Starting next Monday, arrivals will have to show that they have enough money to support themselves, according to a new chief executive order which is aimed at people intending to stay in Macao rather than tourists.
Arrivals planning to stay for seven days or less must carry MOP 5,000, while anyone planning to stay longer than three weeks will need MOP 20,000.
According to the new immigration, stay and residency law, which also will take effect on Monday, non-locals unable to prove they hold sufficient funds can be refused entry.
The new law will replace two existing immigration laws that were enacted in 2003 and 2004.
The 2003 law specifies the general principles and rules for immigration and non-locals’ stay and residency matters, while the 2004 law lists the rules concerning illegal immigration, overstaying and deportation. Both laws will remain in force until Sunday.
The 2003 immigration law states that visitors with insufficient funds can be refused entry by immigration officers, however it makes no mention of the length of stay.
Public Security Police officers said that after the new requirements take effect, immigration officers will not check every non-local arrival’s financial resources but will normally choose certain target groups of visitors.
The new chief executive order states that non-Macao residents aged 18 or over entering Macao should be ready to prove that they are holding financial resources sufficient for themselves and their accompanying family members during their intended stay, particularly for food, accommodation and medical care.
The required financial resources can be in cash, travellers’ cheques, and money stored in electronic wallets or other electronic payment methods recognised by the Macao government.
The minimum amounts to to carried according to visitors’ length of stay are as follows:
– Up to seven days: MOP 5,000
– Eight-14 days: MOP 10,000
– 14-21 days: MOP 15,000
– Over 21 days: MOP 20,000
Accompanying family members must carry 80 per cent of the above amounts.
Wong Kei Fong, acting chief of the Land Checkpoint Division of the Immigration Department of the PSP, said that visitors entering Macao for tourism purposes, including gambling and visiting relatives, normally will not have to report their financial resources.
Wong underlined that immigration officers have normally chosen to check certain target groups of visitors, such as those arriving in Macao at certain times or those coming from certain countries and regions, and will continue to do so, The Macau Post Daily reported.
