Non-Chinese permanent Hong Kong residents can now apply for five-year multiple entry visas to China, potentially boosting self-driving tourism in the Greater Bay Area.
Previously, multi-year visas were difficult to get for non-Chinese Hong Kong residents, except for those married to spouses with mainland Chinese parents.
The new policy allows all Hong Kong permanent residents to apply for multi-year China visas for tourism purposes.
In 2023, the HKSAR Government introduced a scheme allowing HK licensed cars to drive in the Greater Bay Area without a dual China plate, as long as they crossed the HK-Zhuhai-Macau bridge into Zhuhai.
This, combined with the new visa initiative, means Hong Kong residents can now freely drive throughout the Greater Bay Area, encompassing the Pearl River Delta region.
This freedom to self-drive opens up opportunities to experience diverse landscapes, cuisine, and culture across different parts of China, including remote areas, small towns, and scenic routes previously difficult to access.
The new visa policy has the potential to boost self-drive tourism from Hong Kong into mainland China in the coming years.
Previously, motorhomes and caravans were not sold in Hong Kong, but there is now a genuine possibility of seeing this vehicle class for sale in the city.
Practical considerations for driving across the bridge from Hong Kong to Zhuhai and other Greater Bay Area destinations include obtaining a bridge permit, a China driving license, and China car insurance.
About Ivan Theodoulou
Ivan Theodoulou is founder of Eight PR, a PR agency in Hong Kong that specializes in tech, law, and corporate PR. He first visited China in 1987 by train from Hong Kong to Guangzhou and has since traveled extensively on the mainland and in the Greater Bay Area (GBA). Ivan passed his China driving test in March 2024 and now drives regularly in the GBA.
Places visited in China (by car, plane, train, high speed train, ferry, coach, bus) include: Beijing, Beijou, Chengdu, Dali, Daya Bay, Dongguan, Foshan, Ganzhou, Gaoming, Guangzhou, Hainan, Hailing Island, Heishan, Huizhou, Junan, Kunming, Lijang, Longjiang, Nanhai, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Shilin Yi, Shunde, Wuzhou, Xiamen, Yingde, Yinghe, Zhuhai, Zhaoqing.