Applications are only accepted online and jointly approved by the governments of Guangdong and Hong Kong.
Applicants must hold a valid Hong Kong driving license.
The highly anticipated “Guangdong Vehicles Entering Hong Kong” scheme began accepting applications from lottery winners at 9:00 on December 9th. According to relevant arrangements, starting from 00:00 on December 23rd, eligible Guangdong private car owners can drive into urban Hong Kong via the Zhuhai Highway Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge after successful reservation. Reporters visited several designated inspection points in Guangzhou on December 9th and found that relevant inspection work was fully prepared. Under the regulations, the light transmittance of the front windshield of southbound Guangdong vehicles must be higher than 70%, and the “intelligent driving” and remote parking functions must not be used after entering Hong Kong.
According to the policy, when handling the formalities for Guangdong vehicles to enter urban Hong Kong, after winning the lottery, the applicant (vehicle owner) needs to submit application materials and undergo preliminary review by relevant mainland authorities, and then transmit the data to the Transport Department of Hong Kong for review via the internet. After passing the review, the applicant is required to conduct vehicle inspection, purchase Hong Kong third-party liability insurance for vehicles, and apply for Hong Kong vehicle licenses and other relevant procedures. Meanwhile, the applicant must also hold a valid Hong Kong driving license. It is reported that during the phase of Guangdong vehicles entering urban Hong Kong, applications are only accepted online and jointly approved by the governments of Guangdong and Hong Kong.
Applicants must first submit applications and supporting documents to mainland authorities for initial approval. After receiving the application, the Transport Department of Hong Kong will also conduct a review, and notify the applicant via the email address provided when submitting the application to mainland authorities to go to the designated vehicle inspection center for vehicle inspection and apply for Hong Kong vehicle licenses.
After passing the inspection, relevant information will be uploaded to the Transport Department of Hong Kong for review. Upon approval, the Transport Department of Hong Kong will issue the Hong Kong license plate number, and the vehicle owner can choose to have the Hong Kong license plate made and installed at the inspection point.
Reporters at the inspection point saw that the Hong Kong license plate for “Guangdong Vehicles Entering Hong Kong” is composed of two letters “FT” and four digits, divided into yellow plates (rear) and white plates (front), with the same installation method as that of Guangdong-Hong Kong cross-border vehicles.
Front Windshield Light Transmittance Must Exceed 70%
At present, there are a total of eight vehicle inspection points for “Guangdong Vehicles Entering Hong Kong” in urban Hong Kong across the province, distributed in four cities including Guangzhou, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Zhuhai, four of which are located in Guangzhou.
At the inspection point of Guangdong Baoyue in Panyu District, a special inspection area has been set up with clear guiding signs for “Guangdong Vehicles Entering Hong Kong”.
Under the regulations, the inspection for “Guangdong Vehicles Entering Hong Kong” needs to check whether the light transmittance of the front windshield is higher than 70% in accordance with Hong Kong laws. “Most vehicle models can pass the inspection without problems, but some models may have light transmittance lower than the requirement if they are pasted with dark explosion-proof films.” Meanwhile, the inspection also has requirements for the health of tires: “The tread depth of tires must be more than 1 millimeter, and other inspection requirements are basically the same as those for the annual inspection of mainland vehicles.”
The inspection fee for “Guangdong Vehicles Entering Hong Kong” is 450 yuan RMB. If the Hong Kong license plate is made at the inspection point, the fee is 550 yuan RMB.
It is reported that the validity period of the inspection is six months; if the vehicle owner wants to go to Hong Kong again after six months, in addition to making a reservation and participating in the lottery, they need to undergo inspection again.
The guidelines for “Guangdong Vehicles Entering Hong Kong” issued by the Transport Department of Hong Kong specifically remind that since traffic signs and driving rules in Hong Kong are different from those in the mainland, if a mainland vehicle is equipped with an “integrated combined driving assistance system”—i.e., an “intelligent driving” system—it cannot be activated in Hong Kong. In addition, the “remote parking” function cannot be used in Hong Kong either.
