Visa policy of Macau

Former Macau Arrival Card, was replaced in 2021

The Government of the Macau Special Administrative Region allows citizens of specific countries/territories to travel to Macau for tourism or business purposes for periods ranging from 14 to 180 days without having to obtain a visa.^[1] For other entry purposes, such as establishing residence on a long-term basis, a different policy applies.

The Serviço de Migração (Immigration Department), under the Public Security Police Force, is the government agency responsible for immigration matters, whilst the Public Security Police Force itself is responsible for enforcing immigration laws in Macau.^[2]

All visitors must hold a passport, travel document and any other documents accepted for the purpose of immigration control valid for 90 days beyond the period of intended stay in Macau.

Under the one country, two systems policy, Macau maintains its immigration and visa policy independently from the rest of China. Consequently, entering Macau from mainland China or Hong Kong requires passing through immigration checkpoints of mainland China or Hong Kong. Whilst Hong Kong residents have visa-free access for short visits to Macau, mainland residents must obtain a Two-way Permit (EEP) with the appropriate exit endorsement from the Chinese Ministry of Public Security before visiting Macau.

Visa policy map

Unrestricted stay

Under Macanese laws, holders of the following documents are residents of Macau and are allowed to return to Macau:^[3]^[4]^[5]

Visa exemption

Holders of passports issued by following countries and Hong Kong permanent residents can enter Macau as a visitor without a visa (for a maximum period as stated below): ^[6] ^[7] ^[1]

1 year (1)

Hong Kong³

6 months (1)

United Kingdom (all classes of British nationality)

90 days (56)

All European Union citizens⁵

30 days (24)

_{1 - Also applicable to holders of Taiwan Compatriot Permits.}
_{2 - Not applicable to holders of American diplomatic passports.}
_{3 - Hong Kong Permanent Residents only, regardless of nationality.}
_{4 - Non-Permanent Residents holding Hong Kong Document of Identity for Visa Purposes.}
_{5 - Except holders of Portuguese passports issued to Macau residents.}

Holders of a travel document issued by Portugal to non-citizens who are unable to obtain national passports are also exempt from possessing a visa to enter Macau for a maximum of 30 days.^[7]

14 days (1)

Brunei

Unlimited access

United Nations Laissez-Passer holders
Holders of diplomatic passports
Holders of diplomatic or consular identity cards issued by the Macau SAR

Not in force

Macau signed a visa-free agreement with Kazakhstan in April 2024 which will come into force after the completion of domestic procedures.^[8]

Entry procedures for Chinese nationals not residing in Macau

Special regulations are in force for persons of Chinese nationality who are not residents of Macau.

Residency	Travel document	Duration of stay
Mainland China	Exit-Entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macau (Two-way Permit)^[9]	Varies, maximum 90 days
Mainland China	Chinese passport Chinese Travel Document Travel Permit to and from Taiwan for Mainland Residents	7 days (for transit from/to a third country only)
Hong Kong	Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card Hong Kong Re-entry Permit	1 year
	Hong Kong Document of Identity for Visa Purposes	30 days
	Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport	7 days (for transit from/to a third country only)

Mainland China

Mainland Chinese visitors to Macau are required to hold a Two-way Permit. The duration of stay is the one indicated on the exit endorsement, but if the duration indicated is longer than 90 days, the person must report to PSPF for a "special authorization of stay" within the first 90 days of entry.^[7] For those who are travelling to a third country or region, they can alternatively use their Chinese passports, Chinese Travel Documents or Travel Permits to and from Taiwan for Mainland Residents for a maximum stay of 7 days.^[7]

Non-permanent residents of Hong Kong with residency in mainland China are required to travel with the Two-way Permit along with the valid entry endorsement when travelling directly between Hong Kong and Macau.^[7]

Hong Kong

Permanent residents of Hong Kong holding valid Hong Kong Permanent Identity Cards or Hong Kong Re-entry Permits are granted a stay of 1 year upon entry. Non-permanent residents of Macao can enter for up to 30 days if they hold a Hong Kong Document of Identity for Visa Purposes to Macau.^[7]

Holders of HKSAR passports are granted a stay of 7 days providing they are transiting to a third country.^[7]

Entry procedures for visa nationals

Those holding travel documents that are not listed above will be required to obtain an Entry Permit (Visa On Arrival or VOA)^[10] for entry to Macau, either prior to arrival or on arrival. Visa on arrival provides granted Authorization to Stay for a maximum of 30 days once the application is approved. Updated VOA application fees as of Aug 2023 are MOP200 (single entry) / MOP300 (multiple entry) for individual, MOP400 (single entry) / MOP600 (multiple entry) for family passport, MOP100 (single entry) / MOP150 (multiple entry) for children under 12 with individual passport and MOP100 (single entry) / MOP150 (multiple entry) for groups of at least 10 people organized by a single travel manager and presenting a collective travel document. Alternatively, they can apply for an "Authorization to Enter and Stay" through a representative in Macau.

Nationals of the following countries must obtain a visa in advance through the Chinese diplomatic mission (unless they hold a Hong Kong identity card).^[1]^[11] They can apply for an "Authorization to Enter and Stay" through a representative only when there are no Chinese diplomatic missions in their country or region of residence.^[12]

Vietnam

_{1 - Diplomatic passport only.}

Entry refusal

Under Macanese law, visitors will be denied entry if:^[7]

they have been deported from Macau,
they have been prohibited from entering, staying in or transiting through Macau in accordance with local or international law.

In addition, visitors may be denied entry if:

they are frequently entering Macau without justification,
they have criminal convictions resulting in incarceration,
they have committed, or have the intention of committing, a crime,
they have no proof to support that they are bona fide visitors who will leave Macau at the end of their visit (e.g., insufficient funds, not possessing onward tickets or not possessing genuine travel documents).

Extending short stays in Macau

Visitors who have entered with short stay status can extend their "Authorization to Stay", should their travel plans change, by no more than 90 days. This can be done by applying at the local Serviço de Migração office.^[13]

Transit

Nationals who would normally require visas may enter Macau without a visa for 48 hours if they arrive and depart from Macau International Airport.^[1]^[7]

Long stay

Special Authorization to Stay for Non-resident Students

Non-resident students in possession of a valid travel document have to go to the Foreigners Subdivision of the Serviço de Migração office located in Taipa, to apply for a "Special Authorization to Stay" (Chinese: 外地學生之逗留的特別許可, Portuguese: Autorização Especial de Permanência para Estudantes do Exterior). The Special Authorization to Stay for Non-resident Students is usually valid until 31 December if the study program ends on a date beyond the year, or valid until the last day of the program if the study program ends within the same year.^[14] For those who are enrolled in a study program which ends on a date beyond the year, can renew their Special Authorization to Stay for Non-resident Students before the expiry (expiries usually 31 December), only if the Non-resident student continues to be enrolled in the study program at the same higher institute in Macau.^[15]

Residence

Those wanting to take up residence in Macau for purposes of investment can do so via the Macau Trade and Investment Office in Macau, and then visit the local Serviço de Migração office.^[16]

Those wanting to take up residence for other reasons, such as employment, are required to make their application at their local Serviço de Migração office. The procedure varies depending on nationality and residency status. Chinese and Portuguese nationals should make their application via the Comissariado de Residentes at the local Serviço de Migração office, whilst foreign nationals should apply via the Comissariado de Estrangeiros at the local Serviço de Migração office.

Visitor statistics

Most visitors arriving to Macao were holding travel documents issued by the following countries:^[17]

Country/Territory	2017	2016	2015	2014
Mainland China	22,196,203	20,454,104	20,410,615	21,252,410
Hong Kong	6,165,129	6,419,839	6,534,543	6,426,608
Taiwan	1,060,107	1,074,525	988,059	953,753
South Korea	874,253	662,321	554,177	554,521
Japan	328,990	300,613	282,217	299,849
Philippines	307,139	287,025	276,806	262,853
Malaysia	218,301	222,809	229,102	250,046
Thailand	198,222	236,169	180,836	175,906
Indonesia	197,139	182,467	163,353	189,189
United States	186,378	190,885	182,532	181,457
India	148,121	165,278	167,578	167,216
Singapore	143,068	155,763	158,814	196,491
Australia	88,988	93,286	92,404	105,914
Canada	74,287	75,173	70,973	70,601
United Kingdom	57,121	61,301	59,985	60,756
Total	32,610,506	30,950,336	30,714,628	31,525,632

References

External links

[tim-1] "Visa and passport". Timatic. International Air Transport Association through Emirates. Retrieved 1 April 2017.

[2] Serviço de Migração

[3] Documents to be Used by Macao Residents for Entry to and Departure from Macao

[4] 澳門特別行政區居留制度淺析

[5] Visit Permit for Residents of Macao SAR to Hong Kong SAR

[6] "Immigration Clearance of Non-residents of Macao".

[visa-7] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Entry and Exit of Non-residents

[8] Kazakhstan, Macao Sign Visa-Free Agreement

[9] ttps://www.timaticweb.com/cgi-bin/tim_website_client.cgi?SpecData=1&VISA=&page=visa&NA=CN&AR=00&PASSTYPES=PASS&DE=MO&user=GF&subuser=GFB2C ^{[dead link]}

[10] ttps://www.gov.mo/en/services/ps-1474/ps-1474b/

[11] Application for Macao Visa through Chinese Embassy or Consulate

[stay-12] Authorization to Enter and Stay

[13] Extension of "Authorization to Stay"

[14] "Special Authorization to Stay" for Non-resident Students

[15] Renewal of "Special Authorization to Stay" for Non-resident Students

[16] Applying for Residence in Macao S.A.R.

[17] Tourism Statistics

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[17]

v t e Visa policy by country
Visa Passport Travel document
Africa	Algeria Angola Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Burundi Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Comoros DR Congo Djibouti Egypt⁶ Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Eswatini Ethiopia Gabon Gambia Ghana Guinea-Bissau Guinea Ivory Coast Kenya Lesotho Liberia Libya Madagascar Malawi Mali Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria R Congo Rwanda Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha¹ São Tomé and Príncipe Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia Somaliland³ South Africa South Sudan Sudan Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe
Americas	Anguilla¹ Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Bahamas Barbados Belize Bermuda¹ Bolivia Brazil British Virgin Islands¹ Canada Cayman Islands¹ Chile Colombia Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic Dutch Caribbean (Aruba, Caribbean Netherlands, Curaçao, Sint Maarten) Ecuador El Salvador Falkland Islands¹ Greenland⁵ Grenada Guatemala Guyana Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Montserrat¹ Nicaragua Panama Paraguay Peru St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Vincent and the Grenadines South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands¹ Suriname Trinidad and Tobago Turks and Caicos Islands¹ United States Puerto Rico⁴ Virgin Islands⁴ Uruguay Venezuela
Asia	Abkhazia² ³ Afghanistan Akrotiri and Dhekelia¹ ² Armenia² Azerbaijan² Bahrain Bangladesh Bhutan Brunei Cambodia China Hong Kong Macau Cyprus² East Timor Egypt⁶ Georgia² India Indonesia Iran Iraq Israel Japan Jordan Kazakhstan² Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Lebanon Malaysia Maldives Mongolia Myanmar Nepal North Korea Northern Cyprus² ³ Oman Pakistan Palestine Philippines Qatar Russia² Saudi Arabia Singapore South Korea South Ossetia² Sri Lanka Syria Taiwan (Republic of China)³ Tajikistan Thailand Turkey² Turkmenistan United Arab Emirates Uzbekistan Vietnam Yemen
Europe	Abkhazia² ³ Akrotiri and Dhekelia¹ ² Albania Andorra Armenia² Austria Azerbaijan² Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Czech Republic Cyprus² Denmark Faroe Islands Greenland Estonia Finland France Overseas Georgia² Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kazakhstan² Kosovo³ Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands Overseas North Macedonia Northern Cyprus² ³ Norway Svalbard Poland Portugal Romania Russia² San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia South Ossetia² ³ Spain Sweden Switzerland Transnistria³ Turkey² Ukraine United Kingdom Overseas Vatican City
Oceania	American Samoa⁴ Australia Cook Islands Fiji Guam⁴ Kiribati Marshall Islands Micronesia Nauru New Zealand Niue Northern Mariana Islands⁴ Palau Papua New Guinea Pitcairn Islands¹ Samoa Solomon Islands Tokelau Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu
Historical	Artsakh² Russia²
¹ British Overseas Territories. ² These countries span the conventional boundary between Europe and Asia. ³ Partially recognized. ⁴ Unincorporated territory of the United States. ⁵ Part of the Kingdom of Denmark. ⁶ Egypt spans the boundary between Africa and Asia.

v t e Visa requirements by citizenship
Visa Passport Travel document
Africa	Algerian Angolan Beninese Botswana Burkinabe Burundian Cameroonian Cape Verdean Central African Chadian Comorian Congolese (Democratic Republic) Congolese (Republic) Djiboutian Egyptian⁴ Equatorial Guinean Eritrean Ethiopian Gabonese Gambian Ghanaian Guinea-Bissauan Guinean Ivorian Kenyan Lesothan Liberian Libyan Malagasy Malawian Malian Mauritanian Mauritian Moroccan Mozambican Namibian Nigerian Nigerien Rwandan Saint Helena¹ Santomean Senegalese Seychellois Sierra Leonean Somali (Somaliland) South African South Sudanese Sudanese Swazi Tanzanian Togolese Tunisian Ugandan Zambian Zimbabwean
Americas	Anguillan¹ Antigua and Barbuda Argentine Bahamian Barbadian Belizean Bermudian¹ Bolivian Brazilian British Virgin Islands¹ Canadian Caymanian¹ Chilean Colombian Costa Rican Cuban Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuadorian Greenlandic Grenadian Guatemalan Guyanese Haitian Honduran Jamaican Mexican Montserratian¹ Nicaraguan Panamanian Paraguayan Peruvian Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucian Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Salvadoran Surinamese Trinidad and Tobago Turks and Caicos Islands¹ United States Uruguayan Venezuelan
Asia	Abkhaz² ⁵ Afghan Armenian³ Azerbaijani² Bahraini Bangladeshi Bhutanese Bruneian Cambodian Chinese Hong Kongese Macanese Cypriot³ East Timorese Egyptian⁴ Emirati Georgian² Indian Indonesian Iranian Iraqi Israeli Japanese Jordanian Kazakhstani² Kuwaiti Kyrgyzstani Laotian Lebanese Malaysian Maldivian Mongolian Myanmar Nepalese North Korean Northern Cypriot³ ⁵ Omani Pakistani Palestinian Philippine Qatari Russian² Saudi Singaporean South Korean South Ossetian² ⁵ Sri Lankan Syrian Taiwanese⁵ Tajikistani Thai Turkish² Turkmen Uzbekistani Vietnamese Yemeni
Europe	Abkhaz² ⁵ Albanian Andorran Armenian³ Austrian Azerbaijani² Belarusian Belgian Bosnian and Herzegovinian British (BOTC · BN(O) · BOC) Bulgarian Croatian Cypriot³ Czech Danish Faroese Greenlandic Dutch Estonian (Non-citizens) EU Finnish French Georgian² German Greek Hungarian Icelandic Irish Italian Kazakhstani² Kosovar⁵ Latvian (Non-citizens) Liechtenstein Lithuanian Luxembourg Maltese Moldovan Montenegrin Monégasque North Macedonian Northern Cypriot³ ⁵ Norwegian Polish Portuguese Romanian Russian⁹ San Marino Serbian Slovak Slovenian South Ossetian² ⁵ Spanish Swedish Swiss Transnistrian⁵ Turkish² Ukrainian Vatican City
Oceania	Australian Fijian Kiribati Marshallese Micronesian Nauruan New Zealand Palauan Papua New Guinean Pitcairn Islands¹ Samoan Solomon Islands Tongan Tuvaluan Vanuatuan
Other	Crew members Sovereign Military Order of Malta Green Card
¹ British Overseas Territories. ² Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Russia and the partially recognised republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia each span the conventional boundary between Europe and Asia. ³ Cyprus, Armenia, and the partially recognised republic of Northern Cyprus are entirely in Western Asia but have socio-political connections with Europe. ⁴ Egypt spans the boundary between Africa and Asia. ⁵ Non UN members. Immigration law