The 10,000 limit has been lifted on the number of Macao single-plate non-commercial passenger vehicles of no more than nine seats to enter/exit the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin as of August 22.

Macao residents who are employed, have a housing unit, or invest in Hengqin will have their applications processed immediately. Five-hundred applications will be approved each month on a first-come basis for permanent and non-permanent Macao residents aged 18 and above.

Application requirements will be relaxed through consultation between the two regions after the second phase of Hengqin Checkpoint opens.

Macao single-plate vehicle is driven through Hengqin Checkpoint [Photo courtesy WeChat account: hengqinzaixian2021]

Macao vehicles are only permitted to drive in Hengqin and not to cross the border beyond the "second line" (Hengqin Island-the Chinese Mainland) clearance channels. For motorists who fail to abide by the rules, the car owners will be texted SMS notification and required to drive the vehicles to the Hengqin Traffic & Patrol Brigade for demerit points, fines, and detaining.

The Cooperation Zone Executive Committee and Secretariat for Security of the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region agreed that this implements the Overall Development Plan for Construction of the Cooperation Zone and facilitates the travel of Macao residents in Hengqin.

Macao residents can access the website https://tgsq.hengqin.gov.cn or call the hotline of the Declaration Hall for Macao Automobiles to Enter/Exit Hengqin at 86-756-8841835/8841875 for relevant information and application.

Information on the entry and exit through the Macao portion of Hengqin Checkpoint (vehicle border pass) can also be accessed on the website of the Customs Services www.customs.gov.mo or via the SA open line at 853-89894317.

According to the Hengqin Frontier Inspection Station, 1.96 million vehicles have been inspected since opening of the new Hengqin Checkpoint in August 2020, including 1.2 million Macao single-plate vehicles. Border-crossings by Hong Kong and Macao residents have grown 51.2 percent to 4.19 million during the past two years from the previous 2.77 million in 2018 to 2020. 

In addition, motor vehicle insurance for Macao single-plate vehicles is now 30 percent less expensive in the Cooperation Zone in order to further economic, trade, and personnel exchanges. More than 8,000 Macao single-plate vehicles are now covered by motor vehicle insurance in the Chinese mainland.