Gongbei opens new immigration area for passengers

The Zhuhai Municipal Port-of-Entry Bureau has announced that a new immigration facility is opening today at the Gongbei Port of Entry. The facility is especially for Home Return Permit-holding passengers traveling in vehicles that hold seven seats or less, and have both Macau and mainland license plates.
Previously, Home Return Permit holders traveling in vehicles with two plates had to leave the vehicles and walk to the checkpoint building. The bureau stated that this arrangement wasted the time and energy of the travelers.
Some have complained that the walk to the checkpoint building was a hardship for elderly travelers, especially during the summer.
When the new facility is open, it will allow the driver to drop off the passengers and pass through the checkpoint while the passengers walk into the facility and conduct the immigration checking procedure.
After they are cleared, the passengers can proceed to the waiting area, where the driver and the vehicle can stop and wait for the passengers to get in again.
The authorities have revealed that the area of the facility is around 442 square meters, and is equipped with both automated and manual immigration clearance channels.
The facility is only open for Home Return Permit holders. Chinese passport or mainland permit holders still have to cross the border through the regular checkpoint building.
Information shows that the construction of the facility was approved in July 2012 by the Zhuhai Municipal government, with an input of RMB4.5 million to build the facility, a corridor and a national quarantine laboratory. It was expected to be finished at the end of 2013.
Nevertheless, owing to various reasons – including the underground pipelines, the protection of cables, the adjustment of the parking space and the construction of the laboratory – the completion has been postponed.  JPL