Travel pass for HK, Macau goes digital

The Exit-Entry Permit for travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macau will go digital nationwide starting on Monday, according to a statement by the Ministry of Public Security. The electronic pass that allows mainland Chinese to travel to the two Special Administrative Regions has successfully been piloted in south China’s Guangdong Province, and will be used in the mainland, the statement said. The period of validity for an adult permit will be extended to 10 years, while the validity period for juveniles under the age of 16 will remain five years. The new permit will be a card embedded with an electronic integrated circuit chip that stores personal data and endorsement information. The electronic permit has much stronger anti-counterfeiting features compared to the paper permits of the past.