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Saturday, Feb 22, 2025
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Border crossings to be a cruise at Kai Tak
The contactless e-Channel service for Hong Kong residents will be extended to the Kai Tak cruise terminal control point from today, the Immigration Department said.
That is aimed at providing a faster, more convenient and a more hygienic immigration clearance service.
The service was previously available only at the airport, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge and Shenzhen Bay crossings. It will be extended in phases to other control points.
Residents aged 11 or above are eligible to enroll for the service through the department's mobile app, contactless e-Channel and government's mobile app iAM Smart. Residents may also enroll in person at any of the e-Channel enrolment offices.
Eligible residents aged 11 to 17 must enroll with the consent of their parents or legal guardians.
Once they are registered, residents can choose to enter the e-Channel with their smart identity card or an encrypted QR code generated by the mobile app.
The QR code will be refreshed every 30 seconds to prevent its use by more than one person. Residents will then be required to position themselves at a designated spot for facial verification, after which clearance is automatic.
Launched early this month, the service is one for the ages, especially in this age of Covid.
Assistant director Gavin Ho Ka-wing said there was a general reluctance among the public to even press lift buttons and therefore the department decided to provide a more hygienic clerance with e-Channel.
He said it only take a resident seven seconds to cross a checkpoint using e-Channel, less time than for fingerprint authentication.
The facial verification technology is said to have reached a 99 percent accuracy level.
Residents can use a smartphone with biometric authentication to download the contactless e-Channel app for enrolment.
The app requires it to be in sync with the government's iAM Smart app to verify a person's identity to prevent identity theft. Residents must install iAM Smart to register the e-Channel service and later generate a QR code for immigration clearances.
The contactless e-Channel app does not record travel records or photos taken at checkpoints.
People can always opt out of the service simply through the department's mobile app. Residents are free to continue using fingerprint verification technology or manned counters for immigration clearances.
The service was previously available only at the airport, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge and Shenzhen Bay crossings. It will be extended in phases to other control points.
Residents aged 11 or above are eligible to enroll for the service through the department's mobile app, contactless e-Channel and government's mobile app iAM Smart. Residents may also enroll in person at any of the e-Channel enrolment offices.
Eligible residents aged 11 to 17 must enroll with the consent of their parents or legal guardians.
Once they are registered, residents can choose to enter the e-Channel with their smart identity card or an encrypted QR code generated by the mobile app.
The QR code will be refreshed every 30 seconds to prevent its use by more than one person. Residents will then be required to position themselves at a designated spot for facial verification, after which clearance is automatic.
Launched early this month, the service is one for the ages, especially in this age of Covid.
Assistant director Gavin Ho Ka-wing said there was a general reluctance among the public to even press lift buttons and therefore the department decided to provide a more hygienic clerance with e-Channel.
He said it only take a resident seven seconds to cross a checkpoint using e-Channel, less time than for fingerprint authentication.
The facial verification technology is said to have reached a 99 percent accuracy level.
Residents can use a smartphone with biometric authentication to download the contactless e-Channel app for enrolment.
The app requires it to be in sync with the government's iAM Smart app to verify a person's identity to prevent identity theft. Residents must install iAM Smart to register the e-Channel service and later generate a QR code for immigration clearances.
The contactless e-Channel app does not record travel records or photos taken at checkpoints.
People can always opt out of the service simply through the department's mobile app. Residents are free to continue using fingerprint verification technology or manned counters for immigration clearances.
