The central government has cleared yachts from Hong Kong and Macau to enter nine mainland Chinese cities in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) without customs guarantees and with temporary vessel registrations.
State Council said on Friday as the pilot scheme came into effect on the same day.
The nine cities are Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing.
The State Council also said it had “temporarily adjusted” two maritime ordinances to ease restrictions on Hong Kong and Macau yachts traveling in the Greater Bay Area.
Hong Kong Government said on Saturday that he welcomed the new policy.
“Under the new policy, the exemption (from) the requirement for a warranty will significantly reduce the financial burden” on yacht owners, it said in a statement.
He also praised the simplified registration scheme, which allows Hong Kong and Macau yachts to obtain temporary national vessel registration from mainland China “without affecting their original vessel registration”.
Yacht owners in Hong Kong and Macau previously had to pay large customs bonds and undergo complex registration procedures before entering mainland ports.
According to Saturday’s statement, Hong Kong’s Marine Department will “continually review and refine the facilitation measures for northward travel of yachts from Hong Kong and southward travel for yachts from the Chinese mainland to promote a healthy, stable and competitive environment for the development of the local yachting economy.”
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee first proposed boosting the local yachting economy in his 2025 policy speech in September.
The following month, the government DESIGNATED new initiatives, including the provision of an additional 600 berths for yachts at the former Lamma Quarry, the expansion of the Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter and Hung Hom Station water projects, and a planned yacht bay at Airport City.
