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Marriage to a Chinese Citizen of the Macao Special Administrative Region

Every country has its own laws that apply to its citizens marrying a person from a different country. Getting married to a Macanese with the goal of eventually bringing them to Canada to live is a process with many steps. The Chinese government may impose strict requirements on foreigners who marry Chinese as an indirect way of discouraging Chinese citizens from moving to other countries.

Foreigners must apply for official permission from the Chinese government to marry a citizen of China. You must demonstrate to Chinese officials that they are not currently married to anyone else – either you have never been married or all divorces are finalized – that your identity is proven and that you have never committed any crimes in China. This is done by providing various documents, including an Affidavit of Single Status to the Chinese government in Macao.

If you want to bring your Hongkonger spouse or partner to live in Canada, you must then file a sponsorship application for them to become a permanent resident. If they would like to visit you in Canada while their application is in process, they must also apply for a visitor visa. For more information, please see our family sponsorship page and our visitor visa page.

Macao Marriage Basic Requirements

Family Members

If your Chinese spouse has dependent children, this does not affect the application.

If you have dependent children, they have no effect on the application to marry a Macanese citizen.

List of Chinese Consulates in Canada

Click here

Calling Macao from Canada

Dial 011 – 853 – local number

• 011 is the North American exit number
• 853 is Macao’s country code

There are no area codes in Macao. Landlines begin with 28, cellular phones begin with 6.

Calling Canada from Macao

Dial 00 – 1 – area code – local number

Canada has lots of area codes:

Time Difference

Macao Time is the same as Chinese Standard Time (GMT+8), despite the huge differences in location between Macao and much of China – unlike much of China, Macao really should be on GMT +8. Macao does not observe Daylight Saving Time due to its proximity to the equator.

Emergency Contact Information for Canadians in Macao

There is no Canadian diplomatic mission in Macao, but there is a consulate located across the bay in Hong Kong. This mission has jurisdiction over Macao and Hong Kong.

Emergency Numbers in Macao

999 is the general emergency number. You can also dial 318.

110 is the tourist help line in China.

The Government of Canada’s Travel Alerts for Hong Kong

For travel alerts, click here

Sponsoring Your Hongkonger Spouse to Canada

Learn More

Want to know more about marrying in Hong Kong? Let us know!