HKSAR govt welcomes enhanced rules for mainland biz travelers, talents

Source: China Daily Asia

HONG KONG - The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government on Sunday welcomed the National Immigration Administration's decision to enhance the travel rules for business travelers and talents coming to the SAR from the mainland, saying that it will further facilitate the territory's integration into national development.

In a statement, the SAR government said mainland authorities extended the period of stay for holders of an exit endorsement for business visit travelling to Hong Kong from seven days to 14 days and expanded the application of the exit endorsement for talents to Beijing and Shanghai starting on May 6.

Mainland authorities also announced that applications for the exit endorsement for business visit will be accepted nationwide, irrespective of the applicant's place of household registration or place of residence

Mainland authorities also announced that applications for the exit endorsement for business visit will be accepted nationwide, irrespective of the applicant's place of household registration or place of residence.

"These measures will greatly enhance convenience for mainland businesspersons and traders who travel to Hong Kong for various business activities and promote their exchanges with the business community in Hong Kong," the statement reads.

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"The two new measures will facilitate Hong Kong's further integration into the national development and achieve concrete results on the solid policy foundation of facilitating the 'southbound and northbound' two-way flow of talents," it added.

The talent exit endorsement has been implemented in the mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area on a pilot basis since February 20, 2023 to facilitate GBA mainland talents' travel to Hong Kong, the HKSAR government said.

It added that, as of mid-April, more than 18,000 arrivals of visitors with these endorsements have been recorded in SAR.

"Expanding application of the talent exit endorsement to Beijing and Shanghai will attract and bring more mainland talents to Hong Kong for exchanges," the HKSAR government said.

Talents who meet the eligibility criteria set by the mainland authorities can apply for a talent exit endorsement with a validity period of five years, three years or one year. They can travel to and from Hong Kong multiple times within the validity period of the exit endorsement and stay in Hong Kong for a duration not exceeding 30 days during each visit.

The HKSAR government said it will continue to maintain close liaison with the mainland authorities to further promote the connection and exchanges of talents between the mainland and Hong Kong and create stronger impetus of growth for Hong Kong and the entire GBA.