Following is a question by the Hon Rock Chen and a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, in the Legislative Council today (April 16):

Question:
 
     It has been reported that passenger throughput at the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) reached 53.1 million last year, representing an increase of more than 30 per cent compared to 2023. However, it is learnt that many overseas visitors have to wait for a long time before they could complete immigration clearance procedures at HKIA, which has adversely affected the reputation of Hong Kong's tourism industry. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the annual number of inbound and outbound passenger trips at the HKIA control point in the past three years, their average waiting time for immigration clearance (including for those using the Automated Passenger Clearance System (e-Channel) service), and the proportion of cases where the waiting time exceeded the standard of the Immigration Department's performance pledge;
 
(2) whether it has conducted a survey on the specific difference in the average time taken to clear visitors between HKIA and other major international airports, including those in Japan, Korea, Thailand and Singapore; if not, whether it has plans to conduct such a survey with a view to improving the standard of Hong Kong's immigration clearance service; and
 
(3) of the total annual number of visitors who used the e-Channel service at HKIA in the past three years, with a breakdown by the country and place of origin; whether it has plans to consider adjusting the eligibility criteria for visitors to register for the e-‍Channel service (e.g. lowering the requirement for the number of visits to Hong Kong by a visitor), thereby broadening the coverage of the service; whether it will allow visitors to opt to use facial recognition technology for self-service immigration clearance so that more visitors who meet the basic eligibility criteria can enjoy the convenience of the automated immigration clearance service; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     In 2024, a total of around 298 million passengers passed through Hong Kong's control points, representing an increase of about 41 per cent over 2023 and a return to the level in 2019. The total number of visitor arrivals was about 44.5 million, representing an increase of about 31 per cent compared to 2023. Among them, around 9.86 million visitors travelled through the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) control point, representing an increase of about 42 per cent over 2023. In response to the significant volume of passenger traffic and adhering to the spirit of striving for excellence and innovation, the Immigration Department (ImmD) keeps leveraging innovative technologies to continuously improve its immigration clearance services. Various facilitation measures have been implemented at control points in order to provide visitors with a more convenient clearance experience.
 
     The reply to the Hon Rock Chen's question is as follows:
 
(1) In the past three years, the annual number of inbound and outbound passenger trips at the HKIA control point was as follows:
 

Year	Annual inbound and outbound passenger trips at the HKIA control point
2022	906 401
2023	13 348 015
2024	19 234 731

 
     Regarding the clearance services at the HKIA control point, the ImmD pledges to clear 95 per cent of visitors within a 15-minute waiting time. Over the past three years, an average of over 99 per cent of visitors were cleared within a 15-minute waiting time each year. During peak passenger traffic periods at the HKIA, the ImmD would flexibly deploy manpower and optimise workflows, including operating additional counters and e-Channels when necessary, to ensure smooth passenger flow.
 
(2) According to the open information from the Immigration Services Agency of Japan, in December 2024, the rate at which the major airports in Japan (including New Chitose Airport, Haneda Airport, Narita Airport, Chubu Airport, Kansai Airport, Fukuoka Airport and Naha Airport) cleared inbound visitors within 20 minutes was 66 per cent. As for other major international airports mentioned in the question (i.e. those in Korea, Thailand and Singapore), the respective authorities have not disclosed data on the average immigration waiting time. Meanwhile, in a recent World Passenger Survey commissioned by Skytrax, an international specialist research agent in the air transport industry, the ImmD won the 2025 Skytrax Award for Best Airport Immigration Service. This marks another accomplishment of the ImmD following previous awards in 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2020, reflecting the global recognition of the services provided by the ImmD. The ImmD will continue to maintain close ties with immigration authorities worldwide, engaging in exchanges and sharing, as well as learning from their experiences and practices, with a view to introducing further visitor-friendly measures to enhance the level of clearance facilitation, thereby supporting the overall development of Hong Kong.
 
(3) In the past three years, the annual number of inbound and outbound passenger trips using the e-Channel service at the HKIA control point was as follows:
 

Year	Annual inbound and outbound passenger trips using e-Channel service at the HKIA control point
	Mainland visitors	Other visitors
2022	56 097	46 471
2023	1 620 671	2 228 759
2024	3 165 524	3 358 982

 
     The ImmD does not maintain a breakdown of other visitors by country or place of origin.
 
     To enhance the level of convenience for immigration clearance, the ImmD has been leveraging innovative technologies to boost the efficiency of e-Channels and broaden the service to cover more target groups.
 
     Currently, frequent visitors to Hong Kong (typically those who have made visits to Hong Kong via the HKIA for no fewer than three times in the past 12 months) and eligible passport holders from countries that have entered into an agreement with Hong Kong for mutual use of automated clearance services (including Korea, Singapore, Germany, Australia and Thailand) can enrol for the e-Channel service. Eligible visitors to Hong Kong holding Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Travel Passes, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Travel Cards or Frequent Flyer Programme membership cards issued by relevant airlines can even enrol for the e-Channel service right upon their first arrival in Hong Kong. In addition, the ImmD launched the Smart Departure e-Channels in October 2017 which utilise facial recognition technology to verify visitors' identities, thereby enabling eligible visitors from over 100 locations to complete self-service departure clearance without prior enrolment. Also, the Immigration Facilitation Scheme for Invited Persons has been launched since March 18, 2025 to provide automated clearance services for invited persons from the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
 
     For visitors from the Mainland and Macao, the ImmD lowered the eligible age from 16 to 11 years old or above for holders of the Mainland's electronic Exit-Entry Permits for travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao to use the e-Channel service in April 2023. The ImmD also launched the "Mutual Use of QR Code between HKSAR and Macao SAR Clearance Service" jointly with the Macao authorities in July last year, allowing eligible residents of both places to use QR Codes to pass through the automated clearance channels.
 
     To further reduce waiting time for inbound visitors, the ImmD is actively exploring ways to enhance the e-Channel service arrangements for visitors to Hong Kong, including relaxing application requirements for frequent visitors to Hong Kong and streamlining enrolment procedures. The ImmD will also step up publicity to boost the e-Channel service enrolment rate among visitors. Additionally, the ImmD and the Airport Authority Hong Kong are exploring the feasibility of installing additional e-Channels in the HKIA arrivals hall to cater for the trend that more visitors will use automated clearance service and the increase in demand in the longer term. Taking into account the practical and unique operational needs of immigration clearance at the HKIA, the ImmD is also looking into other measures, such as optimising staff deployment, to flexibly meet service demands while ensuring quality and efficiency of service.
 
     The ImmD will regularly review existing policies and measures, striving to balance effective immigration control with facilitating inbound visitors. Furthermore, the ImmD will continuously strive for innovation in enhancing clearance efficiency as well as broadening the e-Channel service to cover more target groups.

Ends/Wednesday, April 16, 2025
Issued at HKT 11:58

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