Visitors departing Hong Kong International Airport can opt for self-service departure from Tuesday (Oct 10).
The airport has installed a new biometric system, called Smart Departure, which uses facial recognition to verify a traveller’s identity.
It works by taking a photo of passengers when they arrive in Hong Kong and that is compared with the photo on their passports.
When they leave Hong Kong, passengers again have their photo taken by the system which will match that against the photos taken on arrival.
Smart Departure will "provide greater travel convenience" and enhance the "effectiveness of immigration control", said Hong Kong’s Immigration Department in a news release on Monday.
It added that eligible travellers will be issued landing slips upon arrival that bear the Smart Departure logo. These travellers can then perform the self-service departure clearance through designated Smart Departure e-channels.
