Home Migration Hong Kong Newborns To Get One-Off Mainland Travel Permits

Hong Kong Newborns To Get One-Off Mainland Travel Permits

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In a move to ease travel restrictions for Hong Kong families, authorities on the mainland are set to introduce a new program allowing newborns from the city to obtain one-time permits to visit the mainland, the chairman of a major pro-Beijing political party announced on Wednesday.

According to DAB party chairman Gary Chan, the mainland’s national immigration officials have informed lawmakers that parents of Hong Kong-born babies with an “urgent need to travel to the mainland” will be able to obtain a temporary permit at select border crossings, valid for a single round-trip journey within a three-month period.

Chan said his party had received numerous calls from parents struggling with the previous system, which required at least five working days to process applications for temporary mainland travel permits.

Under the new arrangement, parents will only need to provide their newborn’s identity document and birth certificate to receive the one-off permit at border crossings in Luohu, Huanggang, Shekou, or Shenzhen airport. Chan expressed hope that the new, more convenient process could be extended to additional crossing points in the future.

“As long as the parents need a permit, they can bring the relevant documents to the four border crossings to apply for a document and collect it on the spot. It is more convenient and quicker than before, and can meet the needs of parents with newborns,” Chan said.

The move comes as Hong Kong families have faced increasing difficulties traveling to the mainland in recent years due to stricter border controls. Advocates have long called for greater flexibility, particularly for parents of newborns who may need to make urgent trips across the border.

While details of the new program remain limited, the announced changes appear aimed at addressing these concerns and providing a smoother process for Hong Kong residents seeking to visit the mainland with their young children.