To further streamline immigration procedures, the department has cancelled the requirement for visitors to furnish an arrival or departure card with effect from 16 October 2024. All passengers are no longer required to complete and furnish an arrival or departure card, thereby facilitating a faster and more convenient immigration clearance process.

The HKIA is one of the busiest airports in the world. In 2024, passenger arrivals and departures at the HKIA totalled 41.88 million.

The Airport Division has enhanced its performance pledge to clear 98 per cent of Hong Kong residents and 95 per cent of visitors within a 15-minute waiting time. In 2024, 100 per cent of Hong Kong residents and 99.9 per cent of visitors were cleared within a 15-minute waiting time at the Airport Control Point.

To prevent the entry of undesirable persons and deter illegal migration activities, the Airport Division from time to time conducts spot checks on passengers in the arrival and departure halls, transit lounge, transfer areas and boarding gates. In 2024, a total of 243 persons were intercepted for investigation at the Airport for activities related to fraudulent travel documents and visas.

To provide greater convenience for departing visitors, self-service departure for visitors (Smart Departure) was launched at the HKIA on 10 October 2017. The service was extended to other control points on 18 December 2017. Smart Departure employs facial recognition technology for identity verification, which allows eligible visitors holding electronic travel documents to perform self-service departure clearance through Smart Departure e-Channels without prior enrolment.

To meet the demand for business aviation services, the Business Aviation Centre was set up at the HKIA to provide travel convenience for users of private or charter aircraft on a user-pay basis. Business travellers benefit most from the dedicated immigration clearance services. In 2024, a total of 5,997 aircraft and 42,085 travellers and crew members used the centre.

To reinforce and enhance Hong Kong's competitiveness as an international and regional aviation hub, the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) expanded the SkyPier, located beside the HKIA, into the new SkyPier Terminal (SPT), linking the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) Hong Kong Port to the HKIA with a bonded vehicular bridge. The SPT commenced trial operation on 30 August 2023 and was fully commissioned on 12 December 2023, providing transfer coach service for transfer passengers travelling among Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macao via the HZMB, with a view to offering hassle-free travelling experience for bridge-to-air/air-to-bridge transfer passengers. In 2024, a total of over 230,000 transfer passengers had used the transfer coach service at the SPT.

Apart from the transfer coach service, the SPT also continues to provide to transfer passengers using the speedy ferry service direct air-sea link between the HKIA and nine ports in the Pearl River Delta, namely Nansha and Pazhou of Guangzhou, Shekou and Fuyong of Shenzhen, Humen of Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiuzhou of Zhuhai, the Macao Maritime Ferry Terminal and Taipa. Transfer passengers using the SPT services can enjoy travel convenience at the HKIA without having to go through immigration and customs formalities. There are a total of 67 participating airlines that provide check-in services at the SPT. In 2024, a total of over 410,000 arriving transfer passengers and over 260,000 departing transfer passengers made use of the speedy ferry service at the SPT.

To further enhance the service, cross-boundary one-stop advance check-in services are available at upstream seaports including Nansha, Pazhou, Shekou, Fuyong, Humen, Zhongshan, Jiuzhou, the Macao Maritime Ferry Terminal and Taipa and upstream landports including Zhuhai and Macao. Passengers can obtain their boarding passes and check in their luggage at upstream ports for direct transfer from speedy ferries or transfer coaches using the SPT to their designated flights at the HKIA. Currently, there are 31 airlines providing advance check-in services to transfer passengers using the speedy ferry service, among which 15 also provide the same to transfer passengers using the transfer coach service.

Visitors aged 18 or above who hold a valid Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Travel Pass or an APEC Business Travel Card with the economy code 'HKG' can enjoy self-service immigration clearance at the HKIA after enrolment with the department. The frequent visitor e-Channel service has been extended to cover selected members of Frequent Flyer Programmes of designated airlines which have joined this arrangement and visitors who (a) hold a valid travel document which does not require an entry visa/permit for entering Hong Kong; (b) have made visits to Hong Kong by air via the HKIA for not less than 3 times in the 12 months immediately before enrolment; and (c) have no adverse record in Hong Kong.

The department implemented arrangements for the mutual use of self-service immigration clearance with Korea, Singapore, Germany, Australia and Thailand. All eligible visitors under the arrangements may enrol for the e-Channel service at the Immigration Tower, the HKIA or the Macau Ferry Terminal Control Point.

As at 31 December 2024, over 366,000 frequent visitors had enrolled for the service at the Airport Control Point. Over 7.61 million arriving and over 11.49 million departing visitors had made use of self-service immigration clearance.

A total of 66 multi-purpose e-Channels are installed at the HKIA, with 26 in the arrival halls and 40 in the departure halls.

To provide more convenient departure clearance service for Hong Kong residents and tie in with the implementation of the Flight Token system by the AAHK, the department launched the Flight Token e-Channel service at the HKIA on 25 October 2022.

The Flight Token is one of the smart airport initiatives developed by the AAHK. It employs facial recognition technology to enable departing passengers to have their identity verified when going through the check-in to boarding procedures at various checkpoints simply by showing their faces, without the need of checks by repetitive display of travel documents and boarding passes.

Hong Kong residents aged 11 or above, who are holders of a valid HKSAR Passport, HKSAR Document of Identity for Visa Purposes, Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents (commonly known as the 'Home Visit Permit') or Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents (Non-Chinese Citizens) and choose to use the AAHK's Flight Token service when departing from Hong Kong, are eligible to use Flight Token e-Channels for self-service departure clearance. Upon entering Flight Token e-Channels, eligible Hong Kong residents may complete self-service departure clearance simply by looking at the camera and having their identity verified through facial recognition technology. There is no need to present any travel documents throughout.

A total of 11 Flight Token e-Channels are installed at the HKIA, with 4 in the south departure hall and 7 in the north departure hall.

As at 31 December 2024, over 3.15 million residents had used the Flight Token e-Channel service.

To meet the aviation security requirements of the Convention on International Civil Aviation and to align Hong Kong with other aviation hubs worldwide, as well as to enable the department to further enhance its clearance and enforcement capabilities to prevent undesirables from boarding flights heading to Hong Kong, the department implemented the Advance Passenger Information (API) System on 3 September 2024, requiring airline operators to transmit advance information to the department about flights and passengers heading to Hong Kong through the API System when checking in travellers, and act upon the direction given through the system to allow or not allow specific travellers to board the aircraft heading to Hong Kong.

To allow sufficient time for over 100 airline operators to connect to the API System and to ensure that the system runs in a smooth and orderly manner, the rollout was carried out in phases. A transitional period of around 12 months was also provided. The provisions of offences and defences relating to the API System under Cap. 115Q, Laws of Hong Kong will only come into effect after the transitional period, namely starting from 1 September 2025.

As at 31 December 2024, over 50 airline operators had connected to the API System.

The Lo Wu Control Point was the busiest land boundary control point in Hong Kong with the highest passenger traffic. In 2024, over 64.21 million passengers travelled through the Lo Wu Control Point, representing an increase of 41.6 per cent as compared with that of 2023. Of these, 12.16 million were visitors, with an increase of 25.8 per cent over 2023.

In 2024, the daily average passenger traffic at the Lo Wu Control Point was 180,000. During weekends or festive periods, the daily passenger figure often exceeded 210,000, with 100 per cent of passengers cleared within 30 minutes.

To expedite the immigration clearance of cross-boundary students (CBS), there is a total of 6 designated e-Channels for CBS at the Lo Wu Control Point. In addition, there is a total of 181 multi-purpose e-Channels, with 96 in the arrival hall and 85 in the departure hall.

The Hung Hom Control Point provides immigration clearance services for passengers travelling to and from the Mainland by through train. The HKSAR Government has suspended the passenger clearance services at the Hung Hom Control Point since 30 January 2020. Following the announcement by the General Administration of Customs of the country on 31 July 2024 regarding the closure of the four Intercity Through Train boundary control points between the Mainland and Hong Kong, namely Beijingxi Station, Shanghai Station, Guangzhou and Dongguan, the Hung Hom Control Point also ceased operation on the same day.

The Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point, located at Lok Ma Chau Terminus of the MTR East Rail Line, is another land boundary control point for railway passengers. There is a public transport interchange adjacent to the Terminus to cater for cross-boundary passengers by franchised bus, green minibus or taxi. The control point is linked to the Futian Port of Shenzhen by a two-level passenger bridge.

In 2024, over 55.05 million passengers travelled through the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point with a daily average of 150,000 passengers, representing an increase of 31.8 per cent as compared with that of 2023. 99.9 per cent of passengers were cleared within 30 minutes.

To expedite the immigration clearance of CBS, there is a total of 6 designated e-Channels for CBS at the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point. There is a total of 106 multi-purpose e-Channels, with 50 in the arrival hall and 56 in the departure hall.

The Express Rail Link West Kowloon Control Point was officially commissioned on 23 September 2018. It adopts the 'co-location' mode of clearance arrangement, which allows passengers to go through both Hong Kong and Mainland immigration clearance inside the control point.

With the increase in train frequencies and the number of connected destinations on the high-speed rail, the passenger traffic at the Express Rail Link West Kowloon Control Point has repeatedly reached new highs. In 2024, over 26.52 million passengers travelled through the control point with a daily average of more than 72,000 passengers, representing an increase of 29.4 per cent as compared with that of 2023. 100 per cent of passengers were cleared within 30 minutes.

To cope with the ever-increasing passenger traffic, 19 extra e-Channels were installed in phases at the Express Rail Link West Kowloon Control Point in 2024. Currently, the total number of multi-purpose e-Channels in the arrival and departure halls has been increased to 72, with 41 in the arrival hall and 31 in the departure hall. The passenger handling capacity has nearly doubled as a result of the enhancement works.

In 2024, the passenger throughput at the Lok Ma Chau Control Point was 12.06 million, of which 2.91 million were visitors. This accounted for 24.1 per cent of the passenger mix. For the vehicle throughput at the Lok Ma Chau Control Point, it was 4.22 million in total. In 2024, 100 per cent of passengers were cleared within 30 minutes.

A total of 39 multi-purpose e-Channels are installed at the Lok Ma Chau Control Point, with 16 in the arrival hall and 23 in the departure hall.

According to the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) promulgated by the Central Government in 2019, expediting infrastructural connectivity among GBA cities is one of the key areas of development, which will be realised by enhancing the handling capacity and clearance facilitation of control points in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao and promoting an efficient and convenient flow of people and goods. The HKSAR Government has been pressing ahead with a series of measures to enhance the handling capacity and clearance facilitation of control points, including the redevelopment of the Huanggang Port/Lok Ma Chau Control Point. To further enhance the efficiency of clearance, the 'co-location arrangement' will be implemented at the new Huanggang Port and the adoption of the new mode of 'collaborative inspection and joint clearance' is being actively explored. Under such clearance mode, self-service channels and counters of both Hong Kong and Shenzhen will be set up at the boundary line of the two territories, such that travellers only need to queue up once to have their documents inspected and their identities verified once to complete the respective immigration procedures, thereby further enhancing the overall clearance experience and efficiency.

The Man Kam To Control Point provides immigration clearance services for cross-boundary vehicles and passengers. In 2024, the passenger throughput at the Man Kam To Control Point was 1.48 million, of which 320,000 were visitors. This accounted for 21.7 per cent of the passenger mix. For the vehicle throughput at the Man Kam To Control Point, it was 870,000 in total. In 2024, 100 per cent of passengers were cleared within 30 minutes.

A total of 18 multi-purpose e-Channels are installed at the Man Kam To Control Point, with 9 in the arrival hall and 9 in the departure hall.

To enhance clearance efficiency and promote the development of the Sha Tau Kok area, the HKSAR Government and the Shenzhen Municipal Government have reached a consensus on adopting a cross-river construction approach in the redevelopment of the Sha Tau Kok Control Point. Accordingly, the two sides will concurrently construct the passenger clearance building straddling the Sha Tau Kok River and will take the centre line of the Sha Tau Kok River as the boundary line to set up their respective passenger clearance channels immediately adjacent to each other. During the redevelopment period, passenger and cargo clearance services at the Sha Tau Kok Control Point have been temporarily suspended. The redeveloped Sha Tau Kok Control Point will become a passenger clearance-only control point, with the cargo clearance function removed, in order to facilitate the implementation of the 'East in East out, West in West out' planning strategy for cross-boundary goods traffic. It will also implement the 'collaborative inspection and joint clearance' mode to enhance passenger clearance efficiency.

The Shenzhen Bay Control Point, the first boundary control point adopting the 'co-location' mode of clearance arrangement, provides immigration clearance services for both passengers and vehicles travelling between the Mainland and Hong Kong.

Under this arrangement, much time is saved as passengers conveyed by coach only have to get on and off the vehicles once instead of twice when going through immigration clearance at both the immigration authorities within the Passenger Terminal Building. For each vehicular clearance kiosk, staff of both the Immigration Department and the Customs and Excise Department are housed in two closely adjoining compartments, facilitating the provision of one-stop immigration and customs clearance services to cross-boundary vehicles.

As announced in 2019 Policy Address, the operating hours of the Shenzhen Bay Port would be extended to 24 hours in order to cater for the needs of cross-boundary passengers. To further support the logistics flow between Shenzhen and Hong Kong to cope with the cross-boundary goods traffic in the early hours, and to tie in with the 'East in East out, West in West out' planning strategy, the governments of Shenzhen and Hong Kong decided after discussions to extend the operating hours of cargo clearance to 24 hours at the Shenzhen Bay Control Point with effect from 10 December 2020.

In 2024, the passenger throughput at the Shenzhen Bay Control Point was 34.48 million, of which 9.8 million were visitors. This accounted for 28.4 per cent of the passenger mix. For the vehicle throughput at the Shenzhen Bay Control Point, it was 4.94 million in total. In 2024, 100 per cent of passengers were cleared within 30 minutes.

A total of 63 multi-purpose e-Channels are installed at the Shenzhen Bay Control Point, with 24 in the arrival hall and 39 in the departure hall.

The HZMB Control Point was officially commissioned on 24 October 2018. It is the first land-boundary control point linking Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macao. The boundary crossing facilities of the HZMB adopt the 'separate locations' mode of clearance arrangement. The governments of the three places have set up their own boundary crossing facilities within their respective boundaries. Facilities such as the Passenger Clearance Building and vehicle clearance kiosks at the Hong Kong Port provide immigration clearance services for cross-boundary passengers and vehicles respectively.

To facilitate Hong Kong residents' self-driving to Guangdong for business, visiting families or sight-seeing on a short-term basis, the governments of Guangdong and Hong Kong launched the Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles (the Scheme) on 1 July 2023, thereby further making good use of the HZMB and promoting the development of the GBA. The Scheme allows eligible Hong Kong private cars to travel between Hong Kong and Guangdong via the HZMB without the need to obtain regular quotas. In 2024, over 720,000 travel bookings were made under the Scheme throughout the year.

In 2024, the passenger throughput at the HZMB Control Point was 28.47 million, of which 9.75 million were visitors. This accounted for 34.3 per cent of the passenger mix. For the vehicle throughput at the HZMB Control Point, it was 4.29 million in total. In 2024, 99.9 per cent of passengers were cleared within 30 minutes.

A total of 80 multi-purpose e-Channels are installed at the HZMB Control Point, with the arrival hall and the departure hall each installed with 40 such e-Channels.

The Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point, which is the seventh land-based control point at the Hong Kong-Shenzhen boundary and located between the Man Kam To and Sha Tau Kok Control Points, is a boundary control point that offers 'direct access by passengers and vehicles'.

The cargo clearance services at the Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point had first commenced operation on 26 August 2020, while the passenger clearance services also commenced operation on 6 February 2023.

There are 18 multi-purpose e-Channels and 12 conventional counters on the arrival level, and 14 multi-purpose e-Channels and 9 conventional counters on the departure level of the Passenger Terminal Building at the Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point, providing immigration clearance services for passengers. Both the inbound and outbound routes on the podium of the first floor of the Passenger Terminal Building are installed with 4 clearance kiosks for private cars and 2 clearance kiosks for coaches. Moreover, nine goods vehicle clearance kiosks are installed on the inbound and outbound clearance routes respectively for cross-boundary drivers.

The Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point has been well received by the public since its commissioning. In 2024, the passenger throughput at this control point was 25.5 million, of which 4.68 million were visitors. This accounted for 18.3 per cent of the passenger mix. For the vehicle throughput at the Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point, it was 1.13 million in total. In 2024, 100 per cent of passengers were cleared within 30 minutes.

To further facilitate CBS travelling between the Mainland and Hong Kong, the department adopted the simplified clearance procedure for CBS at the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line, Shenzhen Bay, Lok Ma Chau, Man Kam To, Lo Wu, HZMB and Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Points. The service was provided with the use of information technology and a portable device to simplify the immigration clearance process for CBS. In addition, the on-board clearance service now available at the Man Kam To and Lok Ma Chau Control Points has been further extended to the HZMB Control Point since 2019 to provide speedier and safer clearance services for CBS.

One of the duties of the Harbour Control Section is to conduct immigration clearance on incoming and outgoing vessels at the two designated immigration anchorages, namely the Eastern Quarantine and Immigration Anchorage and the Western Quarantine and Immigration Anchorage. In 2024, the Harbour Control Section cleared a total of 143,410 vessels, representing an increase of about 4.3 per cent as compared with 137,549 vessels in 2023.

Besides, the Harbour Control Section is responsible for handling cases concerning the repatriation and emergency discharge of seamen, deserters, stowaways, etc. To step up post-entry examination, the Ship Searching Unit of the Section conducts searches and spot checks on vessels in Hong Kong waters regularly to ensure that all incoming vessels comply with immigration requirements.

The Ship Searching Unit consists of four operation teams and one intelligence and logistics support team. The operation teams are responsible for conducting searches and spot checks on vessels in Hong Kong waters to detect cases of evasion of immigration examination, forgery, illegal immigration, overstaying, etc., with a view to strengthening immigration control at sea and combating illicit immigration activities. The intelligence and logistics support team is responsible for the collection and analysis of relevant information and intelligence.

To facilitate business of the cargo and logistics industry, the Pre-arrival Clearance Scheme has been implemented for years. Under the scheme, pre-approved vessels can proceed directly to berths or terminals for cargo operations without having to wait for immigration clearance at immigration anchorages. In 2024, a total of 20,231 ocean-going vessels and 38,086 Mainland river/coastal trade vessels were approved under this Scheme prior to their entry to Hong Kong.

The arrangement helps save much of the operational costs and time. It also helps strengthen and enhance Hong Kong's position as a preferred international and regional transportation and logistics hub.

The Macau Terminal Control Point provides immigration clearance services for passengers travelling by vessel between Hong Kong and Macao or nearby ports of Guangdong Province, or by helicopter between Hong Kong and Macao at the Macau Ferry Terminal.

The Macau Ferry Terminal was the busiest immigration check point among all harbour control points. The majority of the passengers were Hong Kong residents. The terminal operated round-the-clock with around 114 daily sailings between Hong Kong and the Mainland or Macao. There was also chartered cross-boundary helicopter service between Hong Kong and Macao. In 2024, 7.03 million passengers travelled through the Macau Ferry Terminal Control Point.

A total of 54 multi-purpose e-Channels are installed at the Macau Ferry Terminal Control Point, with 26 in the arrival hall and 28 in the departure hall.

The China Ferry Terminal Control Point provides immigration clearance services for passengers travelling by vessel between Hong Kong and the Mainland or Macao at the China Ferry Terminal.

In 2024, the China Ferry Terminal handled a daily average of 45 sailings between Hong Kong and the Mainland or Macao. In 2024, 1.25 million passengers travelled through the China Ferry Terminal Control Point.

A total of 28 multi-purpose e-Channels are installed at the China Ferry Terminal Control Point, with 11 in the arrival hall and 17 in the departure hall.

The River Trade Terminal Control Point provides round-the-clock immigration clearance services for Mainland river and coastal trade vessels at the Tuen Mun Immigration Anchorage so as to relieve the heavy traffic at Ma Wan Channel and facilitate trade activities. In 2024, a daily average of 20 river vessels were cleared at the Tuen Mun Immigration Anchorage. The River Trade Terminal Control Point also deals with the repatriation and emergency discharge of seamen, deserters, stowaways, etc.

The Kai Tak Cruise Terminal Control Point provides immigration clearance services for passengers and crew members of cruise liners berthing at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, the Ocean Terminal and other anchorages, as well as Hong Kong-based passenger liners.

In 2024, a total of 306 sailings of passenger liners from/to external ports and those 'cruise-to-nowhere' itineraries which did not involve ports outside Hong Kong, with around 520,000 passengers, were handled by the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal Control Point, representing an increase of about 9 per cent as compared with 480,000 passengers in 2023. Moreover, the control point is installed with 7 multi-purpose e-Channels in total.