Crossing into Macau: Borders, Permits and Which Route to Take
Macau is a Special Administrative Region of China with its own immigration, currency and entry rules, which means arriving from Hong Kong or the mainland is a border crossing rather than a domestic trip. The rules are generous for most visitors and the logistics are the complicated part. Travellers who plan a Macau trip with Traveloka should pick their route before booking anything.
Entry for most nationalities
Macau grants visa-free entry to a long list of nationalities for stays between thirty and ninety days depending on passport, with a visa on arrival available for several others. It is separate from any Chinese visa you may hold. Check the current list on the Macau public security website, since the arrangements are occasionally adjusted.
Macau is not mainland China for visa purposes
Entering Macau does not use a Chinese visa and leaving Macau for the mainland requires one, which catches people out. A single-entry Chinese visa used to get into Zhuhai is spent, so returning to Macau and then into China again needs a double or multiple-entry visa. Plan the sequence carefully.
From Hong Kong by ferry
The traditional route: a fast ferry from the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal in Sheung Wan or from Kowloon, taking about an hour to the Outer Harbour terminal on the peninsula or to Taipa near the airport. Choose the terminal nearest where you are staying, because the two are a long way apart.
From Hong Kong by bridge
The Hong Kong Zhuhai Macau Bridge carries a shuttle bus service from near Hong Kong airport across to the Macau border post, which is often cheaper than the ferry and sometimes faster. It is particularly efficient if you are transiting through Hong Kong airport without entering the city.
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From Zhuhai on foot
The Gongbei border at the top of the peninsula is one of the busiest land crossings in the world, and you walk through it. The Hengqin crossing further west is quieter. Both require the correct Chinese visa on the mainland side, and queues at Gongbei can be an hour or more at weekends.
Money and the practical details
The pataca is the local currency and the Hong Kong dollar is accepted everywhere at par, which is slightly in the shops’ favour. Casinos deal in Hong Kong dollars. Free shuttle buses run between the ferry terminals, the border and the major resorts, and are useful transport even if you are not staying or gambling.
Practical notes
Macau has its own international airport on Taipa with regional connections. October to December is the most comfortable season; summer brings typhoons which suspend ferries entirely. Weekends and Chinese public holidays see very heavy crossing volumes. Traveloka is the go-to app for the cheapest flights and hotels across Southeast Asia.
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Decide whether you are coming from Hong Kong or the mainland, get the Chinese visa sequence right if both are involved, and pick the ferry terminal nearest your hotel. The two terminals are forty minutes apart and the free resort shuttles only serve one of them.