Gov’t to tackle ‘sleeping associations’ as 40% remain inactive

Local associations have grown from under 2,000 to over 12,000, but more than a quarter operate from multiple addresses – some even in commercial premises – raising doubts about their genuine operation, authorities said at a recent public consultation.

The government has launched a 45-day public consultation on the Legal Framework for Associations, seeking to reform registration procedures, enhance internal governance, and address the issue of inactive “sleeping associations.” Macau’s association landscape, which has grown to over 12,000 organizations, is reportedly structured around seven core sectors and serves a wide range of groups, forming a comprehensive civil network that underpins community life and social development.

According to official data, approximately 40% of Macau’s 12,400 registered associations have remained inactive for five years or more, with some having never been active since their establishment. Under the proposed framework, authorities will screen these groups based on the duration of their inactivity and issue notification letters, granting a 180-day rectification period from the date of receipt.

The first public consultation session on the legal framework drew 20 residents, with broad support for the proposed amendments, though participants raised concerns over key changes, including the rectification mechanism for “sleeping associations” and the complexity of association registration procedures. Many called for simpler administrative processes to make it easier for residents to form associations.

In response, Identification Services Bureau (DSI) director Sonia Chan said that under the new law, the bureau would take charge of the entire process of association registration and management. Once approved, the association’s articles would be published on the bureau’s website, granting it legal personality and legal effect against third parties – eliminating the need for notarization at the Registry and publication in the Official Gazette. The same simplified procedure would apply to bylaw amendments.

She also addressed the issue of registered addresses, noting that more than a quarter of associations currently use two or more premises. The consultation document proposes that a single address may be registered by no more than three associations. This requirement would only apply to associations established after the new law takes effect, with no retroactive enforcement on existing groups, though future bylaw amendments would be subject to address verification.

On handling dormant associations, the authorities plan to screen groups based on the length of inactivity, compile a list, and send notifications. If no address is found, they would attempt to contact the founders. Associations would be given a specified period – tentatively 180 days – to rectify their status. Chan assured residents that guidelines would be issued to help associations through the transition, but warned that groups in the rectification period would be ineligible for government subsidies.

Notably, an association must have at least seven founding members, including a general assembly chair, a three-member board, and a three-member supervisory board – though the latter may be replaced by a professional institution.

Meanwhile, Macau has about 600 hometown groups covering every level of China’s administrative divisions. To save resources, authorities said they prefer for issues to be handled at the city or county level, with villages and towns joining higher-level activities.

Ahead of the public consultation, former Chief Executive and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) vice chairman Edmund Ho told a closed-door session with Macau’s local deputies to the National People’s Congress (NPC) and CPPCC members that the proposed amendments were not about interfering with associations but about safeguarding security, improving resource utilization, and ensuring healthy development. He urged them to support the reforms and help communicate their purpose to the public.