All procedures required by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (the HKSAR) will be processed and assessed by the TD in one go for the convenience of the applicants. The TD will also pass the application information on behalf of the applicants to relevant Mainland authorities for assessment. The application will be assessed by the Governments of the Guangdong Province and the HKSAR separately. After the assessment by both governments, the TD will inform the applicants of the assessment results. Upon the approval of applications by both governments, the applicants need to complete the formalities as required by the Mainland Government authorities through their authorised organisations in Hong Kong. The relevant procedures are:
Step 1: Reserve an ad hoc quota from the Transport Department
Step 2: Apply for the quota and Closed Road Permit from the Transport Department
Step 3: Complete formalities as required by the Mainland Government authorities
The relevant workflow is provided in the following paragraphs.
Note: The application procedures and fees for the formalities as required by the Mainland Government authorities are set by the authorised organisations concerned and may vary from time to time. Applicants are advised to browse their websites or call their enquiry hotlines to obtain up-to-date information on the required application procedures and fees before submitting applications.
Applicants may reserve quotas via the GovHK website www.gov.hk/adhocquota or the reservation hotline 3901 0088. The Quota Start Date available for reservation is any day within the period between the 5th and 8th week from the day the reservation is made. To cope with long Mainland holidays, the reservation period available for certain Quota Start Dates will be adjusted to ensure that there is sufficient time for applicants to complete all necessary application procedures and formalities. Details of the relevant arrangements will be announced at TD's website.
For example, an applicant can reserve a quota through the Internet or by phone on 1 June 2012 with the Quota Start Dates falling within the period between 29 June 2012 and 26 July 2012.
When making a reservation, the applicant is required to provide the following information:
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: Hong Kong Identity Card No. / Passport No.9 (Only applicable if the vehicle is registered using a passport) |
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: Hong Kong Certificate of Incorporation (CI) No. |
Note:
For example, if a vehicle owner has reserved a quota with Quota Validity Period from 1 to 5 June 2012, he/she can only reserve another quota on 13 July 2012 at the earliest.
A 16-digit "Quota Reservation Number" will be allocated to the applicant upon successful reservation. This number must be kept by the applicant for subsequent enquiry and application for the quota and Closed Road Permit in the next step. In case an applicant forgets the "Quota Reservation Number", he/she can make an enquiry through the website or hotline by providing the identity document number (i.e. HKID/passport/CI no.) and the Quota Start Date.
Cancelling reserved quotas
Prior to making reservation, applicants are advised to ascertain their departure dates. Applicants may cancel reserved quotas through the Internet or by phone within 5 days counted from the date of successful reservation. However, once the quota is cancelled, the same vehicle owner can only reserve another quota 1 week after the day of cancellation.
For example, if an applicant has reserved a quota on 1 June 2012 for the period from 29 June 2012 to 3 July 2012, he/she may cancel the reserved quota at any time between 1 and 5 June 2012 through the Internet or the hotline. If the applicant cancels the quota on 3 June 2012, he/she can only reserve another quota on or after 10 June 2012.
Please note that quotas have not yet been allocated at this stage. Applicants must submit to the Cross Boundary Unit of the TD detailed information and other supporting documents (see Table 1) for applying for the quota within a 5-day application period10 from the date of quota reservation. In case there are public holidays during the 5-day application period, applicants should submit applications as early as possible, or submit applications online to avoid postal delay, so as to facilitate timely processing by relevant Government authorities. Since the roads leading to the Shenzhen Bay Port are designated as closed roads, applicants are required to apply for a Closed Road Permit (CRP) for the vehicle at the same time.
The application for ad hoc quota and CRP will be processed together. Late submissions will not be accepted. If the Cross Boundary Unit of the TD does not receive the application by the application deadline, the reserved quota will be cancelled automatically, and the vehicle owner concerned will only be able to reserve another quota 2 weeks after the application deadline (please refer to the example in paragraph 5.3). In this regard, applicants are advised to cancel the reserved quota as early as possible within the application period if their trips cannot proceed as planned, in order to minimise the impact on their subsequent quota reservation.
Application Fee
Application for quotas is free of charge and the application fee for CRP is HK$45. The application fees for the formalities as required by the Mainland Government authorities are set by the authorised organisations concerned. Applicants are advised to obtain the information on relevant fees before submitting application.
Channels of Application
| 1. | Online submission |
| Applicants should provide the required information via the GovHK website www.gov.hk/adhocquota and settle the payment by means of online PPS or credit cards. | |
| 2. | Submission by post/drop-in box/over office counter |
| Applicants should send the completed application form TD600A11, together with a crossed cheque of HK$45 payable to "The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region" or "The Government of the HKSAR", to the Cross Boundary Unit of the TD (Address: Room 1032, 10/F, Harbour Building, 38 Pier Road, Central, Hong Kong) or submit by the drop-in box at the above office. Applicants may also submit applications in person or by agents over the office counter (Address: Room 501, 5/F, Harbour Building, 38 Pier Road, Central, Hong Kong). Application form is available at the TD's website, by facsimile through 1823 or at the Cross Boundary Unit and all Licensing Offices of the TD. |
Table 1: Supporting Documents to be provided by applicants
| Registered Vehicle Owner | Required Documents |
| In the name of an individual |
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| In the name of a company |
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All applications are subject to separate assessment by the TD and the GDPSD. The TD will notify applicants of the assessment results in about 10 working days (including the processing time of the GDPSD) through email15 and by post after receipt of the application. Applicants may also enquire about the application status via the Internet or the hotline. If the application is unsuccessful, the fee paid for the CRP will be refunded. Successful applicants will receive an approval letter and a CRP from the TD by post. Applicants can then complete the necessary formalities as required by the Mainland Government authorities. No refund will be given if the quota is subsequently forgone or cannot be used due to failure of the applicant to complete the necessary formalities with the Mainland Government authorities.
Application fees
The application fees for the formalities as required by the Mainland Government authorities are set by the authorised organisations concerned. Applicants are advised to obtain the information on relevant fees before submitting application.
Application Formalities
After obtaining the CRP, applicants are required to take out Mainland compulsory traffic accident liability insurance for motor vehicles for a period of at least 11 days16 for their private cars as required in the Mainland and bring along the relevant supporting documents to the designated entry permit service centres of China Travel Service (Hong Kong) Limited (CTS) to complete the following formalities and make payments:
Moreover, applicants must also complete the formalities of applying for "ATA Carnet" at the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (HKGCC) as required by the Mainland Customs. Applicants need to pay the application fee and submit Proof of Guarantee. At the same time, applicants may choose to request HKGCC to arrange for Import Pre-notification on their behalf with an additional fee. Applicants are advised to observe the requirements and fees of the Proof of Guarantee before submitting application.
To ensure departure on schedule, applicants should allow ample time, particularly when there are long Mainland holidays during which the relevant agencies would suspend office operation temporarily, to complete all the relevant formalities. To save time, applicants may consider completing the required formalities at CTS and HKGCC on the same day after obtaining the Closed Road Permit.
As the formalities processed by CTS and HKGCC on behalf of the Mainland Government authorities may vary from time to time, applicants are advised to obtain information on the latest arrangements from the websites of CTS and HKGCC or call their enquiry hotlines in advance. Their websites and enquiry telephone numbers are as follows –
| CTS |
Website: www.ctshk.com Enquiry tel. no.: 2998 7888 |
| HKGCC |
Website: www.atacarnet.hk Enquiry tel. no.: 2823 1275 or 2823 1276 |
Note: Apart from the statutory insurance required by the Governments of the Guangdong Province and the HKSAR, applicants should also consider taking out other related insurance like travel insurance, commercial third party liability insurance and liability insurance for cross-boundary vehicle owners according to their own situation to extend the scope of coverage of insurance and enhance protection.
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9. Applicants using telephone reservation service are required to enter only the digits of their HKID or Passport no. and date of birth for verification.
10. For postal applications, date of the stamp chop will be used as the submission date.
11. Applicants may also use the Chinese Form TD600B for the application.
12. Must be valid for at least 11 days from the Quota Start Date.
13. Sample is attached to the application form.
14. Must be valid for at least 11 days from the Quota Start Date.
15. Applicable if email address has been provided by the applicant.
16. Counted from the Quota Start Date.
17. CTS also offers procurement service for such insurance through their Mainland agencies.