Macau has reduced to five days, from seven, the permitted stay for Chinese passport holders who transit in the enclave effective from July 1.
The move announced Monday is aimed at deterring some mainlanders from deliberately breaching the existing entry requirements of transiting in Macau for seven days – without actually traveling elsewhere.
However Macau legislators believe the latest move will not help solve the problem of those who claim to be in transit but stay in the casino city just to gamble.
Secretary for Security Cheong Kuoc Va said earlier the Macau government intended to reduce the number of days mainland visitors are permitted to remain in transit.
Cheong said the government was in talks with authorities across the border about the problem.
Macau police announced yesterday that the new measure will come into force from next month.
But Jose Pereira Coutinho, a directly elected legislator in the 33-member Legislative Assembly, said: “It won’t help resolve the existing problem for some mainland visitors to travel to Macau without traveling to another destination.
It is necessary for the Macau government to comprehensively review its policies for mainland visitors.”
Travel agencies in Shenzhen and Zhuhai have been promoting the scheme, with promises to help clients enter Macau for travel.
According to the immigration laws, mainlanders may enter and stay for up to seven days if they are in transit, traveling on to a third country. They are required to present their passport, a flight ticket or visa issued by their final destination.(macaunews/thestandard)
