Foreign investors can apply for residency in Macau through a qualifying investment scheme. The strategy must provide long-term economic advantages and create jobs. Macau, formally the People’s Republic of China’s Macao Special Administrative Region, is an autonomous enclave in East Asia on the western side of the Pearl River estuary. Macau was a Portuguese colony that remained under Portuguese rule until 1999, when it was handed back to China. Its economy is heavily reliant on gambling and tourism, with gaming income exceeding $1 billion for the first time since 2006. Macau, being a special administrative zone, has its own political and economic framework from the rest of China. Macau boasts a population of 650,000 people, earning it the moniker “Asian Las Vegas.”
In November 2015, the minimum investment required to get residency in Macau was raised to MOP 13 million ($1.6 million), with plans to raise it to MOP 15 million ($1.8 million) in the future.
Investment Requirements
- Business Plan: The status of the investment plan’s implementation will be considered in the evaluation. It is relatively easy to assess progress if the investment plan has been implemented; nevertheless, if the investment plan has not yet been completed, the applicant must submit documentary confirmation of the feasibility of the connected project. The higher the actual investment amount, technology level, registered capital, anticipated investment amount, and share-holding proportion contributed or to be contributed in the investment plan, the better. The investment plan will also be evaluated to see if it can help Macao achieve its long-term development goals of moderate economic diversification and becoming a One Centre, One Platform.
Job Creation: By creating more local jobs, the investment strategy must contribute to Macao’s labor and employment market. Other Beneficial Factors that the Investment Plan Will Contribute to Macao’s Economic Long-Term Development
