A woman surnamed Wang got the first one-year individual visit endorsement for the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, on March 6.

The State Council on Feb 23 approved the involvement of Xi'an and Qingdao, in Shandong province, in the Individual Visit Scheme.

According to the National Immigration Administration, under this scheme, eligible people from Xi'an and Qingdao can now apply for individual visit endorsements for Hong Kong and Macao for leisure purposes on an individual basis. Holders of these endorsements will be permitted to stay in the two cities for a maximum of seven days per visit.

A woman surnamed Wang gets the first one-year individual visit endorsement for Hong Kong and Macao in Xi'an on March 6. [Photo/Xi'an news network]

For individuals applying for the first time in Xi'an, the approval process can be completed at the manual service windows, with a processing time of seven working days. Those who already have exit-entry permits for traveling to and from Hong Kong and Macao can apply via the smart endorsement kiosks.

When handling related procedures, residents can independently choose from six types of individual visit endorsements for Hong Kong and Macao, including once every three months, twice every three months, once a year, twice a year for Hong Kong, and once every three months, once a year for Macao.

As a city with rich historical and cultural resources and promising economic development prospects, Xi'an has a thriving tourism and commercial industry. In 2023, the total volume of entry and exit document processed in the city was close to 1 million.

This inclusion will provide more outbound options for residents living and working in Xi'an. It will also promote exchanges and cooperation between Xi'an, Hong Kong and Macao, while also further driving the development of Xi'an's tourism, commerce, and cultural industries.

At this year's ongoing two sessions in Beijing, several deputies to National People's Congress from Hong Kong and Macao suggested optimizing tourism measures between the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao. They also suggested increasing the duty-free shopping allowance for Chinese mainland tourists and adding 24-hour clearance ports, aiming to promote greater connectivity and interaction between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland.