The Government will implement a new simplified reporting mechanism for residents that lose their travel documents while travelling in Hong Kong and who are not in possession of any other identity document for departing from Hong Kong. The new measure will be implemented by the Macao and Hong Kong authorities in the first quarter of 2016. Under the new arrangement, reporting the loss of a travel document that had been used to enter Hong Kong – and requesting permission for subsequent departure from Hong Kong – can be done at the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal in Sheung Wan, or the China Ferry Terminal in Tsim Sha Tsui. This removes a previous process whereby each applicant was required to report to several different government departments in Hong Kong. In addition, under the new system, if the Macao resident reporting such document loss is already enrolled for the automated immigration clearance service in Hong Kong, the authorities in Hong Kong have the option of quickly completing identity verification procedures by cross checking the applicant’s details – with their permission – against those stored in the computer records of the automated clearance system. If the travel document was lost as the result of a criminal act, such as theft, Macao residents are required to report the case to police in Hong Kong before proceeding to the ferry terminal to apply for identity verification. The new mechanism also applies to Hong Kong residents visiting Macao that lose their travel documents. Under the protocol, the Hong Kong residents can proceed directly to the Macao ferry terminals – the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal or the Pac On Temporary Ferry Terminal at Taipa – for departure formalities. At present, there are about 220,000 Macao residents that have registered for the automated clearance service in Hong Kong, while 1.5 million Hong Kong residents have enrolled for the equivalent service in Macao.
