Subsidiary legislation relating to operation of Hong Kong Port Area at Huanggang Port gazetted today
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The redeveloped Huanggang Port in Shenzhen will implement the colocation arrangement and is positioned as the most important 24-hour passenger land boundary control point between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. The Ordinance has been gazetted on July 20, 2026, providing the legal basis for the declaration of the Hong Kong Port Area and the application of the laws of Hong Kong in the Hong Kong Port Area. To tie in with the supporting arrangements for the administration of the Hong Kong Port Area as a closed area, the designation of detention facilities, traffic and transport management, and the provision of public mobile radiocommunications services, etc, the Government has made six pieces of subsidiary legislation. These six pieces of subsidiary legislation will come into operation on July 31, 2026, at the same time with the Ordinance.
The six pieces of subsidiary legislation are as follows:
(1) the Huanggang Port Hong Kong Port Area (Permission to Enter) Notice made by the Commissioner of Police under section 38A of the Public Order Ordinance (Cap. 245), granting general permission to cross-boundary drivers, passengers and travellers to enter or leave the closed area of the Hong Kong Port Area;
(2) the Immigration (Places of Detention) (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 2026, and the Immigration Service (Designated Places) (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 2026 made by the Secretary for Security respectively under section 35(1) of the Immigration Ordinance (Cap. 115), and section 13A(9) of the Immigration Service Ordinance (Cap. 331), setting up detention quarters at the Hong Kong Port Area for the Immigration Department to carry out its routine immigration control and law enforcement duties;
(3) the Cross-boundary Movement of Physical Currency and Bearer Negotiable Instruments Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule 1) Notice 2026 made by the Commissioner of Customs and Excise under section 33(1) of the Cross-boundary Movement of Physical Currency and Bearer Negotiable Instruments Ordinance (Cap. 629), adding "Huanggang Port Hong Kong Port Area" as a specified control point in Schedule 1 to that Ordinance, so that any person arriving in Hong Kong via that control point who is in possession of a large quantity of currency and bearer negotiable instruments (CBNIs) (i.e. CBNIs of a total value more than HK$120,000) is required to make a declaration for the CBNIs concerned to the Customs and Excise Department;
(4) the Road Traffic (Registration and Licensing of Vehicles) (Amendment) Regulation 2026 made by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics under section 6 of the Road Traffic Ordinance (Cap. 374), extending the permitted area for taxis licensed to be available for hire or to carry passengers within the New Territories to all roads in the Hong Kong Port Area; and
(5) the Telecommunications (Huanggang Port Hong Kong Port Area) (Exemption from Licensing) Order made by the Chief Executive in Council under section 39 of the Telecommunications Ordinance (Cap. 106), exempting Mainland mobile network operators as approved by the Mainland authorities from the licensing requirement, so that such operators may provide public mobile radiocommunications services in the Hong Kong Port Area.
A Government spokesman said, "The aforementioned subsidiary legislation will come into operation on July 31, 2026, on the same day as the Ordinance and when the Hong Kong Port Area is commissioned, enabling various departments to discharge their duties in the Hong Kong Port Area in accordance with the law. It will also facilitate the preparatory work for the official opening of the Huanggang Port to the public, including a series of system tests, trials and drills to be conducted jointly with the Mainland authorities, to ensure that all operational and clearance arrangements are sound and comprehensive."
The Government briefed the Panel on Security of the Legislative Council (LegCo) on the relevant legislative proposals on March 27, 2026, and the Panel expressed support for the early opening of the Huanggang Port to the public. A LegCo brief on the Huanggang Port Hong Kong Port Area Bill (the Bill) was issued on July 14, 2026, which outlined the legislative proposals for the aforesaid six pieces of subsidiary legislation with the respective drafts attached for LegCo's preview. Subsequently during the deliberation on the Bill at the House Committee meeting on July 16, 2026, members raised no objection to the legislative proposals for the subsidiary legislation.
In accordance with the established procedures, the Government will table the relevant subsidiary legislation before the LegCo for negative vetting at the meeting following their publication in the Gazette. Details of the various pieces of subsidiary legislation are set out in the LegCo brief issued by the Government today.
Ends/Friday, July 24, 2026
Issued at HKT 11:00
Issued at HKT 11:00
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