Macao's police rolled out facial-recognition 'Smart Immigration Clearance' at Hengqin, Qingmao and the Zhuhai-Macao Bridge; by June 2026 over 310,000 people had registered at Hengqin, covering 42% of that port's automated-channel clearances.
310,000
Registered users, Hengqin Port (by 24 June 2026)
6.21 million+
Cumulative trips, Hengqin Port
42%
Share of Hengqin Port automated-channel clearances
170,000
Registered users, Qingmao/Zhuhai-Macao Hall trial (11 May-24 June 2026)
Details
Maturity
Scaling
Promoter
Public Security Police Force of Macao (Government of the Macao SAR)
Period
Nov 2025 – Jun 2026
Keywords
border control, immigration, biometrics, smart city
Context
Macao's Public Security Police Force launched 'Smart Immigration Clearance', a facial-recognition system letting pre-registered residents of Macao, Hong Kong and mainland China (aged 14+) cross joint-inspection border checkpoints without presenting a physical ID. The service began as a pilot at Hengqin Port on 5 November 2025 and was extended to Qingmao Port and the Zhuhai-Macao Hall on 26 June 2026.
Results
By 24 June 2026, official figures reported 310,000 people registered and over 6.21 million cumulative passenger trips at Hengqin Port alone, accounting for 42% of all clearances through that port's 204 joint-inspection automated channels. During the trial period at Qingmao and the Zhuhai-Macao Hall (11 May-24 June 2026), a further 170,000 passengers registered and usage exceeded 1.72 million trips.
Conclusions
The system is bespoke to Macao's cross-border data-sharing arrangements with mainland China and Hong Kong, and its rollout has been reported only through official government bulletins.
Implementation
Indicative cost
Medium (€50k–€500k)
Time to results
Short (< 1 year)
Staffing & skills
Macao Public Security Police Force
Conditions for success
cross-border biometric data-sharing arrangements with mainland China and Hong Kong
pre-registration of residents aged 14+
Common failure modes
no public algorithm register entry, independent privacy impact assessment or wait-time evaluation located
Commonly funded by
National / regional programmes
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Data sources
Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.
