when registering. Travellers who use non-electronic passports must still provide fingerprints, and the department cautions that anyone overstaying or changing travel documents will need to re-enrol.
The government hinted that further digital enhancements are on the way, including QR-code boarding-pass integration and facial-recognition upgrades that could eventually eliminate the need for any manual enrolment.
