Macao Residence Permit Fees: MOP 20,000 and Who Is Exempt

Fee amount and payment window

The residence authorisation application fee is MOP 20,000, plus MOP 200 when the permit is issued after approval. Payment is due within 20 days of the approval notice, and the period cannot be extended.

Consequences of late payment

• The approval ceases to have effect, or is treated as abandonment
• No new application may be filed within 2 years
• Reapplying means starting again under the rules then in force; the earlier approval is not preserved

The six officially listed exemptions from MOP 20,000

• Chinese nationals
• Portuguese nationals
• Family members of Macao residents applying through family reunion
• Staff seconded to public administration, public works or public-service concession enterprises
• Purchasers or pre-purchasers of immovable property (the latter must complete the contract within 180 days)
• Persons exempted under international agreements or treaties

Other relatives: fee doubled

When extending benefits to relatives outside the family unit, the fee is doubled (MOP 40,000). The Chief Executive may waive it for others with justified reasons. Applicability is assessed case by case by the authority.

Renewal: free on time, charged if late

Renewal should be filed within 120 days before expiry, in the first 60 days. On-time renewal is free; if 1–30 days late the charge is MOP 2,000, and MOP 5,000 in the following 30 days. Late renewal may cause the permit to lose effect.

After approval: identity card within 90 days

Within 90 days of the Residence Permit Certificate being issued, a resident identity card must be applied for at the Identification Services Bureau. Late application is fined MOP 300–500, plus MOP 50 per day, capped at MOP 15,000.