New card makes trips to HK, Macau easier

The validity of entry permits for travel to Hong Kong and Macau for residents has been raised to 10 years from the current five years following the introduction of a new electronic entry permit card, the Shanghai Entry-Exit Administration announced yesterday.

The new card, which is the size of an identity card, will have the traveler's digital finger prints and a smart chip that will store personal information including profile, picture and entry-permit-related information.

The record of mainland residents' entry to Hong Kong and Macau will be printed in a special ink on the back of the card, along with a Quick Response Code. The old record and the code can also be removed while applying for a new permit with a special machine put up in the entry-exit administration.

The Ministry of Public Security said the new card will replace the old paper permit and citizens can start applying for the new one from Monday.

The old entry permit brochures can still be used if it is valid.

A self-service channel will also be opened for those who are above 7 years of age and hold the new entry permit cards at the city's two airports.

Shanghai Daily was invited for an inspection tour of the new channel at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport.

After inserting the card on the first machine, it scans the personal information and lets the traveler through the first gate. The second machine has two cameras that compares the identity picture with the traveler and checks the finger print. If they match, the traveler is allowed to go through the second gate.

Citizens holding passports that carry finger print information, as well as foreigners with permanent residency permits in China, can also go through the automated inspection channels.