Foreign Residents in HK to Get Multiple-Entry Visas to Mainland

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, December 08, 2001

Foreign Residents in HK to Get Multiple-Entry Visas to Mainland

Tung Chee Hwa, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, announced Saturday that the central government has agreed that foreign nationals who are Hong Kong permanent residents will be granted multiple-entry visas to the mainland for one to three years.

On each occasion, the individuals concerned will be allowed to stay for up to 30 days, said Tung when delivering a speech at the "Hong Kong Salutes the World" reception held at Government House Saturday afternoon.

He said that the mainland authorities will start to apply these arrangements for new visas applications with effect from next week.

Tung said that for many years, the expatriate community in Hong Kong has played a very important role in promoting investments between Hong Kong and the mainland and in enhancing the presence of international business in both places.

The chief executive said he is confident this will facilitate the growth of business and tourism in both directions, and he believed this is one more reason for multinational corporations to locate their regional headquarters and offices in Hong Kong.