New Huanggang Port cuts Shenzhen-Hong Kong border clearance to about five minutes

ASM, Philippine Canadian Inquirer
October 13, 2026

Photo courtesy: CGTN Frontline

HONG KONG — Crossing between Shenzhen and Hong Kong has become significantly faster with the opening of the redeveloped Huanggang Port, which now allows eligible travelers to complete immigration procedures for both sides through a single clearance process.

The rebuilt border crossing officially began operations at 6:30 a.m. on Oct. 12, providing round-the-clock services for passengers and passenger vehicles. It replaces the previous arrangement involving the temporary Huanggang facility in Shenzhen and Hong Kong’s Lok Ma Chau Control Point. 

At the center of the new system is what authorities call “collaborative inspection and joint clearance.” Instead of going through separate Hong Kong and Shenzhen immigration queues, enrolled passengers can have their documents and identities checked for both jurisdictions at one automated channel. 

Hong Kong officials say the change can reduce the overall immigration process from roughly 30 minutes to about five minutes. The port has 134 collaborative inspection automated channels as well as 68 conventional manual counters for travelers who are not enrolled in the automated system. 

Eligible passengers may also register to use facial recognition at the automated channels. Hong Kong residents can enroll through the Immigration Department’s HK e-Channel app or at facilities inside the port, while eligible mainland travelers can register on site. Travelers using facial recognition are still required to carry valid travel documents.

Drivers are also expected to spend less time at the boundary.

A new “joint one-stop” vehicle system allows multiple border checks to be carried out in the same lane, including document verification, biometric collection and temperature screening. Authorities expect vehicle clearance to fall from about 10 minutes to roughly two minutes. 

The new Huanggang Port is designed to handle around 200,000 passenger trips per day, significantly increasing capacity at one of the busiest links between the two cities. That figure could eventually rise to around 300,000 daily trips once Hong Kong’s planned Northern Link Spur Line is completed. 

Public transport links have also been expanded around the crossing. Hong Kong’s Transport Department said seven franchised bus routes, six green minibus services and five short-haul cross-boundary coach routes will serve the port, including overnight services. 

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee described the redevelopment as part of wider efforts to strengthen movement and economic connections between Hong Kong, Shenzhen and the rest of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

The Huanggang crossing has connected Shenzhen and Hong Kong since the late 1980s. After years of redevelopment, its reopening introduces the first land boundary checkpoint between the two cities to combine their immigration procedures into a single clearance process.

Shenzhen-Hong Kong border crossing now takes 5 minutes | CGTN Frontline

Shenzhen-Hong Kong border crossing now takes 5 minutes | CGTN Frontline

Shenzhen-Hong Kong border crossing now takes 5 minutes | CGTN Frontline

Shenzhen-Hong Kong border crossing now takes 5 minutes | CGTN Frontline