Cross-border case completed via online legal service

The Guangdong High Court has announced that a Macau resident has successfully completed a cross-border filing of a case through an authorized witness pass service, a new online legal service launched in Enping People’s Court, Jiangmen, according to media reports. 

A local resident, surnamed Lam, filed a lawsuit against a developer for delay in providing a refund for a property in Enping. 

Lam purchased a property costing RMB546,600 in Enping in July 2019. However, on January 8, 2021, the parties signed a release agreement under which the developer would only refund the buyer a total amount of RMB493,400.

According to the announcement, Lam is a Macau resident and holds a Hong Kong and Macau Resident Permit for traveling to and from the mainland; she is thus eligible for online authorized witness pass services.

The authorized witness pass is a software service developed specifically for online cross-border litigation through which three parties, including the court, the client and the lawyer/agent, are appointed to witness the application for authorization online.

As announced by the central government, the court’s authorized witness pass is not only applicable to Hong Kong and Macau residents, but also provides cross-border litigation services to parties holding documents such as Taiwan Resident Permits, Taiwan Resident Travel Permits, Permanent Resident Identity Cards for Foreigners and Ordinary Passports.