The Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau today (September 29) announced the membership of the new term of the Personal Data (Privacy) Advisory Committee, for a term of two years from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2025… read more
​Hong Kong Customs has drawn up a series of measures to prepare for the arrival of Mainland visitors and cater for the commuting needs of Hong Kong citizens during the National Day Golden Week period to ensure smooth passenger, vehicular and goods flows at each control point.
In anticipation of the increased number of visitors arriving in Hong Kong, Customs will deploy manpower and resources flexibly at each control point, as well as making early preparations for deployment with a view to ensuring the smooth operation of passenger and cargo clearance. Also, the Inter-departmental Joint Command Centre, composed of Customs, the Hong Kong Police Force, the Immigration Department and other departments, will be activated during the National Day Golden Week to monitor the situation at each land control point and take contingency actions where necessary. Customs will also maintain close liaison with Mainland counterparts to step up co-ordination and communication at each control point.
Customs will continue to apply risk assessment strategy and intelligence analysis to select passengers and cargoes for clearance to prevent any prohibited and controlled items from being smuggled into and out of Hong Kong. Special enforcement operations will be conducted when necessary to combat various smuggling activities. Customs will also further step up the promotion and education efforts by distributing the Smart Guide to Passenger Clearance in boundary control points to remind members of the public and travellers not to bring prohibited and controlled items into and out of Hong Kong, as well as disseminating information people should be aware of when crossing the border via the social media platform pages.
In addition, the Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles (the Scheme) was implemented on July 1, 2023. Customs allocated resource flexibly to facilitate the implementation of the Scheme, as well as having prepared designated promotional videos and leaflets before the launch of the Scheme to introduce the Customs clearance routes, procedures and points to note for private cars travelling outbound and inbound via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Port. A dedicated page (www.customs.gov.hk/en/publications-useful-information/useful-information/QFS/index.html) was also created on Customs website for public enquiry.
To enhance clearance efficiency at land control points and facilitate cross-boundary private cars (CBPC), including the private cars participated in the Scheme, travelling between the Mainland and Hong Kong, Customs implemented the “Smart Crossing” Scheme to improve the recognition rate of the licence plate numbers (LPNs) of CBPC through radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. The owner or driver of a CBPC can voluntarily join the “Smart Crossing” Scheme by providing his/her name and LPN for registration at no cost. After registration, Customs officers would affix an RFID tag to the windshield of the CBPC. When the CBPC passes by the Customs kiosk, the driver and passengers can then enjoy a more efficient customs clearance service. To assist private cars under the Scheme to participate in the “Smart Crossing” Scheme, Hong Kong Customs has set up an additional counter for application at the designated location for vehicle inspection in Yuen Long. For details, please visit the “Smart Crossing” Scheme’s website (www.customs.gov.hk/en/publications-useful-information/useful-information/smart-crossing-scheme-for-cross-boundary-private/index.html).
A Mainland male was charged at the Sha Tin Magistrates’ Courts with three counts of making false statement to an Immigration Department (ImmD) staff member, and was sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment on September 28.
The 50-year-old defendant arrived in Hong Kong as a visitor. During his stay, the defendant submitted applications for extension of stay to the ImmD. He claimed to extend his stay for taking care of his son in Hong Kong. The ImmD later found out that the defendant’s son had departed Hong Kong prior to the defendant’s arrival, and thus began an investigation against the defendant.
After investigation, the defendant was charged with three counts of making false statement to Immigration staff upon application for extension of stay. The defendant pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment by the Sha Tin Magistrates’ Courts on September 28.
“Under the laws of Hong Kong, any person who makes false statement to an Immigration officer commits an offence. Offenders are liable to prosecution and, upon conviction, subject to the maximum penalty of a fine of $150,000 and imprisonment for 14 years,” an ImmD spokesman said. read more
The General Office of the State Council published the revised pilot measures for Hong Kong and Macao legal practitioners to obtain Mainland practice qualifications and to practise as lawyers in the nine Mainland municipalities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) yesterday (September 28), so as to implement the decision passed by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPCSC) early this month to extend the period of the pilot scheme for Hong Kong and Macao legal practitioners to practise in the nine Mainland municipalities in the GBA until October 4, 2026. Pursuant to the revised pilot measures, which will come into operation on October 5 this year, the practice experience threshold for Hong Kong and Macao legal practitioners to enrol in the GBA Legal Professional Examination (GBA Examination) has also been lowered from five years to three years.
The Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, said, “I am deeply thankful to the Central Government for attaching high importance to the expectations of the Hong Kong legal sector and for revising the pilot measures, thereby providing the legal sector with more room for development in the GBA and enabling them to seize the unlimited opportunities brought by the country’s overall development and leverage Hong Kong’s advantages to meet the country’s needs. I also thank authorities including the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), the Department of Justice of Guangdong Province, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, and the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for proactively striving to implement the relevant suggestions, and for their tremendous efforts in taking forward the extension of the period of the pilot scheme and lowering the practice experience threshold. The Department of Justice (DoJ) will continue to work closely with authorities such as the MoJ and the Department of Justice of Guangdong Province to encourage more Hong Kong legal practitioners to enrol in the GBA Examination, thereby further showcasing the advantages and achievements of the GBA lawyers’ practice regime, and nurturing more foreign-related legal talent with dual qualifications for the country.”
According to the MoJ’s information, as at September 28 this year, 357 Hong Kong and Macao lawyers have obtained the Lawyer’s License (GBA). The DoJ plans to organise, in co-operation with the Supreme People’s Court, the MoJ and the High People’s Court of Guangdong Province, the GBA lawyers’ practical legal training course within this year, covering theoretical and practical modules, in order to enhance the practical knowledge of Hong Kong legal practitioners practicing in the GBA of the Mainland courts’ handling of different areas of civil and commercial matters.
The NPCSC decided in August 2020 to authorise the State Council to conduct a pilot scheme for eligible Hong Kong and Macao legal practitioners to provide legal services in the nine Mainland municipalities in the GBA on specified civil and commercial matters to which the Mainland laws apply, after passing the GBA Examination and having obtained the Lawyer’s License (GBA). The pilot scheme is for a period of three years and will originally expire on October 4 this year.
The DoJ will continue to keep in close contact with the two legal professional bodies to understand the legal sector’s concerns relating to the implementation of the pilot scheme for GBA lawyers’ practice, and convey their concerns, as appropriate, to authorities such as the MoJ and the Department of Justice of Guangdong Province. read more
The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority: The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced today (September 29) that two additional spatial datasets, providing information on physical… read more