Mainland authorities have unveiled a new policy that will make it easier for Hong Kong and Macao yachts to engage in cross-border travel with the Greater Bay Area’s (GBA) coastal cities. 

In a statement published on Saturday, the Chinese State Council said it was waiving customs guarantees for Hong Kong and Macao yachts temporarily entering those cities, in addition to introducing temporary vessel nationality registration. The new scheme is expected to greatly streamline visits by SAR yachts. 

According to the Hong Kong’s Transport and Logistics Bureau, the customs guarantee exemption “will significantly reduce the financial burden on owners of Hong Kong and Macao yacht when handling cross-border procedures.”

Similarly, the department said the issuing of temporary ship nationality certificates allows for SAR yachts to cross into mainland waters “without affecting their original ship registration.” 

Macao’s Marine and Water Bureau issued a similar statement, hailing the policy’s benefits. 

[See more: China is rolling out 20 new measures to boost development in the Greater Bay Area]

The policy’s introduction marks a clean break from the restrictive guidelines of the past, which required SAR yacht owners interested in mainland travel to make a substantial customs deposit, spend upwards of several hundred thousand yuan on a license, and wait for up to several months for approval. 

“For example, with a HK$10 million yacht, you were required to pay a tax [deposit] of 38 percent, or HK$380,000,” the head of the Hong Kong Yachting Association, Tommy Ho Wai-lok, said in a TVB interview. “They [the authorities] return this to you, but the exact time and process were extremely complicated. Now that the deposit problem is gone, it’s going to be much more convenient.” 

The authorities have yet to announce specific details regarding the directive’s implementation, although the South China Morning Post cited sources that said details could be provided as soon as the middle of June. 

A list of the ports that fall under the new policy has not been published either. According to the Post, one of them will be Guangzhou’s Port of Nansha, which will be the only maritime port in the provincial capital to be featured. Meanwhile, TVB reports that the Shenzhen Airport Ferry Terminal, Zhuhai Jiuzhou Port, Zhuhai Wanshan Port and Zhongshan Passenger Port would be included on the list. 

During his 2025 Policy Address last September, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee spoke about developing the city’s yacht economy. A number of initiatives have since been proposed on this front, including the establishment of 1,100 new berths and a travel scheme for mainland vessels.