Immigration Law | Visitors to prove they possess at least MOP5,000 per week

From November 15, the new Legal Regime for Immigration Control, Permanence, and Residence Permits will come into force. Under the new law, all visitors arriving in Macau must prove that they possess financial reserves of a minimum amount of 5,000 patacas per week of stay, a Chief Executive (CE) order published yesterday in the government’s official gazette notes.
The order comes to fulfill the final requirements of law 16/2021 in which the CE established the minimum requirements for visitors to prove at their entry in Macau.
For the first seven days of stay, visitors must prove either in cash or in an electronic bank statement that they have at least 5,000 patacas. This amount grows to 10,000 patacas for intended stays ranging in between 7 and 14 days.
For those who intend to stay in between 14 and 21 days proof of possession of 15,000 patacas is needed, while stays over 21 days are subjected to proof of financial resources of at least 20,000 patacas.
People who enter Macau in a family group are must prove they possess an extra 80% of the amounts mentioned for the relevant length of stay.
For longer stays (over 14 days), authorities may reduce the required amount of money to prove they possess, provided they hold a valid credit card or provide proof of pre-paid lodging and meals in a local hotel.
Exempted of such requirements are those who enter Macau with a working permit or other forms of temporary permanence authorizations.
The new law, among other aspects, also increases the minimum of the expiration dates (at the entry) for passports or other immigration documents to 90 days, as well as creating a special residence permit for those not considered non-resident workers but who aim to provide services within the scope of cooperation actions between public entities, the exercise of arbitration functions, duties within the scope of intergovernmental or interregional cooperation, or undertake business-related trips.
Another of the significant changes under the new law relates to the expiration and renewal of the residence permit.
The new law clearly defines that the residence permit expires upon the end of the period of validity and establishes transitory provisions for renewal of the permit.
Fines will also be imposed for non-compliance with the renewal of the residency permits. Individuals whose documents have expired for over 180 days must pay fines up to 5,000 patacas for the tardy renewal of those documents, Public Security Police Force (PSP), Immigration Department Chief, Wong Chio Man, noted yesterday during a presentation to the media on the matter on the sidelines of the regular police forces joint press conference.
According to Wong, a transition period will be considered in the enforcement of this final rule. The PSP have already notified people in this situation by SMS.
Those accustomed to filling out immigration forms to enter Macau will also notice that from November 15, the form will change to include a statement of the purpose of the entry to Macau which will be addressed in conjunction with the rule for the proof of sufficient funds and duration of the stay.