Terminal 2 of Beijing Capital International Airport became the first airport in the Chinese mainland to offer self-service outbound customs clearance to passengers from Friday, the Beijing public security bureau has said.

The Beijing Capital International Airport is one of the two pilot airports offering a self-service outbound customs clearance channel. Eligible passengers, both domestic and foreign, can clear the customs in 6 to 10 seconds, remarkably accelerating the pace of customs clearance. The self-service customs clearance channel at Terminal 3 will start soon.

Three types of passengers are eligible to avail of self-service outbound customs clearance channel: those who have used self-service inbound customs clearance before; Chinese citizens who have multiple-entry permit and have registered their fingerprints and photographs with China's immigration department; and foreigners who hold electronic passports, have more than six months residence permit, and have registered their fingerprints and photographs with China's immigration department.

Beijing General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection launched self-service inbound customs clearance in 2008, and Chinese passengers with electronic private passports can clear inbound frontier inspection through the self-service channel. At present, more than 6,200 Chinese passengers use self-service inbound customs clearance at the Beijing airport every day, which accounts for 19.3 percent of the overall inbound passengers.

About 60 percent of Chinese cross-border passengers reportedly hold electronic private passports. And about 58.2 percent of Chinese citizens with electronic private passports use self-service inbound customs clearance. The new self-service customs clearance channel will ease the pressure of passenger flow at the airport, and has been widely welcomed by the passengers.