From February 6, 2023, the Mainland of China resumed exchanges with Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions.
On February 3, 2023, the State Council’s Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism issued the “Notice of the People’s Republic of China on the Full Resumption of Epidemic Prevention and Control”, following the downgrading of COVID-19 to a Category B infectious disease and the abolition of centralized quarantine for inbound travelers for travel between the Mainland and Hong Kong and Macao (Notice), optimizing measures to regulate travel between the Mainland and the two Special Administrative Regions (SARs).
The reservation system for Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau land border crossings will be abolished.
The daily passenger limit will be removed.
Hong Kong and Macao passengers who have not been outside the country for 7 days prior to travel will no longer be required to present negative test results for entry into the Mainland.
Those who have been outside the country within 7 days prior to departure will be required to provide proof of a negative nucleic acid test verified by the Hong Kong and Macao SAR Government within 48 hours prior to entry.
Infants and children under the age of three will be exempted from testing.
Visitors from Hong Kong and Macau must present their health declaration codes for entry procedures at the port of entry.
If there is no abnormality in the health declaration, the entrant can enter the Mainland directly without additional inspection.
In addition, to accommodate the influx of visitors and to increase the capacity of passenger carriers, the authorities will strive to open more control points.
Background
Previously, on January 5, 2023, the China Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office announced the optimization of the movement of people between the Mainland and Hong Kong and Macao as part of the initiative to reopen the border and resume cross-border travel.
The full reopening of the two Special Administrative Regions is part of China’s latest move towards a “living with COVID” approach, which is fully in line with the country’s broader strategy to end forced segregation and boost investor confidence. In addition, as confirmed by several Chinese embassies, Beijing has resumed applications for most visa types, while promising to gradually reintroduce tourist visas for short-term travelers.
The reinstatement of group tours into the policy will also facilitate the recovery of tourism in both directions, thus further accelerating economic growth in the region.
Macau, for example, removed the mandatory customs testing requirement back on January 8, 2023, resulting in a 154% increase in visitor arrivals compared to the same period in 2022.
