Starting this month, Shenzhen residents below 18 and public servants can apply online for Hong Kong and Macao trael permit, the city's public security bureau announced Thursday.

State cadres, including all public servants, and high-level leaders in institutions, State-owned-enterprises, and banks, still have to submit the written permission sealed by their work units to the public security bureau, either through EMS or by themselves, before they can obtain travel permit.

The move is to facilitate people wishing to travel to the two special regions, in a time when the number of applications has hit a peak.

Shenzhen residents can also apply for HK and Macao travel permit in the city's 51 post offices, by calling 12580 (China Mobile users), 10109898 (China Unicom users) and 96897 (fixed phone users), making applications in the six public security branch bureaus and the exit-entry administration division of the city's public security bureau, or buying an IC card with two years' validity, which applicants can use to conduct application procedures on a machine.

Editor: Yan