Immigration Department to Introduce Enrolment Service for “Collaborative Inspection” Automated Channel at New Huanggang Port

2026-10-07 11:32 Last Updated At：11:32

The 2026 Policy Address announced that the redeveloped Huanggang Port is expected to be commissioned in the fourth quarter of this year. To further enhance the passenger experience and clearance efficiency, Huanggang Port will, under the co-location arrangement, implement the new "collaborative inspection and joint clearance" mode. The Immigration Department (ImmD) announced on October 6 that with immediate effect, eligible Hong Kong residents can enrol for the "collaborative inspection" automated channel service via the ImmD's "HK e-Channel" (formerly "Contactless e-Channel") mobile application.

The redeveloped Huanggang Port is installed with 134 "collaborative inspection" automated channels and 68 traditional manual counters. Enrolled passengers using the "collaborative inspection" automated channels will only need to queue and present their identity documents once to complete immigration clearance in both Hong Kong and Shenzhen.

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Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Wong Ki, Assistant Director of Immigration (Control) of ImmD, Photo by Bastille Post

Ms. Chiang Yi-lee, Assistant Commissioner (Boundary and Ports) of the Customs and Excise Department, Photo by Bastille Post

Photo by Bastille Post

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Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Wong Ki, Assistant Director of Immigration (Control) of ImmD, Photo by Bastille Post

Ms. Chiang Yi-lee, Assistant Commissioner (Boundary and Ports) of the Customs and Excise Department, Photo by Bastille Post

Photo by Bastille Post

ImmD noted that Hong Kong residents aged 7 or above who fulfill the following criteria can enrol for the "collaborative inspection" automated channel service starting from October 6:

holding a Hong Kong permanent identity card and a Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents (commonly known as "Home Visit Permit"), and who has registered for the Mainland's e-Channel;

holding a Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card and a Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents (Non-Chinese Citizens), and who has registered for the Mainland's e-Channel;

holding a Hong Kong identity card and a "Home Visit Permit," and who has registered for the Mainland's e-Channel; or

holding a Hong Kong identity card and an Exit-Entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao with a valid endorsement for travelling to Hong Kong.

During a simulated demonstration of the "collaborative inspection" automated channel, the reporter from Bastille Post downloaded the "HK e-Channel" mobile application. The channel has three gates. At the first gate, the reporter placed the Hong Kong permanent identity card on the document reader. After entering the channel and reaching the second gate, the reporter looked at the camera and placed a finger flat on the fingerprint scanner, waiting for identity verification and completion of outbound clearance. At the third gate, after inspection was completed, the reporter passed through.

Mr. Wong Ki, Assistant Director of Immigration (Control) of ImmD, stated that sufficient manpower has been arranged to assist. In conjunction with the co-location arrangement, overall clearance time will be significantly reduced from approximately 30 minutes to about 5 minutes. The port is expected to initially handle a peak daily throughput of 200,000 passenger trips, and this is expected to rise to 300,000 with the future development of the Northern Link Spur Line, meeting the increasingly frequent people-to-people exchanges between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. It is estimated that the new Huanggang port will see at least 100,000 daily arrivals and departures in its initial phase.

Regarding the "Joint One-stop" Vehicle Lane, Ms. Chiang Yi-lee, Assistant Commissioner (Boundary and Ports) of the Customs and Excise Department, said the new Huanggang Port has 28 Five-in-One Vehicle Cooperative Inspection Channels, enabling a one-stop clearance process with a single stop and single inspection without drivers needing to alight. Drivers will provide information for five-party inspection through the "integrated information collection devices."

Taking departure as an example, a vehicle will first stop at the "customs front kiosks" for risk assessment to determine if further inspection is required. If released, the vehicle proceeds to the "Joint One-stop" Vehicle Lane. At the first gate, Customs confirms completion of customs clearance. At the second gate, through the "integrated information collection devices," the ImmD confirms completion of document procedures while the boundary inspection confirms receipt of captured passenger data. At the third gate, the boundary inspection and Huanggang Customs confirm whether inspection is required before the vehicle finally enters Shenzhen.

Ms. Chiang stated that Customs has arranged sufficient manpower and estimated that the average daily flow of private cars through the new Huanggang Port will be around 8,000 trips after opening.

Hong Kong's Gold Trading Ecosystem Highlighted at Global Precious Metals Conference 2026 in Italy.

SFST articulates Hong Kong's gold master plan at Global Precious Metals Conference

The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, attended the Global Precious Metals Conference 2026 organised by the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) in Sorrento, Italy, on October 6 (Sorrento time). He articulated to delegates from the worldwide precious metals industry Hong Kong's master plan in building a gold-trading ecosystem that is supported with government-led infrastructure, market-informed governance and commercially driven activities.

At a panel discussion session, Mr Hui was joined by a representative from the Monetary Authority of Singapore to discuss "The Next Chapter in Gold - How Hong Kong and Singapore are Reshaping Market Dynamics". Mr Hui said that Hong Kong, uniquely positioned in terms of its strategic location, international financial centre status and common law legal system, has been working at full steam to build a gold-trading ecosystem that would connect existing gold markets and add usable liquidity to the international market.

He elaborated, "We have already moved from planning to the full implementation stage. Our trial operation of the Hong Kong Gold Central Clearing and Settlement System has been well received. In addition to the 11 banks serving as provisional direct participants of the settlement system, other banks have also expressed interest in joining the settlement system, which is scheduled to be formally launched in the first quarter of next year. Meanwhile, we are in the final stages of connecting the System with Hong Kong's Real Time Gross Settlement system to enable Delivery versus Payment settlements. Our objective is to reduce settlement risk and operational friction, giving participants a reliable foundation on which they could build their businesses. The Government is also giving a big push in drawing private market participation in expanding gold storage capacity and refining capability through different policy strategies including exploring tax concessions to give add-on attractiveness along with the current tax-free policy on activities like gold import and export."

Mr Hui also announced to the audience that the LBMA is going to cohost its Asia Forum with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Hong Kong Precious Metals Central Clearing Company Limited (HKPMCC) in Hong Kong next April. He said that he is thrilled with the decision by the LBMA as it is a significant endorsement to Hong Kong's rapid gold development in these two years. With the gold central clearing and settlement system officially launched by then, the Government will take the occasion to showcase to international and Asian participants the city's capability in aligning with international standards and how the industry can utilise Hong Kong as a trusted platform to connect international and Mainland gold markets.

On aligning with international standards, Mr Hui highlighted that the Government and the LBMA are exploring ways to materialise co-operation on delivery standards. He said the move, if materialised, will help embed internationally recognised standards in Hong Kong's gold infrastructure, laying a trustworthy foundation for industry engagement.

Besides speaking at the panel discussion session, Mr Hui also met with the LBMA Chair, Mr Peter Zöllner, for an in-depth exchange on global precious metals market trends and ways to strengthen connectivity between Hong Kong and Londongold markets.

He then met with the President of the Swiss Precious Metals Association, Mr Christoph Wild, and its Executive Director, Dr Sabrina Karib, to discuss sustainable strategies in aligning with international standards of the gold market and to explore room for collaborations.

Mr Hui also met with the Managing Director and Global Head of Metals Trading at Deutsche Bank, Mr Prakash Shah, and the Director of Precious and Base Metals, Global Markets at Deutsche Bank, Mr Rao Sheng, to update them on the latest gold market developments in Hong Kong.

The Chief Executive Officer of the HKPMCC, Mr Bryan Chan, joined Mr Hui for the trip. He attended the Asia Working Group meeting and luncheon on October 5 (Sorrento time) at the Conference to brief industry stakeholders on gold infrastructure developments in Hong Kong, including Delivery Connect, launched with the Shanghai Gold Exchange.

The Global Precious Metals Conference is an annual flagship event for the international bullion and metals industry. This year, more than 1 000 delegates from across the precious metals industry are engaging to conduct focused debates and build lasting connections.

Mr Hui will visit multiple leading refineries for gold of international standard in Ticino, Switzerland, on October 7 (Ticino time) and meet with their senior management.

Immigration Department to Introduce Enrolment Service for “Collaborative Inspection” Automated Channel at New Huanggang Port

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