International travelers should be spending less time waiting in
line for Shanghai immigration checks, according to a pledge made
yesterday by local frontier authorities.
Border police have promised to increase their working efficiency
in landing and boarding checks at local airports, seaports and rail
services serving countries and regions outside the mainland.
Ninety-five percent of international travelers leaving or
arriving in the city will stand in line for no more than 25 minutes
to complete immigration procedures, the Shanghai Entry-Exit
Frontier Inspection General Station promised in a news release
yesterday.
Frontier authorities also pledged that travelers from Hong Kong
and Macau will spend less than 15 seconds to get their documents
stamped once they've reached the entry-exit window. The process
will be completed in no more than 45 seconds for all other
travelers.
"These limits have long been our goals, but we are now making
bigger efforts to upgrade our working efficiency and have announced
them to the public to show our determination for improvement," Zhou
Xiaodong, an office with the frontier station, said yesterday.
Other new commitments were also announced.
When the number of travelers waiting for a luggage or
immigration check grows to more than 15 persons, a new passage will
be opened immediately.
And officers are required to be prepared for duty 30 minutes
before the arrival of each flight, ship and cross-border train,
under the new rules.
(Shanghai Daily April 25, 2007)