General Information

Geographical Location

The Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) is a part of China’s territory. It is located on the Southeast coast of China to the west of the Pearl River Delta. Bordering on Guangdong Province, it lies 60km from Hong Kong and 145km from the city of Guangzhou. Local time is eight hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.

Area

Macau has an area of 28.6 sq. km. It is comprised of the Macau Peninsula, the islands of Taipa and Coloane and the reclaimed area COTAI, and is linked by three modern bridges and a causeway. The territory is connected to mainland China at the Barrier Gate (Portas do Cerco), the crossing point located at the northern part of the city.

Population

Macau's local population numbered 525,500 inhabitants as at the second quarter of 2007. Macau has undergone rapid demographic growth over the last two decades, increasing at an annual rate of around 5.35%.

There is also an impressive flow of people in and out of the territory. In the first nine months of 2007, The total number of visitor arrivals reached 19,496,013, with an average 23,811 visitors arrival by sea each day, 43,725 visitors arrival by land each day and 3,878 visitors by air each day.

Language

The official languages are Chinese and Portuguese, while English is widely spoken. Cantonese is the dialect most commonly used in everyday dealings but Mandarin is also widely spoken.

Climate

Macau's climate is warm and humid with a fairly wide variation in temperature over the year. From June to September, the temperature can rise to over 30 degrees Celsius while it can drop to below 10 degrees Celsius from November to February. Macau's weather is also influenced by tropical cyclones from the South Pacific Ocean from May to November.

Greeting

The western business etiquette of handshaking is the accepted form of greeting, which is always followed by the exchange of business cards. Cards should be given and received with both hands, holding the card at the corners. It is demeaning to put someone's card directly right into your pocket without looking at it first, it also is considered impolite to write on someone's card. Take a few moments to study the card upon its receipt.

Tipping

In most restaurants and similar establishments, a 10% service charge is usually charged to the bill but it is a common practice to leave a small tip.

Attire

Dress code is rather informal, however, standard business attire is desirable at more formal occasions.

Electricity

Electricity in Macau is at 220V, 50Hz . The power plugs used in Macau are of three-pin, square-shaped type.

Entry Regulations

Passport

All visitors must hold a passport or a valid travel document. The validity of these documents must not be less than 30 days since the entry into Macau.

Visas

If travel arrangements are made through an agent, the visa processing is handled by Macau tour operators.

Visas are required by all visitors except:

a)	Nationals of Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cape Verde, Croatia, Czech, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominica, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mali, Malta, Mongolia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Tanzania and the United Kingdom (6 months) for a stay up to 90 days;
b)	Nationals of Australia, Canada, Chile, India, Indonesia, Kiribati, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Namibia, New Zealand, Philippines, Samoa, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, the united States of America and Uruguay for a stay up to 30 days;
c)	Nationals of China with valid Macau entry/depart documents, including residents of Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and overseas Chinese for a stay up to 30 days;
d)	The “Hong Kong Identity Card” (with symbol “*”,“***” or “R”), “Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card” or “Hong Kong Reentry Permit” holders may stay in Macau for a maximum period of one year.
e)	Holders of Diplomatic Passport or “Laissez Passer” issued by the United Nations.
f)	Holders of Consulate/Diplomatic documents issued by the Macau SAR or Hong Kong SAR.

Visas can be obtained from:

a)	The Immigration Services through Embassies/Consulates of the PRC and should be used within the validity.
b)	Visas are also available on arrival in Macau at the Immigration Services for a period of 30 days;

There are three types of visas:

Individual -	MOP$100, for individual traveler for a single stay of up to 30 days in Macau, children under 12 years of age pay MOP$50.
Family -	MOP$200 for couples, husband traveling with wife and/or children (under 12 years of age) of same surname or on proof of their relationship.
Group -	MOP$50 per person for bona fide groups of 10 or more and children aged 12 or under.

Getting to Macau

Entry Points

Macau International Airport
Macau International Airport is linked by scheduled and chartered air services to major cities in Mainland China, Taiwan, Korea, Southeast Asia and Australia.

Macau Ferry Terminal / Taipa Ferry Terminal
From Hong Kong or Shenzhen by helicopter or fast ferry. Fleets of Jetfoils and Turbocats have at least six sailings an hour (60-70 minutes) throughout the day and at regular intervals through the night. Whenever the weather permits, the helicopter service is available from 9:00am to 10:30pm.

Cross Boundary Passenger Ferry Terminal
The “Cross Boundary Passenger Ferry Terminal” provides ferry service linking Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) and Pearl River Delta Region. A new brand “TurboJET Sea Express” runs the routes between HKIA, Shenzhen and Macau SAR. Passengers can transit into or out of the Pearl River Delta region via HKIA without the need to go through HK Customs and Immigration formalities and also without the hassle of carrying their luggage to the ferry terminal.

Macau-China Border
The Barrier Gate and the COTAI Frontier Post are the gateways to Mainland China. The Barrier Gate operates from 7:00 am to midnight while the COTAI Frontier Post at the Taipa-Coloane Reclaimed Area operates from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm.

Customs

On arrival
Visitors are usually subject only to routine inspection. The importation of firearms without special permission is not allowed as well as other illegal and dangerous items. Drug trafficking is punished by law. Other items are not restricted nor subject to the importation duties, providing they are carried in reasonable quantities and contents.

On departure
There are no export duties in Macau. Antiques, gold, jewelry, radios and cameras among other items are duty free articles.

Departure Taxes

Airport Charges
Airport charges include Passenger Fee and Airport Fee. The Passenger Fee is MOP$90 and the Airport Fee is MOP$20 for passenger over 2 years of age (regardless of destination). For transfer passengers or those who continue their journey in less that 48 hours after they have arrived at the airport (regardless of whether entry formalities are proceeded or not), the Passenger Fee is MOP$40 and the Airport Fee is MOP$10. These fees are collected from each departing passenger through the airlines at the moment of issuing the ticket.

Embarkation Fee
The embarkation fee for ferries is MOP$19, which is normally included in the ferry ticket price.

List of Macau Public Holidays

Business Hours

Government offices work five days a week, starting at 9:00 am and finishing at 5:45 pm (Monday to Thursday) and 5:30 pm (Friday). Lunch break is between 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm. Most private companies work from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm, take an hour or an hour and a half lunch break, and occasionally work Saturday mornings.

Banking

There are 27 banks, out of which 12 are locally incorporated (including the postal savings office) and 15 are branches of overseas banks. With the exception of three off-shore banks, all the banks in Macau are retail banks with full banking license. There a total of 129 bank branches and 316 ATMs. In addition, there is a finance company, with restrictive banking activities.

Banking Hours

Monday to Friday: 9:00 am - 5:30 pm

Currency & Exchange Rates

The Pataca (MOP$) is Macau’s official currency. There are banknotes and coins in the following denominations:

Coins: 10, 20, 50 avos;
1, 2, 5 & 10 patacas.

Banknotes:
10, 20, 50, 100, 500 & 1,000 patacas.

The Macau pataca is linked to the Hong Kong dollar (HK$) which is accepted as currency in Macau – at the rate of MOP$103.20 = HK$100.00, with a permissible variation of up to 10%.

Roughly MOP$11 is equivalent to 1 EURO and MOP$8 is equivalent to 1 US dollar. MOP$100 is equivalent to approximately 94 RMB.

Changing Money

Foreign currency or travellers’ cheques can be exchanged at hotels, banks and authorized exchange dealers. There are no restrictions on the amount of currency which can be brought in or taken out of the territory.

Ground Transport

Taxis
There are two kinds of taxis: the black with cream roof ones and the yellow ones. The flagfall charge is MOP$11.00 for the first 1,500 meters. MOP$1.00 will be added for every 180 meters afterwards. There is also radio-taxi-service – tel: (853)2893 9939 or (853) 2851 9519.

There is a MOP$3.00 surcharge for each piece of luggage carried in the boot. MOP$5.00 surcharge for boarding taxi at the Macau Airport or journeys from Macau to Coloane; no surcharge from Macau to Taipa or from the island to Macau, but between Taipa and Coloane, a MOP$2.00 surcharge applies.

Buses
Public buses and minibuses run from 6:00 am to midnight. On all routes within the city, the fare is MOP$2.50 per journey. There are buses (Route 3, 3A, 10, 12, 23, 28C & 32) that provide regular service between the city and the Macau Ferry Terminal.

There are buses from Macau to the islands with regular departures throughout the day, from 6:45am to 11:00pm. The fares are Taipa – MOP$3.30, Coloane Village – MOP$4.00 and Hac Sah Beach – MOP$5.00.

Special bus service AP1 costs MOP$3.30 for those who wish to go from Macau to the Airport or back.

Macau Useful Websites:

Government Department

Business Associations