New Zealand Customs formally opened its eGate service to Chinese citizens on November 17, 2017.

 

新西兰海关于11月17日对中国公民正式开通自助通关（eGate）服务。
 

 

Chinese citizens holding passports with embedded¹ electronic chips are now able to enter or leave New Zealand using the service, chinaqw.com reported.

 

As an automated² solution for passport control, the eGate uses face recognition by matching the passport photograph with a picture it takes at the gate. The door will open automatically if the two match. The whole process takes around ten seconds.

 

With the fast-growing number of Chinese visiting or studying in New Zealand in recent years, the opening of the eGate service will bring great convenience, said the report.

 

Besides Chinese citizens, passport holders³ from New Zealand, Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada can use the service,

 

"China is the second largest tourist source for New Zealand, and Chinese tourists created 2.3 billion New Zealand dollars in consumption last year," the report cited Meka Whaitiri, New Zealand's Minister of Customs as saying.

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