New ‘Smart’ cards extended to relatives

The new “smart” blue cards for imported labour will also be available to family members who will be permitted to use the e-channels at the Barrier Gate checkpoints, while Hong Kong residents working in Macau holding the new blue card should use it to enter and leave the Territory, the Public Security Police Force’s (PSP) spokesperson told the Macau Daily Times.
As promised during the presentation of the 2010 Policy Address, the Macau government announced the launch of the new identification card for imported labour, on Monday. The issuance of the new blue card started yesterday, and it will include non-local students as well.
It will include the name of the worker, gender, birth date, photo, job category, employer’s name and issue and expiration dates of its working permit, as well as a bar code for optical reading.
The current blue cards will still be valid until their expiration date. For the issue of the new document, the Human Resources Office will charge a fee of MOP 100.
“Blue card holder’s relatives and non-local students will be entitled to the same privileges at the e-channels, but they have to undertake the necessary procedures and renew their documents as well,” the PSP’s spokesperson Rosemere Costa explained.
Upon receiving the new card, Hong Kong citizens working in Macau will be required to use it at Macau’s border automatic entry points. “They will only be able to use their Hong Kong Identity Card at the Hong Kong border automatic checkpoints,” she added.