Macau Temporary Residency for Major Investment
The investment route under Administrative Regulation No. 3/2005, which grants temporary residence to an entrepreneur who puts at least MOP 15,000,000 of their own capital into an operating business in Macau.
Start with the correction, because most of what is written about Macau investment residence is wrong in one of two directions. It is not true that Macau has had no investment visa since 2007. What closed on 4 April 2007, under Administrative Regulation No. 7/2007, was the property route: buying real estate no longer gives any residence right, and has not for nineteen years. The major investment route itself is still open and still accepts applicants at MOP 15,000,000. It is also not a golden visa in the usual sense. The money has to go into a business that operates, employs local staff and keeps operating for as long as you want to stay.
Programme snapshot
| Item | Current rule |
|---|---|
| Main audience | Active investors and entrepreneurs establishing or expanding a business in a priority industry |
| Route family | Investment |
| Validity | Temporary residence, renewed against continued operation. IPIM does not publish a fixed initial term |
| Stay per entry | Not applicable, this is a residence authorisation |
| Threshold | MOP 15,000,000 or more of the applicant’s own capital, about USD 1.86 million, 2026 |
| Renewal | Investment plan carried out, reasonable local staff employed, lawful continuous operation |
| Settlement | Discretionary |
| PR clock | 7 years of ordinary residence |
| Citizenship clock | None. Permanent residence is the terminal status |
| Family | Spouse or de facto partner of 2 years, and children under 18 |
| Local employment | Yes, self-employment through the invested entity |
| Tax headline | Territorial. Corporate profits tax and employment income both up to 12 percent |
| Processing | 45 days for the service, but assessment is discretionary and document heavy |
What counts as the MOP 15,000,000
The capital must be the applicant’s own and must be spent on the operating business: fixed operating assets, operating expenditure and fees. Stock and borrowed money do not count. The assessment then weighs six discretionary factors, which is why two applicants with the same MOP 15,000,000 can get different answers. Priority industry, local employment created, and the substance of the plan all matter.
Application flow
- Incorporate or acquire the Macau entity and define the investment plan.
- Document the source and ownership of the MOP 15,000,000. Borrowed funds and securities portfolios are excluded.
- Submit the temporary residency application to IPIM with the investment plan, corporate documents and financial evidence.
- IPIM assesses against the criteria and the six discretionary factors. The published service time is 45 days, but the file is document heavy and the clock moves with it.
- On a positive decision, the PSP issues the residence authorisation certificate.
- Operate the business, employ local staff and keep the investment in place.
- Renew against evidence of continued lawful operation.
- Notify IPIM of any change in investment status within 30 days.
Good fit
A founder putting roughly USD 1.9 million of their own money into a real Macau operating business in a priority sector, who intends to run it and employ people locally. An entrepreneur expanding an existing regional business into Macau with staff, premises and a multi-year plan.
Poor fit
A passive investor who wants to buy an apartment, park money or hold securities. None of that qualifies, and the property route has been closed since 4 April 2007. Anyone who needs certainty before committing capital, because the decision is discretionary. Anyone whose MOP 15,000,000 is borrowed or held in stock, because it will not be counted.
Watchpoints
- The property golden visa is closed, but the investment route is not. Since 4 April 2007 a flat purchase gives no residence right. The major investment route under Administrative Regulation No. 3/2005 still accepts new applicants at MOP 15,000,000. Agents conflate the two in both directions.
- The managerial and technical personnel category is closed. Law No. 7/2023 Article 38 abolished it for new applicants from 1 July 2023. Only renewals and applications already in the system survive.
- Renewal is a review, not a formality. IPIM checks whether the business actually operates, employs local staff and maintains the investment. A dormant shell company will not renew.
- Changes must be reported within 30 days. Failing to notify IPIM of a change in investment status can lead to the residency being revoked.
- The capital must be spent, not held. Fixed operating assets, operating expenditure and fees. Shares, bonds and borrowed money do not count toward the threshold.
- No published permit term. IPIM sets out the criteria but not a fixed initial duration or renewal period, so any agent quoting “two years then five” is guessing.
- It ends in permanent residence, not a passport. Seven years of ordinary residence, and Macau has no citizenship to grant.
Sources
- IPIM, assessment criteria for temporary residency, major investment and investment plan, checked 2026-10-22
- Government of Macau, temporary residency service page, checked 2026-10-22
- Administrative Regulation No. 3/2005 and Administrative Regulation No. 7/2007, Official Gazette, checked 2026-10-22
- Law No. 7/2023, Article 38, checked 2026-10-22