Hong Kong, Korea ease clearance processes

Online pre-enrollment can now be accessed.

According to a report, Hong Kong passport holders will be able to enrol for Korea’s automated immigration clearance services starting today, the Immigration Department has announced.

Korean passport holders may also enrol for Hong Kong’s e-Channel services.

The two places signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the use of automated immigration clearance services on July 30, and the enrollment criteria and procedures have been established, Principal Immigration Officer (Information Systems) Production Lok Wai-man said in a briefing this morning.

Hong Kong passport holders aged 17 or above who are eligible to use the Hong Kong e-Channel can perform pre-enrollment online for the Korean automated service here. If successful, they can print out a notification slip and take it and their passport - which should be valid for at least six months - to an enrollment centre in Korea to complete the registration.

Using the Korean automated service takes about 16 seconds in contrast to the non-automated service, which takes about 60 seconds, Mr Lok said.

Korean passport holders aged 17 or above, who are enrolled in Korea’s Smart Entry Service, can perform pre-enrollment at the GovHK website. Enrollment is voluntary and free.

The mutual use of automated immigration clearance services will allow greater travel convenience for passport holders from both places, Mr Lok said, and enhance trade, business and tourism links between Hong Kong and Korea.