Macau entry requirements: visa-free stays, passport rules and arrival slips

Check your passport category before booking

The Public Security Police Force (PSP) publishes the full visa-exemption list and the stay table on its immigration-clearance page, listed under Sources. The examples below cover common visitor passports; a different passport or travel document needs its own check. Rules checked on 2026-10-16.

• British citizens holding a British passport can stay in Macau visa-free for up to 6 months.
• Passport holders from EU or Schengen member states can stay in Macau visa-free for up to 90 days, except Cyprus passport holders, who can stay for up to 3 months.
• Japanese and South Korean passport holders can stay in Macau visa-free for up to 90 days.
• US ordinary-passport holders and Canadian and Australian passport holders can stay in Macau visa-free for up to 30 days.
• New Zealand passport holders can stay in Macau visa-free for up to 3 months.

If you need a visa: advance applications and arrival permits

Visitors from Bangladesh, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam must obtain a Macau visa in advance through a Chinese embassy or consulate.

Visitors who need a visa and are eligible to apply on arrival can apply for an entry permit at a border checkpoint; approval allows a stay of up to 30 days. The PSP also provides an advance application through an agent to its Residence and Stay Affairs Department, or a visa application through a Chinese diplomatic mission.

Fees checked on 2026-10-16: the individual and child arrival-permit fees are in the answer box above. A family passport costs MOP$400 for a single entry or MOP$600 for multiple entries, per passport. A group of at least 10 people organised by one travel manager and presenting a collective travel document pays MOP$100 for a single entry or MOP$150 for multiple entries. These are the PSP’s arrival-permit charges, rather than embassy application fees.

A multiple-entry arrival permit permits repeated entries within the stay granted, up to 30 days, without paying the permit fee again. An application and a ticket do not replace the entry decision at the checkpoint.

Begin an advance application with the Chinese embassy or consulate that will handle it before booking non-refundable travel. For individual travel, the PSP lists a completed visa application form, a copy of the passport’s bio-data page and used inside pages, proof of financial status, proof of transport and accommodation arrangements, such as return flights and hotel reservations, and proof of the purpose of visit, plus anything else the mission asks for; the mission’s own requirements prevail. The PSP lists a regular application at USD30, plus USD15 per accompanying child and a USD20 fee for relaying the application to the PSP, with an express fee set by the mission. Where no relay to the PSP is needed, a regular application is expected to be ready for collection on the fourth working day; where it is relayed, the PSP’s vetting usually takes 7 working days from the day all documents are correctly prepared. The mission sets the final charge and processing time, so confirm both with it before choosing your departure date.

Documents, means of support and the stay limit

Visitors must hold an onward or return ticket unless they can prove that they live in mainland China or Hong Kong; this exemption does not apply to Chinese or Hong Kong SAR passport holders transiting Macau to another destination.

Requirements checked on 2026-10-16: Visitors must be able to show means of support of at least MOP$5,000 for a stay of up to 7 days, MOP$10,000 for 8–14 days, MOP$15,000 for 15–21 days, or MOP$20,000 for a longer stay. This is proof of means, not an instruction to carry that amount in banknotes.

Follow the stay limit issued at immigration, which cannot extend beyond 90 days before your passport or accepted travel document expires. Overstaying your permitted stay can lead to an immediate order to leave and possibly a one-year ban on re-entering Macau. Keep your return booking and accommodation details with your travel documents.

At arrivals: immigration, the paper slip and customs

At Macau immigration, officers check your identity against your travel document or biometric data and record your entry.

Passengers do not need to complete an Arrival Card for Macau; immigration issues a printed Slip of Authorization to Stay showing the stay limit, which you should keep during your visit.

On arrival in Macau, declare cash and bearer negotiable instruments worth MOP$120,000 or more by taking a completed declaration form through the red channel. When leaving Macau, tell a customs officer truthfully how much cash and bearer negotiable instruments you are carrying if asked.

Passengers with a layover in Macau who are in transit to another destination do not have to make a cash declaration. Leaving the transit area to enter Macau is a visitor entry, so use the arrival procedure above.

Choose the right airport, ferry terminal or bridge port

By air: Macau International Airport (MFM) has its own immigration checkpoint. Airport station connects directly to the passenger terminal at Macau International Airport. The LRT is an option for arrivals heading towards Taipa or Barra; a peninsula hotel still needs an onward leg from the station. Use the Macau transport guide for the local transfer choices.

By ferry: Outer Harbour and Taipa are different terminals, each with a PSP checkpoint. TurboJET serves Outer Harbour and Taipa; Cotai Water Jet serves Taipa. Cotai Water Jet takes about one hour between Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal and Macau Taipa Ferry Terminal. Use the Hong Kong–Macau crossing comparison for both operators, terminal access, baggage and booking rules. Before boarding TurboJET, you must meet the entry requirements of both Hong Kong and Macau.

For the sample one-night trip, take Cotai Water Jet from Sheung Wan to Taipa and return from Taipa on day 2. Prices and timetables checked on 2026-10-16: Cotai Class tickets bought in Hong Kong cost HK$192 for weekday day sailings, HK$209 for weekend or public-holiday day sailings and HK$242 for night sailings. Cotai Class tickets bought in Macau cost MOP$192 for weekday day sailings, MOP$209 for weekend or public-holiday day sailings and MOP$242 for night sailings. Cotai Water Jet’s Sheung Wan–Macau Taipa timetable ran from 07:30 to 22:30. Cotai Water Jet’s Macau Taipa–Sheung Wan timetable ran from 09:00 to 23:59. Choose daytime sailings for the price example below; an evening return uses the night fare.

Buy Cotai Water Jet tickets through its website, smartphone app or terminal ticket offices; phone and email bookings are unavailable. Collect Cotai Water Jet tickets at least 30 minutes before departure. Typhoons hit Macau regularly between April and November and can cause flooding and landslides; public offices shut when Typhoon Signal No. 8 is issued, and from Signal No. 3 you should stay away from the shore and avoid water activities. Follow the Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau’s warnings and local authorities’ instructions, and check with the operator before any ferry crossing. Cotai Water Jet suspends all sailings when Typhoon Signal No. 8 or higher is hoisted. Leave room in the plan for a disrupted return rather than connecting to a flight the same evening.

By bridge from Hong Kong: At HZMB Hong Kong Port, complete departure clearance in the Passenger Clearance Building before taking the shuttle to Macau Port. Complete Macau immigration after arrival at Macau Port. The HZMB port shuttle runs between Hong Kong Port and Macau Port 24 hours a day. The Hong Kong Transport Department lists HZMB shuttle departures every 5 minutes at peak times, 10–15 minutes off peak and 15–30 minutes overnight.

Public buses link the Macau Peninsula, Taipa, Coloane and Macau International Airport. Use the current route planner for your terminal and hotel stop. Carry patacas for cash fares. Taxi fares are metered, with luggage and airport or Taipa-terminal pickup charges, so a taxi total depends on your actual trip.

Mainland China needs its own entry check; this site does not cover it.

Put the paperwork to use: one night and a simple food route

For a first short stay, keep one base on the peninsula. Hotel Sintra is on Avenida de D. João IV in Macau. Hotel Sintra is the example to compare for this route; choose a private double or twin quote for two registered adults before committing to the stay. The Macau where-to-stay guide compares the peninsula, Taipa and Cotai.

Senado Square is the historic urban centre and a venue for public celebrations. The Ruins of St Paul’s preserve the façade of the Church of Mater Dei, which was destroyed by fire in 1835. This suggested order uses no paid attraction interiors or tours. Choose the meal stops you want rather than trying to eat every dish.

• Day 1: take Cotai Water Jet from Sheung Wan to Taipa Ferry Terminal, complete immigration and customs, then travel to Hotel Sintra. Spend the afternoon around Senado Square and the Ruins of St Paul’s. Finish towards Barra for dinner at A Lorcha, choosing seafood rice or stewed oxtail. Sleep on the peninsula.
• Day 2: check out and take the bus towards Taipa for lunch at António; choose bacalhau à Brás or African chicken. Continue by bus to Coloane for an egg tart at Lord Stow’s original bakery, then travel to Taipa Ferry Terminal for the booked return to Sheung Wan. Keep the order flexible around your actual departure; a late arrival on day 1 needs a later departure on day 2.

What the one-night example costs

This two-day, one-night example is for two adults sharing a private double or twin, travelling on weekday daytime Cotai Water Jet sailings. Prices checked on 2026-10-16: the components below are priced separately, and the Stay & See package price in the next paragraph is not among them.

Package, not a room rate: Hotel Sintra’s own Stay & See package, valid from 7 July 2025 to 31 December 2026, starts at MOP$750 for one night, plus 10% service charge and 5% tourism tax. It covers one night’s accommodation, with no room category or number of guests stated, Macau Tower Observation Deck tickets for 2 adults, guaranteed late check-out at 14:00 and complimentary Wi-Fi. Full prepayment is required and the booking cannot be cancelled or amended. Hotel Sintra’s accommodations page lists bed types but publishes no room rate, so ask the hotel for a two-adult room quote for your dates. Meals, flights, Hong Kong travel to and from Sheung Wan, extra bus connections, taxis, checked luggage, shopping and optional paid visits are not included.

• Outbound ferry: two Cotai Class tickets bought in Hong Kong, 2 × HK$192 = HK$384.
• Return ferry: two Cotai Class tickets bought in Macau, 2 × MOP$192 = MOP$384.
• Macau buses: an example of four cash boardings per adult, 2 × 4 × MOP$6 = MOP$48. Additional boardings cost extra; this allowance does not promise a direct bus for every leg.
• Arrival permits, if needed: two individual single-entry permits for eligible adults add 2 × MOP$200 = MOP$400. Visa-exempt visitors have no paid-permit item; embassy visa fees are separate.

Before packing: local laws and Hong Kong re-entry

Macau’s national security law applies to foreign visitors and to activities inside and outside Macau, and political statements, including on social media, can fall within it and lead to criminal charges. The police can access social media and private communications to gather evidence of national security offences.

Macau applies zero tolerance to drugs: bringing in or possessing any illegal drug can lead to a long prison sentence. Do not bring e-cigarettes, e-liquids, heated-tobacco products or herbal cigarettes into Macau; bringing them in is prohibited and fined. Macau’s own ban on e-cigarettes and heated-tobacco products, into or out of Macau, has applied since 5 December 2022 and also covers nicotine-free products and components. Carrying weapons or weapon-like items, including stun guns and pepper spray, is strictly prohibited in Macau and can lead to prison; do not photograph military installations.

Visitors must be at least 21 to enter a Macau casino or gamble there (DICJ Law 17/2018, article 2). A resort visit and casino admission are separate decisions; carry your travel document if you plan to enter a casino.

A Macau admission does not grant permission to re-enter Hong Kong. Use the Hong Kong entry guide for your passport and entry arrangement before booking the return leg.