China
Macao passportEdit check
Visa, stay set by the visa
Before you travel: you need a visa from an embassy or consulate.
How long you may stay is set by your visa.
Entry and stay only. What this covers
Entry conditions1 to check
- Hong Kong and Macao residents must hold a valid Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents (回乡证) to enter the mainland; the HKSAR or Macao SAR passport alone does not substitute for it.
Source & evidence Read the original words
Official wording
本指南适用于港澳居民申请港澳居民来往内地通行证（以下简称通行证）。 … 《中华人民共和国出境入境管理法》、《中国公民因私往来香港地区或者澳门地区的暂行管理办法》。 … （一）从受理申请到签发港澳居民来往内地通行证12个工作日；需异地核查材料等特殊情况的调查时间，不计入办证时限。
Aevamo’s reading
Article 15 of the Exit and Entry Administration Law creates the obligation: foreigners entering China shall apply in advance to the visa authorities abroad for a visa unless exempt. Article 22 enumerates the four exemption grounds, under which the unilateral visa-free list and the mutual visa-exemption agreements are issued. The Law is therefore the instrument that imposes the requirement, while the lists implement its exemptions.
The NIA service guide states the Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao residents is the document those residents apply for to travel to the mainland, applied for in person and issued in about 12 working days, so it is an advance arrangement a Hong Kong or Macao traveller must make before entering.
Source details
How the documents behind this regime are dated
Exit-Entry Law: promulgated 30 June 2012, in force 1 July 2013. NIA unilateral list: dated 17 February 2026. MFA register: updated 29 May 2026 (published 09:00 that day). NIA service guides: undated pages on the NIA service platform, current as of the August 2026 fetch.
What this answer covers Limits & assumptions
Work and residence rights are separate from this check. This is the entry rule and the length of stay the instrument grants. It is not a decision about you: the officer at the border decides admission, and we do not evaluate the purpose of your trip, your passport's remaining validity, an onward ticket, funds, insurance or health requirements.
Informational planning, not legal or immigration advice. The source is linked so you can check our reading.