Customs officers give directions to simulated travelers during the customs clearance drill at the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point in Hong Kong on Jan 6, 2023. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)

The booking system for mainland residents traveling to Hong Kong went online at 9am on Friday, allowing people to apply for a place under the 50,000-a-day travel quota scheme to enter Hong Kong via three land checkpoints starting Sunday.

The online system, which can be accessed via computer or smartphone at https://hk.sz.gov.cn:6226/, is now open from 6am to midnight every day. Travelers can reserve a place under the travel quotas up to seven days in advance of their journey. To book, mainland residents need to select a date for travel and a checkpoint, provide their ID card number, mobile number and other information.

Applicants can also include up to four traveling companions with each reservation.

Travelers can reserve a place under the travel quotas up to seven days in advance of their journey. To book, mainland residents need to select a date for travel and a checkpoint, provide their ID card number, mobile number and other information

Starting Sunday, a total of 60,000 Hong Kong residents will be allowed to enter the mainland per day via one of seven border ports — three of which are currently in use, with a further four reopening on that day — during the first phase of cross-border travel resumption, according to announcements from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government on Thursday. The same limit has been set for mainland residents traveling to Hong Kong.

ALSO READ: Drills at HK control points for normal travel resumption

The number of people passing through three land crossings — Lok Ma Chau, Man Kam To, Shenzhen Bay Port — will be limited to 50,000 in each direction per day. About 10,000 ship, air and bus tickets will be available each day for those traveling via the four sea, air and bridge ports. Among them, quota for those crossing the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge in the private cars is set at 1,000 per day, with prior booking needed.

No quota has been set on the number of Hong Kong residents currently in the mainland who wish to return to Hong Kong, nor on the number of mainland residents in Hong Kong returning to the mainland. These travelers need make no prior booking.

Customs officers and detector dogs prepare for the customs clearance drill at the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point in Hong Kong on Jan 6, 2023. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)

The number of people passing through three land crossings — Lok Ma Chau, Man Kam To, Shenzhen Bay Port — will be limited to 50,000 in each direction per day

Hong Kong opened its own booking system for Hong Kong residents traveling to the mainland at 6pm on Thursday. More than 286,000 people had successfully booked their travel by 8am on Friday. 

Once applicants have completed the reservation process, they will receive a reservation confirmation form attached to a QR code. Immigration officers will check the form when travelers cross the border.

READ MORE: HK to resume cross-boundary travel Sunday; daily quota 60,000

In addition to prior booking, mainland residents still need to obtain a negative COVID-19 test taken within 48 hours prior to crossing the border, and to complete a health information declaration to enter Hong Kong, mainland authorities have said.