Permanent Residency In Macau: Expats Guide

Embarking on the journey to permanent residency in Macau can feel like stepping into a thrilling yet intricate dance with bureaucracy, Right? But fret not, future resident! We’ve got your back!

This guide is your dance partner, leading you gracefully through each step, ensuring you don’t miss a beat. Let’s waltz through the nuances of securing your permanent stay in this vibrant enclave!

Let’s dive in!

What It Means To Have A Permanent Residency In Macau

Having a residency in Macau certainly comes with its benefits. Down below are some of the reasons why an individual would want to move there:

A stability will be established because you won’t be worrying about having to renew your visa again and again. This long term balance of mind is crucial for those who see themselves settling down in Macau.
You’ll gain access to various social facilities such as education, health care and other public services.
If you’re an avid traveller, you can come and go with ease, without having to worry about your visa status.
Since Macau is relatively economically developed, many employment opportunities arise.
Macau offers many investment opportunities to people who want to establish business there.
Ownership of property will become substantially easy once an individual attains their residency.

Most of the revenue generated in Macau is from tourism and casinos. The locals over there mostly indulge in sea transportation.

Whereas Macau is considered to be welcoming for everyone, it is important that you do consider, if obtaining a residency in Macau aligns with your future plans.

Applying For Residency In Macau

Obtaining a residency in Macau is a slightly different process depending on the nationality of the individual. You can secure a residency in three ways:

Jus Soli (by birth)
By descent
By Macau’s investment scheme programme

A person born in Macau will acquire his/her residency on the basis of jus soli (latin for being born within the territory of a state).

An individual born to parents who hold a Chinese or Portuguese citizenship automatically becomes a resident of Macua, whereas, a person born to parents who hold a different nationality must have at least one parent holding the right to abode in Macau.

Requirements For A Permanent Residence Permit For Family Members Of Foreign Nationals In Germany

Children who are born outside of Macau obtain residency if they were nationals of China at time of their birth.

Children born to mixed Chinese and Portuguese parents may also acquire residency if one of the parents was a Macau permanent resident at the time of the child’s birth. The child will have to claim which nationality they want to identify with between Chinese and Portuguese.

Non Residents Seeking To Become Permanent Residents

Individuals who are looking to become permanent residents of Macau must go through a period of at least 7 years before they’ll be eligible to apply for a Macau permanent resident identity card.

Chinese nationals can apply for permanent residency based on any 7 years of residency in Macau whereas for foreign individuals, a time period of 7 years must immediately precede their application.

Emigration control of Macau handles Chinese citizens who want to settle in Macau.

Applying For Residency By Macau’s Investment Scheme Program

Macau offers temporary residency to foreign investors under their investment scheme programme.

The programme entails that the individual will be granted a temporary residency if they make a major investment or are employed as management personnel or specialised technicians.

When applying for a residency by this method, the government of Macau will have to approve certain prerequisites for you to be elliglble to go through the procedures of obtaining residency:

Applicants have to provide the officials with proper documentation of their investment plan. Certain businesses such as pharmaceuticals, food products and high tech businesses are preferred over those which cause excess pollution.
The investment plan must also aid the locals of Macau by creating more job opportunities for them and help Macau’s labour market.
The investment plan should be such that a trade can also be established between the Chinese and Portuguese market.
The applicant must not have any sort of a criminal record attached to their file.
The individual must provide the government with bank statements to prove their financial stability.

Macau has had various changes in their laws regarding their investment scheme as many investors in the past have been charged with fraud by obtaining residency through making fake investments.

Due to this, it has become relatively difficult to apply for residency by this scheme as the laws have become increasingly strict. A legal team to help you understand the correct procedures will help you immensely and is advised.

Documentation Needed To Apply For Residency By Investment

The individual will have to provide proper documentation associated with applying for a residency via investment to the state officials:

A well documented investment proposal.
Profit and loss sheet of the business associated.
All documents related to the financial state of the business. This may include their monthly expenditures, credit documents, proof of company deposits etc.
An original copy of the business registration certificate.
A list of the salaries being paid to the employees and workers.
Copy of the social security fund payment reciept.
Proper documentation verifying the tenure or occupancy of the business premise.
Product certification. If the product in question is legal or not to sell.

Getting Your Macau Resident Identity Card

To be considered a resident of Macau, the individual must possess his/her own resident identity card.

The procedure involved in getting your Macau resident ID card made is fairly simple. You have to fulfil some demands set by the government and provide them with proper documentation:

A valid birth certificate.
Photocopies of parents identification documents.
In case of ownership of a Hong Kong identity card, a copy of it.
A passport size photograph.

Submit the application to Macau special administrative region identification department or visit a local office which deals with handing out resident ID cards.

In some cases, the individual might be called for an interview to verify his/her identity and satisfy any questions that the officials have. In the case of documentation being in any other language, an official translator must accompany the individual.

Your fingers will be scanned for the purpose of developing biometric data. You’ll also be obliged to pay a certain fee.

If all documents are verified and you have met all the demands, your Macau resident identity card will be issued to you.

Verification Of Kinship

Documentation related to verification of family, an individual above the age of 18 can go through the following steps:

Log on to the “common access to public services of the Macau SAR” account via its mobile application and type in the identity card number of the person concerned.
The individual can also gain access to a self serving kiosk booth and type in the details themselves.
The person can also head to a DSI office where they’ll require the individual to present them with their parents Macau resident identity card for verification purposes.

For Macau residents below the age of 18, their parents can file an application on behalf of their child to any one of the designated places mentioned above.

Declaration Of Death

In the event of a Macau resident passing away, their Macau resident identity card will be collected by the civil affair registry. In this specific case, there is no need to declare the death of the individual to the DSI.

If a Macau resident identity card holder has departed overseas, his/her relatives will be obligated to declare the death of that individual to the DSI, either in person or by mail.

Paying The Fees

There is a standard fee structure which you have to follow in order to attain your Macau ID card.

First time applicants	MOP 90
Renewal applicants	MOP 90
Express service	Additional charge of MOP 150
Special express service	Additional charge of MOP 250
Replacement of former card	MOP 60

Additional charges will be imposed on the individual if they are unable to submit their documentations on time.

The fee is also exempted for individuals who are not financially capable of paying it. You have to fall into one of the following three categories if exemption is to be granted:

In the case of being unemployed, sign an application for the exemption of your fee and the individual must also sign a declaration to declare unemployment.
If you don’t have sufficient financial funds to apply for a card, you should submit a photocopy of a valid beneficiary card issued by the Social Welfare Bureau.
For individuals who are disabled, upon signing the application for the exemption of their fees, they must also submit a photocopy of a valid disability assessment registration card issued by the Social Welfare Bureau.

How Long Will It Take For Your Application To Be Processed

Normal service	15 working days
Express service	10 working days
Special express service	3 working days

Applying For Renewal Of Resident Identity Card

In the case of applying for the renewal of your Macau resident identity card, the person must satisfy the following requirements:

Individuals who hold non permanent resident identity cards and also possess Portuguese identity documents.
Non permanent card holders of Macau who have proof of residency in Macau.
In the case of your Macau ID card being expired.
If the ID card has been lost or damaged.
If an individual wishes to change his/her personal details and they are approved by the government, he/she will be eligible to apply for the renewal of the card.
Macau residents who shift from non permanent to permanent residents.
For foreign nationals holding permanent resident identity cards, an application for renewal of a card is valid if the time between the application and the date of issuance of the card is under 3 years.

Losing Your Residency

Individuals who are permanent residents of Macau and aren’t Chinese nationals lose their residency if they are absent from Macau for more than 3 years. They still hold the right to live, study and work in the territory but aren’t safe from the threat of being deported.

In the case of foreign nationals fearing to lose their permanent residency in Macau, they can apply for Chinese naturalisation and become exempt from loss.

Conclusion

And there you have it, a dance through the path to securing permanent residency in Macau! Remember, knowledge is your dance card in this journey, ensuring each step is taken with confidence and precision.

Dance & Reside!

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