The Greater Bay Area's customs clearance efficiency improves by 60% with the addition of five smart border crossings.
On November 5, 2025, the National Immigration Administration officially implemented ten innovative measures to support expanded opening-up and high-quality development. Among these, the addition of five new 240-hour visa-free transit ports in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has attracted widespread attention. This is the largest upgrade to cross-border customs facilities in the Greater Bay Area since the opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge in 2018, marking a crucial step towards "smart and seamless customs clearance" from the "one-hour living circle."
The new ports include Guangzhou Pazhou Passenger Port, Hengqin Port, Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Port, Zhongshan Port, and the West Kowloon Station of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, increasing the total number of ports nationwide eligible for the 240-hour visa-free transit policy from 60 to 65. Citizens of 55 countries holding valid international travel documents and connecting tickets can enter visa-free through these ports and stay in designated areas for up to 10 days for tourism, business, and other activities.
The intelligent clearance system enables "3-second clearance with facial recognition"
At the Hengqin Port in Zhuhai, reporters observed that the newly deployed intelligent fast-track channels are already in use. Unlike traditional manual channels, these gates are equipped with biometric technology, supporting dual verification of facial recognition and fingerprints, reducing clearance time from an average of 45 seconds to within 15 seconds. "The system automatically compares the information on the document chip with the on-site biometric features; the entire process requires no manual intervention," explained a border inspection officer. This technology has been successfully piloted at ports such as Shenzhen Bay and Gongbei, and is now being extended to 12 key ports in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
According to statistics from the General Administration of Customs, in the first week of the policy's implementation, the average daily passenger flow through the newly added ports reached 99,900, a 14% increase compared to early November. The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge port even set a record of 12,000 passengers in a single day, with 72% of them using the intelligent channels. "Previously, it took 40 minutes to queue from Macau to Zhuhai for the airshow. Now, we can just scan our faces and get through-it's faster than taking the bus," said Ms. Chen, a Macau resident who frequently travels between the two cities.
The visa-free policy is boosting the regional tourism economy. The "2025 Cross-border Tourism Development Report" released by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area Administrative Committee shows that this policy optimization is expected to increase inbound tourists by 1.2 million annually, directly driving tourism consumption of over 8 billion yuan. Notably, the policy specifically includes the West Kowloon Station of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link as a visa-free port, allowing transit passengers to directly access cities such as Guangzhou, Foshan, and Dongguan via the railway network.
"This is equivalent to extending the visa-free policy to the entire Pearl River Delta," analyzed Professor Zhang from the School of Tourism Management at Sun Yat-sen University. Combined with the previously launched "Greater Bay Area Tourism Card," tourists can enjoy discounted attraction tickets in 11 cities with an e-visa. Data shows that within a week of the policy's announcement, hotel searches in the Greater Bay Area on the Ctrip platform surged by 210% year-on-year, with international tourists accounting for 38% of bookings, an increase of 15 percentage points compared to the same period last year.
Regional Collaboration Builds a World-Class Tourist Destination
This customs clearance reform is a key implementation measure of the "Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Tourism Integration Plan." According to the plan, the three regions will achieve full coverage of the 144-hour visa-free transit policy by 2026 and unify tourism service standards. Currently, Guangzhou has launched a multilingual intelligent guide system, Shenzhen has launched a convenient payment platform for overseas tourists, and Macao has opened visa application services for Portuguese-speaking countries, forming complementary synergies.
At the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge port, the newly established "Tourism Service Center" provides consultation, attraction reservations, and transportation services in 12 languages. Pierre, a tourist from France, scanned a QR code with his mobile phone after passing through the intelligent channel to obtain a Greater Bay Area travel guide with 3D guidance: "I originally only planned to transit in Hong Kong, but seeing the visa-free policy, I stayed an extra 5 days and plan to take the high-speed rail to Guilin to see the scenery." This "transit + in-depth travel" model is becoming a new trend in inbound tourism.
Policy Dividends Accelerate the Integration of Cultural and Tourism Industries
Under the policy dividends, cultural and tourism enterprises in the Greater Bay Area are actively developing new products. Guangzhou Chimelong Group launched a "one-ticket-for-all" cross-border pass, allowing tourists to access parks in Hong Kong, Macau, and Zhuhai using fingerprint recognition. Foshan Lingnan Tiandi, in collaboration with the Macau Cultural and Tourism Bureau, created a "Intangible Cultural Heritage Experience Route," incorporating cultural elements such as Cantonese opera and Portuguese egg tart making into the itinerary. Shenzhen OCT Group partnered with Hong Kong Disneyland to launch a "Dual-City Theme Park Joint Ticket," which sold over 50,000 tickets in its first month.
According to estimates by the Guangdong Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, these customs facilitation measures will increase international tourism revenue in the Greater Bay Area by 18% annually, boosting related industries such as catering, retail, and transportation by over 20 billion yuan. A more profound impact lies in accelerating the cross-regional flow of talent, capital, and creativity by reducing cross-border costs, injecting lasting momentum into the construction of a "cultural Greater Bay Area."
With the popularization of smart customs clearance technology and the deepening of policy coordination, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area is transforming from a geographical concept into a functionally integrated tourism destination. When business travelers departing from Hong Kong in the early morning enjoy morning tea in Guangzhou, and Macao residents make a day trip to Zhuhai to see an exhibition, this "cross-border as if crossing regions" lifestyle is redefining the boundaries and possibilities of tourism in the Greater Bay Area.