Macao student visa (Special Authorization to Stay)

The Special Authorization to Stay for non-resident students covers people admitted to a higher education institution in Macao who are not Macao residents. Students from Mainland China follow a separate route with a Type D stay endorsement. Students from other countries enter Macao under the entry rules for their nationality (visa exemption or a visa) and must complete the application before their Authorization to Stay expires.

First submit the application through the PSP Integrated Online System for Special Authorization to Stay for Non-resident Students; your institution also uploads your student status information. After submission you receive an Application QR code. You then complete the procedure in person at the Stay Subdivision of the Residence and Stay Affairs Department, at the PSP Immigration Building in Pac On, Taipa, presenting a screenshot of the QR code and your original passport. Minors must be accompanied by a parent, guardian, legal agent or an authorised representative of the institution.

You receive an Application Receipt and follow the progress online. When the result is ready you collect it in person at a PSP counter or self-service kiosk before the date on the receipt. If approved, you get an Approval Notification and a Slip of Special Authorization to Stay showing its validity.

The service is free of charge. Processing takes 45 days, counted from the next working day after the PSP confirms that all documents are in order. The permit is valid until the end date of your programme, but it cannot exceed the limits set by Law No. 16/2021 and Administrative Regulation No. 38/2021 on passport validity; if your passport runs out earlier, renew it and update the permit at the Stay Subdivision. The permit allows multiple entries during its validity.

Actual attendance is a condition for keeping, renewing and extending the permit. If you transfer to another institution, change programme or extend the programme, you must submit a new application. If you stop studying, cancel the permit at the Residence and Stay Affairs Department once school-leaving formalities are complete and leave Macao within the period given; if you cannot do this yourself, sign a declaration of abandonment for the institution to submit. Staying on without another valid authorisation counts as overstaying.