HK E-channel
 

Any reports on this? I'd like to sign up next time through.

http://www.gov.hk/en/residents/immig...nnel.htm#fvapc

1) What are the hours of the enrollment office? (Anything different from link, which says one is open until 11p?)

2) Must one enroll right after arriving, or can one do it on departure?

3) How do they handle new passports? If the barcode is affixed to the passport, can I use that barcode yet my new passport and get the new one coded on my next trip?

I don't know the answers to your specific questions, but it matters not because the enrollment process is easy as pie and the cumulative benefit (in terms of time saved) is vast. Just do it!

Well, I don't doubt the value . . . just the practicalities.

It takes less than 5 minutes to enroll.

I'm pretty sure one can only enroll on arrival. My question is this: I can enroll by virtue of FF card, but if travelling with family, I'm presuming I can't enroll them aswell on the back of my entitlement, is that correct? We only go to HKG about twice a year so they won't qualify by themselves (or by other criteria).

If so, of limited utility to me, since travel to HKG is usually with the family.

tb

Those guys never asked to see my FF card. They simply looked at my passport.

I needed to renew/reapply since I recently changed passports. Looks like the enrollment office is only open until 6pm, and only accessible upon arrival. Looks like I'll have to do it next time. Thankfully the queues were super short this time (Y)

But you go to HK more than 3 times a year -- so you qualify by that criterion alone.

tb

They definitely looked at my FF card, and in fact looked it up in a book to make sure it qualified. But even so, the whole process takes less than 5 minutes, unless there is a line.

Wonder which FF cards are eligible.

I don't know. I qualified based on UA status, which I believe requires any Premier level but not non-premier base membership. I saw somewhere at some point a list of participating airlines, but now the official website for the program just says "Ask your airline." But in UA's case, I can't imagine anyone you could talk to at UA would know anything about it, perhaps with the exception of the local Hong Kong sales office.

I think as a general rule of thumb, most major international airlines that serve Hong Kong participate. I would be surprised if any airline that doesn't actually fly into Hong Kong participates, even if they have an alliance partner that does.

from experience yesterday... the e channel enrolment office is to the left hand side bank of immigration booths, and it located directly before baggage reclaim 5 I think (might be 4, but it's one of those). ifmyoumwere coming from elsewhere you'd find carousel 5 and then turn left.

what I didn't realise (and I got caught by this) is that passports with less than 6 months validity become ineligible for e channel. it allowed my to enter the first barrier, but on taking the fingerprint it rejected and an officer had to come get me.

with less than 6 months you have to fill out a form and enter HKG the normal way. thankfully there were no queues on arrival.

apparently I could register my other passport, then transfer the e channel back to my preferred passport when I get it renewed... although I wasn't entirely sure that the officer knew what I was asking (I'd much rated have it on the passport I frequently use).

as per this article there are at least 30 airlines participating
http://www.ausbt.com.au/skip-hk-pass...t-visitor-card

Are they still placing the bar code stamps on the back of the passport? How ignorant if so. They should at least be placed inside the last page- the officials who put stickers on the back don't know/don't care about the HK immigration stamp, and could very easily place something on top of it.

yes. on the back page.

but you are calling them stupid, uneducated and unsophisticated because they have designed a product that saves you countless hours over the lifetime of your passport?

Mine is on the back of my passport itself (i.e. not on a page).

I find the barcode sticker a bit odd, especially since it doesn't appear to be used for anything. That is, when you use the automated gates, you have to open your passport to the data page and insert it, and the machine scans the OCR characters at the bottom of that page.

odd if I remeber correctly I had to enter the passport so the machine can read the barcode and only then first gates opens ? Never tried to put in the "data page" first. Will try that nex month.

The passport stays flat in the code reader when the bar code is on the ourside and the passport is closed. Another ^ HK efficiency.

If you have used passport reader at the check in kiosk you will appreciate this minor detail.

yes yes my bad... I meant on the outside back cover!! :o

Really? That's now how I remember it, and I remember it specifically because I was surprised that it didn't use the sticker. But of course I could simply be mistaken. I will pay more attention next time.

An HK inefficiency: Hoping to use the e-channels at Luo Hu only to revert back to the Foreign Passport queues as the e-channels had a significant number of mainlanders. Going through the border crossings when students also are makes it even worse.

However, did I read that HK no longer requires that visitors (the non e-channel types) fill out the entry/exit form?

at airports at least non e-channel still need to fill out entry/exit forms. as I mentioned up thread I had to use the regular channel because my passport is about to expire... I was asked to fill out the form.

That is not HK inefficiency, it is mainlander not following signs, rules, not knowing what to do with scanner/terminals and lining-up.

I'm quite sure that I had to take my passport out of the cover as it could not read the barcode. But next month I have at least to chances to try it.

The bar code is affixed to the back cover of the PP book.
If you have to take your PP out of the "cover" then you meant a passport holder/sleeve which you placed your PP into that was not originally part of the issued PP.
The scanner will not scan the barcode properly if it is behind one of these sleeves. One should always scan the passport bare, cover or pages to get a proper scan.

sorry I misunderstood your post. I thought you were saying that the barcode is without use. (like Steve M did).

I found I will confront this as well. I signed up, but was told I have to go to the office again with the new passport (mine expires next May).

Not the greatest signup process, and I may have wasted my time, as I'll have to do it again next time.

just to round this up.
Did today the ultimate test and the machine just cares about the sticker on the back of the passport.
1st try with passport cover (which covered the sticker) I placed the passport with picture side on the scanner- that didn't work
2nd try I placed the closed passport without cover on the scanner so only the sticker was readable - worked

Doubt it, with crowds that big. Besides, there's always a (pointless) HK immigration official directing traffic right after passing the temperature check area.

I went through yesterday as well, at the airport. Let me add to what I said previously and what others have said:

- The instructions on the machine that are displayed on the video screen clearly state that the proper thing to do is to insert the opened passport with the data page face down. They show an example of a passport's data page, highlight the OCR character block at the bottom, and show the passport being inserted into the machine with that section face down in order to be scanned. There is no doubt or ambiguity about these instructions.

- In addition to the above, the machine will also accept a scan of the Hong Kong Immigration issued barcode, if the passport is inserted closed with the barcode face down.

I was unable to get my data page to scan, trying several times on two machines, even though there is no visible damage to my OCR section and it's worked before. The Immigration officer came over and showed me how to scan the barcode. I asked about the data page method that was shown on the machine itself, and he said that either method was valid.

So, that now fully answers the question as far as I'm concerned: either method is valid, and the barcode method is probably more convenient and more reliable.

The E-channel is great, not sure why anyone would complain about it. Enrollment is easy, but there might be a line depending on when you arrive and go through immigration. But easily worth it. As previously noted, it's right after immigration, before you step through the sliding doors to the baggage carousels.

My barcode sticker is attached to the back of my passport. No more forms to fill out. Forget the order exactly, but step up to the first gate, scan the barcode, gate opens up, scan fingerprints at next gate, and you're through. All within 30 seconds...unless there are slow people who don't know what they're doing.

I enrolled through CX Marco Polo.

thanks for the update but what's the point in trying to scan the pages? :)

maybe it is possible that some passports can be scanned with the pages vs the barcode... but barcode is so easy... don't even have to open the passport lah!!

I agree... the e-channel is a godsend. with my passport due to expire and having to use the regular channel it added a lot of time.

The point of trying to use the page scan method is that it is the primary and only method the machine itself tells you to use. But once you find out that the barcode works as well, that's definitely the way to go.

Interesting...the first time i ever used it the machine showed instructions to scan the back of the passport with the barcode. I remember the paper instruction they gave us when we enrolled also showed to scan the barcode sticker. Since then that's all I ever did.

Maybe they changed the video instruction somewhere?

If one renews a passport before expiration date, can you use the bar code on the old one to go through echannel and then to enrollment office to get barcode on new passport? (I.e., your passport wouldn't show as expired even though it's been cancelled and replaced).

Some more questions/answers in this thread:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...e-channel.html

HK E-channel
 

The e channel at the China Ferry terminal required me to scan the data page of my passport. The e channels at Luo Hu, Luo Ma Zhou, the airport and HK-Macau ferry terminal on HK island all accepted the barcode. Unfortunately the Hong Kan station has no e channel accessible to foreigners so you must wait amongst your fellow travelers (mostly mainlanders) to get processed by an immigration officer. Hopefully they'll fix this soon.

Best to mention that Hong Kan is Hung Hom (train station) in Kowloon.

Foreign passport holders with an eChannel sticker have no issues entering and departing via Terminal One at HKG airport.

Note (end of November) that when checking in at Terminal two, the eChannel readers do NOT support the reading of foreign passports with bar codes and exit must be completed with an immigration agent.

Given that from terminal two you will be taken by bus to terminal one, the walk might be useful if you have the time.

Happy wandering.

Fred