China’s National Immigration Administration announced on 1 July that foreigners holding Macau or Hong Kong permanent resident ID cards will be eligible to apply for mainland China’s multiple-entry travel permits with a five-year validity starting 10 July.
With such a travel permit, non-Chinese permanent residents of Macau and Hong Kong can visit mainland China without a visa and can stay there for a maximum of 90 days for each visit.
This travel permit is currently available only to Macau and Hong Kong residents with Chinese nationality.
Macau and Hong Kong residents can apply for the travel permit at the China Travel Service in the two SARs. The application costs HK$260 and successful applicants shall be issued with the travel permits within 20 working days, according to various media reports.
The travel permit allows the holder to visit mainland China for general purposes like tourism or business.
Foreign holders of such permits are not allowed to work or study or perform journalism work in mainland China – other visas are needed for these purposes. (Gilbert Humphrey)
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