Gov’t opens first mainland government service station in Hengqin

Macau opened its first offline government service station on the Chinese mainland on Wednesday, bringing identity, tax, business, intellectual-property and pharmaceutical services closer to residents and companies in Hengqin as the cross-border cooperation zone marks its fifth year.

The Macao Government Service Station, on the second floor of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone’s Government Services Center, began operations at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Its first phase brings together four Macau government departments: the Identification Services Bureau, Financial Services Bureau, Economic and Technological Development Bureau and Pharmaceutical Administration Bureau.

The station will initially offer 58 commonly used offline services, including identity-document matters, taxation, trademark and industrial-property applications, and pharmaceutical administration.

Authorities said the new facility is intended to reduce the time and cost for Macau residents and businesses that previously needed to cross the border to complete certain procedures. Official information released at the ceremony said the station would initially provide a total of 63 services.

During the opening ceremony, officials said services at the station will follow Macau standards in site planning, system integration, information security, staff training and service quality.

Xiao Yulin, deputy director of the Hengqin cooperation zone’s Commerce and Services Bureau, said the initiative was the latest development in five years of efforts to align public-service rules and connect infrastructure between Macau and Hengqin.

Xiao said the zone has gradually developed a cross-border service system through Macau self-service machines, a 24-hour service center in the Macau New Neighbourhood and two-way remote-service counters.

Meanwhile, Chan Chi Kin, deputy director of Macau’s Public Administration and Civil Service Bureau (SAFP), described the opening as an important step in the cross-border integration of public services and a change in the government’s approach to service delivery.

Chan detailed that the public service model is moving from “passively responding to needs” to “proactively getting closer to life.” He also said that these “Macau services” are now better equipped to meet the daily needs of residents studying, working, starting businesses and living in Hengqin. The goal, he added, is to allow residents to handle Macau affairs “at their doorstep.”

The new station adds an in-person channel for procedures that cannot be completed online or require direct assistance. Previously, residents needing urgent or frequent services, such as replacing identity documents, often had to return to Macau or visit government offices there.