Macau to exempt citizens of Gulf nations from visa requirements

Citizens of five Middle Eastern countries will be exempt from visa requirements to enter Macau starting from mid-July.The news was announced in an order from the Chief Executive, Sam Hou Fai, published yesterday in the government’s official gazette.
According to Order 108/2025, citizens of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the Sultanate of Oman are exempt from obtaining a visa.

As noted in the order, this measure will take effect 30 days after publication, which is July 16 of this year.

This measure is part of a series of meetings and visits conducted by the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) to several Middle Eastern countries, aimed at expanding the sources of international visitors to Macau.

In April this year, the director of the MGTO, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, said, on the sidelines of the press conference that unveiled this year’s Macao International Travel (Industry) Expo (MITE), that the Office would have a stronger focus and increase its promotion targeting Islamic countries, namely those of the so-called Gulf Cooperation Council.

This announcement occurred following recent visits and seminars held by MGTO in Dubai and Saudi Arabia.

On the topic, Senna Fernandes added that for this expansion to be possible, Macau needs to transform itself and be able to cater to this kind of visitor, namely by providing more and better options for Halal food as well as adjusting some of the hotel facilities to be more “Muslim-friendly.”

The MITE this year also included special events to promote Halal food and workshops dedicated to the hotel industry on pursuing Muslim-friendly certification.