After authorities in Macau lifted an entry ban for non-resident foreign nationals from Mainland China we decided to go to Macau ourselves in order to provide you a reliable guide.
Nowadays most of the attractions of Macau work normally without any pandemic-related restrictions. That's why we believe that a trip to Macau can be a great option to spend your vacations.
The beginning of the journey. How to get ready for travel?
The starting point of your trip to Macau is the border city of Zhuhai, where you can go through customs.
Near Zhuhai Railway Station there is the largest immigration and customs checkpoint which is called Zhuhai Gongbei (拱北口岸). Customs clearance time is from 6:00 a.m to 1:00 a.m.
Do not worry if you are asked to go to a separate building for additional control.
Gongbei Port is a major transport hub in Macau, it will be very easy to get to the city center from here.
Currently there are no free buses that previously ran from Gongbei in the late hours.
An alternative option for crossing the border is another port, called Hengqin (横琴口岸), which works 24 hours a day. You can choose this border immigration checkpoint if you need to cross the border at night.
Moreover, one of the advantages of using Hengqin port is that you’ll be very close to the main shopping centers and casinos of Macau when you enter the city - "Venetian", "Parisian", "Londoner" and "Studio City".
If you travel by car, you can expect to pay around 120 RMB per day to park your car near Zhuhai ports. It is better to choose more remote places where the average daily price to park is just 40-50 RMB per day.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
We’d recommend you to take care of cash in your wallet and exchange currency in advance.
Foreigners in Macao can not withdraw cash using their Chinese bank cards or use their WeChat or Alipay to pay for goods and services (in order to withdraw money from a Chinese bank card, the ATM requires Chinese ID for verification).
At the same time foreigners can freely withdraw money from cards of foreign banks or pay for their purchases through the bank terminals using their Chinese cards in shopping centres and restaurants.
There’re many places that provide currency exchange service in Mainland China, so it’s better to prepare some cash there - you can do it in banks or in exchange offices right at the border. Remember, that you’ll need some money to take public transport or a taxi once you finish all customs procedures.
List of locations to visit taking a taxi in Macau
If you're looking to stay connected while travelling, picking up a local SIM card is the way to go (because your Chinese one will stop working right after crossing the border). Meanwhile, it won’t be a problem to find Wi-Fi in the majority of public locations of Macau.
Documents required by foreign nationals from Mainland China to enter and exit Macau
The required documents for entering to Macau:
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valid passport,
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permission for visa-free entry or visa to Macau,
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negative NAT test obtained with 48 hours of nucleic acid testing.
The required documents for returning to Mainland China:
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passport of a country that has a permission for visa-free entry to China, or a visa / residence permit valid for more than 1 month,
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negative NAT test obtained with 48 hours of nucleic acid testing,
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Macau health code.
Foreign nationals who are traveling to Macau from Mainland China are not required to quarantine. Those who want to go to Macau from other countries should be ready to quarantine during 7 days after arrival (plus survive through a subsequent «7+3» quarantine if you plan to enter Mainland China after).
If you’re going to stay in Macau for only 1 or 2 days, you can take a test right before leaving thus you’ll be able to use it when you go back.
If your border crossing point is Gongbei, then you can take the test nearby, just opposite the customs, at a specialized point at 广济门诊部广济整形美容(莲花路).
At the border, you need to show the Chinese health code with and your valid test result to customs officer (the code can be made in advance if you scan the code below).
You can also ask border sanitation officers to re-adjust your code and tests to the Macau code platform system. Macau code is obligatory for everybody as it allows to enter all public places in the city.
You can make Macau code by yourself in advance if you scan the code below.
Test results will be ready in 10-12 hours.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
When you pass through Macau customs, you will be given a small receipt showing the date and your port of entry. This receipt may be requested to check-in at a hotel or in other places, so it’s better to keep it in your passport during the whole trip.
Passing the border took us less than 30 minutes.
Staying in Macau
Please don’t be surprised that prices in Macau are much higher than in Mainland China. The most expensive is Cotai area, where you can find the most popular casinos and shopping centres. We’d recommend staying away from gambling places and enjoy the beauty of the historical city centre in order to save money.
There’s a long list of tourist activities in Macau - you go for a walk around the historical center and visit very old and famous temples, play the world's coolest and most popular games in casinos, create unforgettable shopping experience and even sunbathe on the beach.
If you need to take a test to come back to Mainland China, you can choose a place and a convenient time to take for testing nearby by yourself (by scanning the code below).
Remember to take your passport or passport’s photo as it will be checked before testing. The price of the test if 45 patacas.
Coming back to Mainland
Please take in mind that 2 NAT tests must be done within 3 days after returning from Macau to any city in Mainland China.
BONUS
To know more about interesting places and restaurants in Macau you can use the Sand Lifestyle app. Scan the code below and enjoy discovering Macau!
