Macao entry requirements for British passport holders (2026): visa and passport validity
Passport validity (FCDO rule): At least 90 days after the day you leave
Visa (FCDO): Read the official visa text below
Official source: GOV.UK – Macao travel advice, Entry requirements (FCDO) · page last updated 11 December 2025 · checked on 17 October 2026
Whether you need a visa and how long your British passport must be valid to enter Macao, as published by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), quoted word for word, with a checker for your dates.
Other passports: Canadian passport · Australian passport · Italian citizens: documenti per italiani
Do I need a visa for Macao with a British passport?
We quote the FCDO text word for word and do not summarise it: its first sentence has conditions or a wording we do not turn into a one-line answer.
Macao is part of the People’s Republic of China, but it remains a Special Administrative Region (SAR) with its own immigration controls.
You can visit Macao for up to 6 months without a visa, for tourism and to undertake unpaid business activities.
To stay longer, to do paid work, to study, or for other reasons, you must get a visa before arrival. Check which type of visa you need with the Macao Immigration Department.
More from the FCDO visa section (extensions, border checks and other cases)
Travelling through Macao to China
If you plan to travel through Macao to mainland China on a British passport, you must get a Chinese visa before you arrive at the border. If not, you could be fined or detained by the mainland Chinese authorities.
If you enter and leave Macao through mainland China, you must get a double or multiple entry visa to re-enter mainland China.
The mainland Chinese authorities may carry out thorough checks at border crossings, including of your electronic devices.
Official source: GOV.UK – Macao travel advice, Entry requirements (FCDO), section “Visa requirements” · page last updated 11 December 2025 · checked on 17 October 2026
Passport validity: official text “Passport validity requirements”
Your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 90 days after the date you leave Macao.
Official source: GOV.UK – Macao travel advice, Entry requirements (FCDO) · page last updated 11 December 2025 · checked on 17 October 2026
Check your passport for Macao
Schengen rules count your whole trip in the Schengen area: if you visit several Schengen countries, enter the day you first enter the area and the day you leave the last Schengen country.
The check runs in your browser: your dates are not sent anywhere. It applies the FCDO sentence literally (for example “6 months” is counted as the same day of the month 6 months later).
For British passport holders only. These are the rules published by the UK government (FCDO) for British citizens. If you hold another passport, check your own government's advice. The airline and the border officials of the destination decide whether you can travel or enter: this site is information, not legal advice.
Recent FCDO updates to the entry requirements
- 11 December 2025: “New information about dual nationals returning to the UK (‘Entry requirements’ page).”
- 6 April 2023: “Addition of information that a COVID-19 test is no longer required to enter the Macao Special Administrative Region (‘Entry requirements’ page).”
- 30 March 2023: “Passport validity - a requirement that a passport should be valid for a minimum period of 90 days beyond a stay in Macao ('Entry requirements' page).”
- 13 February 2023: “Updated information on entry requirements and travel to Mainland China (‘Coronavirus’ and ‘Entry Requirements’ pages).”
- 10 January 2023: “Updated information on Macao SAR COVID-19 restrictions and information on limitations to certain COVID-19 related medicines and supplies you can carry when leaving Macao ('Coronavirus' and 'Entry requirements' page).”
Read the full FCDO travel advice for Macao (safety, visas, health) before you travel.
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Same FCDO rule (90 days after departure)
Passport validity rules for all destinations · Liquids rules by airport · EES and ETIAS status