Shenzhen residents can apply for multiple-entry visas to Hong Kong from December 1, mainland Chinese authorities have announced, allowing them unlimited entry within a year with stays not longer than seven days each time.
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From the same day onwards, Shenzhen authorities will not accept “one-trip-per-week” visa applications, but holders of valid visas will be able to continue to use them, according to an announcement by the National Immigration Administration.
Mainland authorities also announced on Friday a “one-trip-per-week” policy for residents of Zhuhai to neighbouring Macau, as well as multiple-entry visas to the city for those in the Guangdong-Macau In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin from January 1.
Shenzhen residents were allowed to apply for Individual Visit Endorsements starting in 2009, which enabled holders to freely enter Hong Kong within a one-year period.
The multiple-entry provision was replaced by a “one-trip-per-week” arrangement in 2015 following mounting complaints from Hong Kong residents about parallel trading and overcrowding in border towns such as Sheung Shui and Tuen Mun.
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