Crossing from Hong Kong to Shenzhen by land

A land crossing has a closing time

Unlike an airport, most crossings shut overnight. Only the Lok Ma Chau vehicle point and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge run 24 hours. The pedestrian ports a foot passenger uses — Lo Wu and Shenzhen Bay close at midnight, Lok Ma Chau Spur Line at 10:30 pm — so a late dinner in Shenzhen can strand you if you assumed the border was always open.

Source: Immigration Department, Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (immd.gov.hk), official English site — Control Point Locations (source standing directory page; read August 8, 2026)

One crossing, two names

The two sides label the same port differently: Lo Wu on the Hong Kong side is Luohu on the mainland side; Lok Ma Chau Spur Line is Futian; the Lok Ma Chau vehicle point is Huanggang. Look for the mainland name once you are through Hong Kong exit control.

Source: Nanshan District People's Government of Shenzhen (szns.gov.cn), republishing the Shenzhen municipal English portal (eyeshenzhen.com) — Checkpoints in Shenzhen (source updated 7 November 2024; read August 8, 2026)

It is two immigration checks, not one

A land crossing is two controls: you clear Hong Kong exit, then mainland entry. The Shenzhen government's own guide spells out the Wenjindu sequence — you stop first at the Shenzhen (mainland) gate house and complete the immigration process, then cross to Hong Kong immigration — so plan for two counters, not the single arrival desk you get at an airport.

Source: Nanshan District People's Government of Shenzhen (szns.gov.cn), republishing the Shenzhen municipal English portal (eyeshenzhen.com) — Checkpoints in Shenzhen (source updated 7 November 2024; read August 8, 2026)

Shenzhen Bay is one co-located building

The Shenzhen government describes Shenzhen Bay as the first boundary control point with the Hong Kong immigration facilities co-located in the same passenger terminal building as the mainland side, so departure and arrival clearance take place a short distance apart under one roof.

Source: Nanshan District People's Government of Shenzhen (szns.gov.cn), republishing the Shenzhen municipal English portal (eyeshenzhen.com) — Checkpoints in Shenzhen (source updated 7 November 2024; read August 8, 2026)

The mainland ports, named

The National Immigration Administration's own announcement names Shenzhen Bay Port in Shenzhen and Gongbei Port in Zhuhai as the mainland land ports — Shenzhen Bay is the mainland side of the Hong Kong Shenzhen Bay crossing, and Gongbei is the mainland side of the Macau Border Gate crossing.

Source: Exit and Entry Administration, P.R.C. / National Immigration Administration (en.nia.gov.cn) — Announcement on the Launch of 'Document-Free' Channels at Ports of Shenzhen Bay and Gongbei on a Trial Basis (No. 9 [2024]) (source No. 9 [2024], dated 15 November 2024, effective 20 November 2024; read August 8, 2026)

The 'document-free' lanes are not for a foreign passport

News of 'document-free' channels at Shenzhen Bay and Gongbei can make a visitor think they can walk through without a passport. The regulator's text scopes those lanes to Chinese mainland residents with Hong Kong/Macao permits and to Hong Kong/Macao SAR residents (including non-Chinese residents) with Mainland Travel Permits — not to ordinary foreign tourists. As a foreign visitor you present your passport at a staffed / standard channel.

Source: Exit and Entry Administration, P.R.C. / National Immigration Administration (en.nia.gov.cn) — Announcement on the Launch of 'Document-Free' Channels at Ports of Shenzhen Bay and Gongbei on a Trial Basis (No. 9 [2024]) (source No. 9 [2024], dated 15 November 2024, effective 20 November 2024; read August 8, 2026)

By high-speed rail: you clear the mainland border inside Hong Kong

At West Kowloon Station a Mainland Port Area applies mainland immigration and mainland law on Hong Kong soil (the co-location arrangement, operating since September 2018). You clear both sides in one building before boarding and arrive in Shenzhen or Guangzhou already admitted — there is no second border stop at the far end.

Source: Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (info.gov.hk), Government Information Services press release — Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (Co-location) Ordinance comes into operation (source dated 4 September 2018; read August 8, 2026)

Which crossing do I use from Hong Kong to Shenzhen, and until when is it open?

For foot passengers, Lo Wu (to Luohu) or Lok Ma Chau Spur Line (to Futian) by rail; by bus or car, Shenzhen Bay (a co-located building) or the Lok Ma Chau vehicle point (to Huanggang). Only the Lok Ma Chau vehicle point and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge run 24 hours — the pedestrian crossings close between 10:30 pm and midnight, so pick your port by its hours if you plan a late return.

Why do the two sides use different names for the same crossing?

Because each side names its own facility. Lo Wu on the Hong Kong side is Luohu on the mainland side, Lok Ma Chau Spur Line is Futian, and the Lok Ma Chau vehicle point is Huanggang. Once you are through Hong Kong exit control, follow the mainland name.

Can I use the 'document-free' fast channels I read about?

No. The document-free channels at Shenzhen Bay and Gongbei are for Chinese mainland residents with Hong Kong/Macao permits and for Hong Kong/Macao residents with Mainland Travel Permits, not for ordinary foreign passports. As a foreign visitor you present your passport at a staffed channel.

How is a land crossing different from arriving by air?

It is two immigration checks, not one: you clear Hong Kong exit, then mainland entry (or, by high-speed rail from West Kowloon, both inside the Hong Kong station before boarding). And it has a closing time — an airport arrival hall does not.