Which border crossing between Hong Kong and Shenzhen should you use?
Pick by closing time. Lo Wu (Luohu on the Shenzhen side) is the rail crossing that closes latest, at midnight. West Kowloon high-speed rail station clears passengers until 11:30 pm, and Lok Ma Chau Spur Line (Futian Checkpoint) stops at 10:30 pm. Only Lok Ma Chau (Huanggang) is listed as open 24 hours, and it is a road crossing for vehicles. Sha Tau Kok is suspended.
For an evening trip we'd use Lo Wu. If you are going on to Guangzhou, we'd take the high-speed rail from West Kowloon.
Hong Kong Shenzhen border crossings: names and opening hours
Hong Kong's Transport Department lists nine land crossings, split into road-based and rail-based. The table has the eight that lead to Shenzhen; the ninth, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, links Hong Kong with Zhuhai and Macao. Hours are from the Immigration Department's list (page dated 26 June 2026). The Shenzhen government's English page Checkpoints in SZ (updated 4 November 2025) gives the Shenzhen names, and its hours match. A dash means no rail or bus link is given here.
| Hong Kong name | Mainland-side name (West Kowloon is in Hong Kong) | Type | Opening hours | Rail or bus link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lo Wu | Luohu Checkpoint (罗湖口岸) | Rail | 6:30 am to midnight | East Rail Line, Lo Wu station |
| Lok Ma Chau Spur Line | Futian Checkpoint (福田口岸) | Rail | 6:30 am to 10:30 pm | East Rail Line, Lok Ma Chau station |
| Express Rail Link West Kowloon (high-speed rail station) | West Kowloon Station Port (西九龙) | Rail | 6:30 am to 11:30 pm | High-speed rail |
| Shenzhen Bay | Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint | Road | Passengers 6:30 am to midnight; goods vehicles 24 hours | — |
| Lok Ma Chau (road control point, not the Spur Line) | Huanggang Checkpoint | Road | 24 hours | Lok Ma Chau–Huanggang shuttle bus |
| Man Kam To | Wenjindu Checkpoint | Road | 7:00 am to 10:00 pm | — |
| Heung Yuen Wai | Liantang Checkpoint | Road | 7:00 am to 10:00 pm | — |
| Sha Tau Kok | Shatoujiao Checkpoint | Road | Suspended until further notice | — |
Two names that cause mix-ups
Lok Ma Chau is two crossings. The MTR station leads to the Spur Line crossing (Futian Checkpoint); the 24-hour one is a separate road control point. Futian is also two places: the crossing and a high-speed rail station.
Is any border crossing between Hong Kong and Shenzhen open 24 hours?
Yes, one: Lok Ma Chau, the road control point (Huanggang in Shenzhen). Hong Kong's Immigration Department and the Shenzhen government both list it as open 24 hours. It is the control point for cross-boundary vehicles such as shuttle buses and coaches. Shenzhen Bay's 24 hours are for goods vehicles only; passenger clearance there ends at midnight.
For passengers, Hong Kong's Transport Department lists the Lok Ma Chau–Huanggang cross-boundary shuttle bus. Its Lok Ma Chau page (undated) gives 24-hour operation: every 5-15 minutes from 6:30 am to midnight, every 10-15 minutes from midnight to 6:30 am, HK$10.00 per single journey, run by New Hong Kong Bus Company Limited. On the Hong Kong side the bus ends at Lok Ma Chau (San Tin) Public Transport Interchange. From 11:00 pm to 6:30 am, green minibuses and taxis also serve the control point.
The control point is inside the Frontier Closed Area, and cross-boundary visitors should have a valid travel document.
How to get from Shenzhen to Hong Kong by metro and train
- Via Luohu and Lo Wu. Take Shenzhen Metro Line 1 to Luohu station (罗湖). Shenzhen Metro Group's station page (undated) says the station sits inside Luohu Port and the railway station plaza, and exits A1, A2 and A3 lead to 罗湖口岸, the Chinese border inspection. On the Hong Kong side, take the East Rail Line from Lo Wu station.
- Via Futian Port and Lok Ma Chau. Take Line 4 to Futian Port station (福田口岸). The Shenzhen government's page (updated 4 November 2025) describes a 240-metre pedestrian bridge from Futian Checkpoint to Hong Kong's Lok Ma Chau control point, linking Line 4 with the East Rail Line. Shenzhen Metro Group's undated Line 10 introduction also names Futian Port as that line's starting station.
- By high-speed rail. MTR's short-haul list (effective from 27 September 2026) includes the Futian high-speed rail station (a train stop, not the border crossing) and Shenzhenbei (Shenzhen North), both connected with West Kowloon.
How to get from Hong Kong to Shenzhen by train
East Rail Line. Ride it to Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau station. MTR's East Rail Line page says both stations connect directly to the Luohu and Futian control points. It lists no train times; it points to separate Service Time and Maps pages for the two stations.
After Lo Wu, Shenzhen Metro Line 1 runs from Luohu station toward Airport East (机场东). Shenzhen Metro Group's Luohu station page (undated) lists the first train at 06:30 and the last at 23:00 on weekdays and rest days, and the last at 00:00 on public holidays. Lo Wu closes at midnight, so on a weekday or rest day a crossing after 23:00 may need another way into the city.
High-speed rail. Trains leave from West Kowloon station, 3 Austin Road West, Tsim Sha Tsui. The Transport Department says footbridges and subways connect it to Austin Station (Tuen Ma Line) and Kowloon Station (Tung Chung Line and Airport Express). Two times matter: the station is open daily 6:00 am to midnight, but border clearance runs 6:30 am to 11:30 pm. Visitors boarding should have a valid travel document and leave enough time to finish departure procedures before the train.
MTR's destinations page (effective from 27 September 2026) says first and last trains leave West Kowloon at around 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. every day. Its short-haul list includes Guangzhounan (Guangzhou South), Guangzhoudong (Guangzhou East) and Guangzhouxintang, and MTR says the high-speed rail connects West Kowloon with Mainland stations without interchange. So Guangzhou needs no change of train; see our Guangzhou travel guide.
Can you use the 240-hour visa-free transit at these crossings?
Only at West Kowloon. Guangdong's list of 10 entry ports for the 240-hour transit includes the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed rail West Kowloon station, added on 5 November 2025 (Announcement No. 4 of 2025; policy page of 20 August 2026). The Shenzhen government's page says the station has a Hong Kong checkpoint area and a Mainland checkpoint area, so mainland entry happens inside the station. None of the other seven crossings in the table is on the list, including Lo Wu/Luohu, Lok Ma Chau Spur Line/Futian Checkpoint and Shenzhen Bay, so don't plan to start a 240-hour stay at them.
On leaving, the policy page's table says that in Guangdong you may leave through any open port in the province. This page doesn't cover what a trip to Hong Kong does to a 240-hour stay; read our 240-hour transit guide first.
The 30-day visa-free entry applies at all open ports (Chinese embassy FAQ, updated 25 May 2026), so if your passport is on the 30-day list, the crossing you pick doesn't decide eligibility; the list is in our 30-day visa-free guide. Since 20 November 2025, foreign visitors can fill in the mainland arrival card online at s.nia.gov.cn or at the border. This page covers the mainland side only, not Hong Kong's entry rules.
Is Sha Tau Kok open? What about Man Kam To and Heung Yuen Wai?
Sha Tau Kok is suspended. The Immigration Department's list (dated 26 June 2026) says clearance is suspended until further notice and gives no reopening date. The Transport Department's Sha Tau Kok page carries the same suspension in its title. The Shenzhen government's page says passenger inspection at Shatoujiao has been suspended since 30 January 2020.
Man Kam To (Wenjindu on the Shenzhen side) and Heung Yuen Wai (Liantang) are both road crossings open 7:00 am to 10:00 pm. The Immigration Department's list describes Man Kam To as having a shorter waiting time for entry, and Heung Yuen Wai as the first control point offering “direct access by passengers and vehicles”.
Do the border opening hours change on public holidays?
The hours here are the regular ones. The Immigration Department's list (dated 26 June 2026) gives no holiday arrangement. For Lo Wu, Lok Ma Chau Spur Line, Shenzhen Bay, West Kowloon and Lok Ma Chau it only warns of longer waits, especially in peak travel seasons, on holidays and at weekends. Any special holiday arrangement is announced separately, so look at the current notice: the Immigration Department's site for the Hong Kong side, MTR's pages for the rail services. The Transport Department's overview page also lists a Current Waiting Time of Control Points service, provided by the Immigration Department.
