The Administration of Exit and Entry of Zhuhai (Hengqin) is the department tasked with granting foreigners visas and has been doing so since 2015. Residents of Macau, Hong Kong and Taiwan alongside foreigners who need to enter Hengqin for business, visits, trade or tourism can apply for port visas from the administration.

The port visa service is aimed at making it easier for foreigners to enter Hengqin via Macau to carry out trade as well as cultural and technological exchange. The service aids the building of the Hengqin international tourism island and the development of Hengqin New Area. Port visas are issued with an entry period of no more than five days for individuals and 15 days for groups.

At present, two kinds of visas are available at Hengqin Port – a three-day tourism visa to the Zhuhai Special Economic Zone and a second that is valid for 30 days.

The three-day Zhuhai tourism visa is provided at the port visa administration office, located at the shuttle bus stop between Macau Lotus Port and Hengqin Port. An application form is required, with a cost of RMB168 for applicants from most countries and RMB469 for UK residents. Only RMB is accepted for payment and processing takes about 20 minutes. Visitors can only stay within Zhuhai and cannot proceed further into other parts of mainland China.

The 30-day visa covers the group travel visa, business via, visiting visa and private affairs visa, allowing for one entry and exit within 30 days.

Previously, on 25 August 2016, the Zhuhai Visa Office of the Exit-Entry Administration of the Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department announced that overseas students, high-caliber foreign personnel and incoming employees from abroad may now apply for a Visa-on-Arrival at Gongbei, Jiuzhou and Hengqin ports.

The four types of travelers and visas included in the policy are:

– S2 Short-term Private Visit Visa (indicating internship) for foreign students from overseas universities who are invited by Guangdong FTZ enterprises for an internship and recorded at the Exit-Entry Administration

– R (Talent) Visa for high-caliber foreign personnel to work in Guangdong Province

– China Work Visa (Z Visa or Employment Visa) for foreigners to work in Guangdong Province with an employee permit issued by the Human Resources & Social Security and Foreign Expert departments of prefecture-level cities or above in Guangdong Province

– Foreign Student Visa (X1 Visa) for foreign students enrolled by Guangdong Province’s primary and secondary schools.