The same services are offered to people resident in Macao that we offer to people resident in Hong Kong. As we have no permanent office in Macao we can only offer these services remotely by phone or e-mail or by asking a Macao resident to attend our offices in Hong Kong personally. Despite the fact that residents of Macao will have to come to Hong Kong to access most of our services there are some perks to being a resident of Macao.

Passport services for Macao residents

By proving you are a resident of Macao and by showing your ferry ticket confirming you will be returning there later the same day we will issue your new passport the same day, so long as there are no complications. This is not a service we offer to most Hong Kong residents. If you need to take advantage of this offer please ensure you attend the passport office between 09.00 and 11.00. Any later and we cannot guarantee we will have time to issue your new passport.

Please note that our postal application service is not currently available to Macao residents.

Visa applications by Macao residents

Residents of Macao wishing to apply for visas for the UK will need to follow the same procedures as residents of Hong Kong. The same processing times will apply and applicants will need to leave their passport with us for the duration of the application process. Please see our Visas for the UK page for more detail.

What do I do if I am unable to return to Macao without my passport?

Non-settlement visas:

If you are applying for a visa that does not lead to settlement in the UK, you will need to make arrangements to remain in Hong Kong until your application has been processed.

Settlement visas

If you are applying for a visa that leads to settlement in the UK, you may ask for your passport to be returned to you on the day that you attend your appointment at the Visa Application Centre.

If you wish to do this, you will need to bring your passport to your appointment along with a photocopy of the data page and all stamped pages of your passport. We will return your passport to you immediately and send the copies to the regional visa centre at the British Embassy in Manila for processing. Please see our Visas for the UK page for a list of our standard processing times.

Once a decision has been made on your application, we will contact you and ask you to return to Hong Kong with your passport in order that we can forward it to Manila for completion of your application. You will need to make arrangements to remain in Hong Kong for around 3-4 working days while the application process is completed and your passport is returned to Hong Kong.