according to the HK gov link posted above, the e-channel clearance should work at macau ferry terminal... however i also read some reports on flyertalk where people say it works only in HKIA e-channel... really hope some bros can provide more first-hand info

So e-Channel for HKIA vs e-channel for Macau are 2 separate programs.

For HKIA or any other e-channel to enter/exit HK, anyone with a HKID smartcard can use them.

For e-channel to enter Macau, you will need to sign-up for the service (available at the ferry terminal).  This will allow you to enter without passport stamp.  Unfortunately, not all HKID holders qualify for this service.  The only people that do qualify are Permanent residents (Right of Abode) and card holders with Right to Land.

You can check your HKID to see if you qualify.  You will need to either have *, ***, or R on your ID card.  If you are in HK on a work visa, you will not qualify and will instead have to use your passport to enter macau (with entry/exit stamp).

Well, what qualifies as tampering with a passport in your country? If you find a peeling visa and move it from its current location to stick it over top the stamps? If you get some similar color ink or maybe a wet finger and make a nasty smudge over the stamp, just enough to blur the lettering? Might be able to do that easily while the stamp is still very fresh, say within the first 15 seconds. But then maybe you'll be hassled on the way out!

Anyhow, tampering with a passport is a terrible idea....so you'd have to find a way to do it that looks legit

I would prefer not to tamper with my passport, so yes, need a more elegant solution..

Any update on this ? Will the HKIA e-channel pass work in Macau's e-channel ? Thanks in advance..

Will only work if you have submitted your approval to the Macau via the available terminals to do so at the HK or Macau ferry terminals.

my understanding is that Macau e-channel is only available to HK citizens or HK permanent residents with right to abode (ie must have a HKID with right designations)

I looked at this :

http://www.hongkongextras.com/tomacau.html

which says :

Since December 10th 2009, under reciprocal arrangements between the respective governments, residents of Hong Kong and Macau have been able to register to use an automated clearance system allowing them to use e-Channels and avoid the need to complete arrival and departure cards when travelling between the two cities.

Frequent visitors to Hong Kong, who are enrolled to use Frequent Visitor e-Channels, are also able to use Hong Kong Immigration Frequent Visitor e-Channels at Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal and China Ferry Terminal;

http://www.gov.hk/en/residents/i ... /echannel.htm#fvapc

xiaodidi is correct.  only residents with proper rights have access to macau.  *, ***, or R holders.  if you qualify, then you can sign up, if you don't then it wont allow you.

All you got to do is check at the ferry terminal if you qualify if you don't know your HKID status.

i can add my two cents here.

first of all, i'd advise against ANY tampering with passports. it's not a good practice unless you have no other options.

i have a permanent resident HKID card which entitles anyone to use the Macau e-channel. Macau Immig would like holders of PRHKIDs to use this feature--they don't want you standing in line behind a mainland tour group. entry/exit to the MSAR is as fast/easy/painless as the e-channel in Hong Kong.

here's the easiest way to do it: get off the jetfoil and follow the crowds to Chegadas (Arrivals). before you get to the passport-lines, in the same hall, look to your left. you'll see a dull white plywood construction, possibly with some people queueing up. if you can't find it, ask an Immig employee. do NOT go thru Immig.

join the queue, and you'll see people going through curtains--beyond those is a glass-fronted desk with Immig officials behind. this is where u get permanent access to the e-channel.

you sit down and fill out a form, certifying a bunch of stuff (most important: that you won't work in Macau). they take thumbprints and a picture. then someone leads you to the e-channel. it's not like HK where you slide yr ID card into a slot--u put it face down on a small sheet of glass where a blast of light takes an image. then you retrieve your ID and go in the gate. you press your thumb as usual, but note that you must take the "arrival card" which is a little sheet of paper automatically generated, it looks like a fast-food receipt. once you take it, the gate opens, and you're in Macau. printed on the paper is your final departure date (one year in the future) and the warning that you can't work in Macau. that's it.

it takes less than a minute, and means people registered for this scheme can travel btwn HK/Macau with their ID card, no passport needed. it's also very handy at the Macau/Zhuhai border-crossing.

i don't know anything about frequent-flyer shortcuts, i'd call the air-carrier if you want to try that.

as for travel with the SO, well, you should probably bring your passports and queue up--if she knows you can enter/exit Macau without a passport-stamp, and if that's important to you, plan accordingly. i don't know if the Immig officer wd mention that you can use the e-channel when he/she stamps your passport. my guess is no, but i can't be sure. i don't use my passport to enter Macau any longer. as with any 141-related info that slips out, best to just nod and smile and not make a fuss.

the Macau e-channel is superb. doing the HK/Macau trip with e-channels on both ends makes Immig a guaranteed 60-second pit-stop on entry/exit. and when going to Zhuhai, you pass by the entire passport-visitor line and go through special lanes for HKID perm res holders only. still have to queue up for China-entry with yr passport, but that's not gonna change.

this article:
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/ne ... 6847&con_type=1
has more info, but note that it takes five working days to process the application in Hong Kong. on arrival in Macau, you can do it on the spot and use it immediately after. even if you queue for 15 minutes at the white shed, you're already saving time on a single visit...

JtB

anyone know what is the easiest way to get a HKID card with R, *, or ***?

the mythic "three asterisks" was always a subject of discussion in HK...maybe someone else can explain it.

my permanent ID card is exactly the same as my non-perm card, including the number. there is no R, *, or *** anywhere on it.

i think the criterion is "permanent resident"--if that's your status, you can use the e-channel in Macau, as long as you register.

JtB

What about foreigners with passports, or the APEC Travel cards ? Can they apply for this access ? I mean Macau's e-channel, not HK.

[ Last edited by  kenbond at 2-9-2012 16:24 ]

here is the explanation of the symbols :

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.u ... 4annexe?view=Binary

The A symbol on the HKID should also suffice for macau e-channel

In theory.... You could sell your passport in the black market, make some extra cash and tell the government it was lost or stolen.... In theory. Haha


~UD

why is the Macau stamp in your passport incriminating

LOL

because you then need a cast-iron alibi
for why you weren't in the office

and everyone's SO knows there is only one reason to go to macau: fun!!

Looks like there is no way to skip the passport stamp if you do not have an HKID.. just not my luck I guess.

oh lol.  I have 3 pages filled with china stamps and 10 filled with macau stamps.  I should be empharsed when macau immigration guy/lady scans and stamps my passport