In the early 1550s the Portuguese reached Ou Mun, which the locals also called A Ma Gao, "place of A Ma", in honour of the Goddess of Seafarers, whose temple stood at the entrance to the sheltered Inner Harbour. The Portuguese adopted the name, which gradually changes into the name Macau, and with the permission of Guangdong's mandarins, established a city that within a short time had become a major entrepot for trade between China, Japan, India and Europe.

Macau is now a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China since 20 December 1999, and, like Hong Kong, benefits from the principle of "one country, two systems". The tiny SAR is growing in size - with more buildings on reclaimed land - and in the number and diversity of its attractions. The greatest of these continues to be Macau's unique society, with communities from the East and West complementing each other, and the many people who come to visit.

The Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) is a part of China's territory. It is located on the Southeast coast of China to the western bank of the Pearl River Delta, at latitude 22º 14' North, longitude 113º 35' East. Bordering on Guangdong Province, it locates 60km from Hong Kong and 145km from the city of Guangzhou.

The Macau Special Administrative Region has an area of 29.2 sq. km, comprised of the Macau Peninsula (with 9.3 sq. km and connected to Mainland China), the islands of Taipa (6.7 sq. km) and Coloane (7.6 sq. km) and the reclaimed area COTAI (5.6 sq. km). The three bridges connecting Macau to Taipa are Nobre de Carvalho (2.5 km long), the Friendship Bridge (4.5 km long) and Sai Van Bridge (2.2 km long). The longest one (Friendship Bridge) leads directly to Macau International Airport located on the Island of Taipa. The Sai Van Bridge, which was opened on 9 January 2005, is the first cable-stayed bridge in Macau. The double deck bridge has six lanes in the upper deck and two in the lower, which will open under inclement weather conditions. The islands are connected by a causeway which is 2.2 km long.

View Macau in a larger map

Getting to Macau

The most comfortable and fastest method of getting to Macau is by Helicopter (approx. 16 minutes flight). However the most popular method is by jet catamaran. Hong Kong has two major terminals for Macau-bound travelers: Shun Tak Centre located at Hong Kong Island and China Ferry Terminal located on the Tsimshatsui, Kowloon. Tourists can find quite a number of jetfoils, Catamarans and ferries available, run by TurboJET, the Cotai Strip CotaiJet™ and First Ferry.

Shun Tak Centre Macau Ferry Terminal (Hong Kong Island)

Shun Tak Centre Macau Ferry Terminal is located in the Sheung Wan district of Hong Kong Island and this is the main ferry terminal most frequently used and has more scheduled departures.

The above map is provided as courtesy and serves for reference puropses only. The information may not be entirely up-to-date and MJ Travel will not assume responsibility for any inaccuracies within.

China Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal (Tsim Sha Tsui District, Kowloon)

The China Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal is located on the Tsimshatsui waterfront alongside Harbour City, on the Kowloon side of the harbour. It is used for Catamaran sailings to and from Macau, and is convenient for visitors staying in Tsimshatsui hotels.

Visa Requirements

All visitors to Macau must be holding a passport or a valid travel document.

Visas are required by all visitors to Macau except for the following:

a) Nationals of Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cape Verde, Croatia, Czech, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominica, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mali, Malta, Mexico, Mongolia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania and the United Kingdom(6 months) for a stay up to 90 days;

b) Nationals of Australia, Canada, Chile, India, Indonesia, Kiribati, Malaysia, Monaco, Namibia, New Zealand, Philippines, Samoa, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, the United States of America and Uruguay for a stay up to 30 days;

c) Holders of  "Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card" or "Hong Kong SAR Re-entry Permit"; Valid "Hong Kong Identity Card" holders are required to bring their valid passport or travel documents when they enter Macau.

d) Nationals of China with valid Macau entry / depart documents;

e) Holders of Consulate / Diplomatic documents issued by the Macau SAR or Hong Kong SAR;

f) Holders of Diplomatic Passport;

g) Holders of "Laissez Passer" issued by the United Nations; in the course of duty;

h) Holders of travel document issued by the Portuguese authorities for the foreign citizens.

Visas can be obtained from the Immigration Services through Embassies/Consulates of the PRC and should be used within the validity. The visa is expired after the valid date.

Visas are also available on arrival in Macau at the Immigration Services for a period of 30 days.
There are three types:

Individual
Family Passport
Group

The above information is for reference only. For latest information on entry formalities, please call the Macau Immigration Services: (853) 8798 5327