A leading motoring group has called on Hong Kong and mainland Chinese authorities to let drivers complete immigration and customs inspections without stepping out of their vehicles when they cross the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB). Speaking on an RTHK radio programme on 6 April, Ringo Lee, honorary life president of the Hong Kong, China Automobile Association, said the current requirement to disembark for face-to-face clearance slows traffic during peak periods such as the ongoing Easter-Ching Ming ‘super-long weekend’. According to the Immigration Department, more than 146 000 Hong Kong residents used the bridge to enter the mainland during the first two days of the break. Overall passenger flows at the bridge topped 192 000, with vehicle movements exceeding 30 000. Lee noted that the Zhuhai side already permits elderly passengers, young children and people with reduced mobility to remain inside vehicles while officers use facial- and fingerprint-recognition scanners. The same technology, he argued, could be expanded to all travellers and operated around the clock. Business-mobility specialists say faster throughput at the HZMB would help companies that run cross-boundary shuttle services for staff commuting between Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau. At present, journey times can balloon by more than an hour at holiday peaks, disrupting supply-chain and client-meeting schedules. In-vehicle processing would also align the bridge with best-practice ‘drive-thru’ border models already used on some European road crossings. For now, travellers should build extra buffer time into itineraries over major festivals, ensure travel-document validity and consider alternative land routes such as Lok Ma Chau Spur Line or the high-speed rail link when moving goods or personnel.
![Motorists urge on-board immigration checks at Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge]()
Travellers who discover they need help securing or renewing the right travel documents before heading across the bridge can turn to VisaHQ’s Hong Kong portal (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/), which streamlines visa applications for mainland China and dozens of other destinations, offers courier passport services and provides up-to-date guidance on schemes like “Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles”.
Companies that regularly dispatch technicians into the Greater Bay Area may also explore the “Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles” scheme, which offers pre-cleared permits that can shorten formalities.
Travellers who discover they need help securing or renewing the right travel documents before heading across the bridge can turn to VisaHQ’s Hong Kong portal (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/), which streamlines visa applications for mainland China and dozens of other destinations, offers courier passport services and provides up-to-date guidance on schemes like “Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles”.
Companies that regularly dispatch technicians into the Greater Bay Area may also explore the “Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles” scheme, which offers pre-cleared permits that can shorten formalities.
