Visa requirements for Chinese citizens of Macau

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Visa requirements for Chinese citizens of Macau SAR are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on Chinese citizens who are also permanent residents of Macau.

A Macau Special Administrative Region passport

As of 2026, Macao Special Administrative Region passport holders have visa-free or visa on arrival access to 141 countries and territories, ranking the passport 29th in the world according to the Henley Passport Index.[1]

Visa requirements map

Visa requirements for Chinese citizens of Macau SAR
Visa requirements for Chinese citizens of Macau holding ordinary passports
  Macau
  Mainland Travel Permit travel
  Visa-free access
  Visa on arrival
  eVisa
  Visa available both on arrival or online
  Visa required

Greater China including Taiwan

More information Jurisdiction, Notes ...
Jurisdiction Visa requirement Notes
 China With Home Return Permit
(Freedom of movement)[2]
Holders of Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents are able to freely enter Mainland China for all purposes within the validity of their travel document. Most permits for adults are valid for 10 years; minors under 18 years old are issued permits valid for five years. Not required if holding an MSAR Passport for transit through Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou within 24 hours without leaving the sterile area of the airports.
Hong Kong Visa not required[3] Visa free for a period of 180 days for holders of Macau Permanent Resident Identity Cards. Visa free for 7 days for passengers in transit to a third country holding MSAR passports.
Taiwan Entry permit on arrival or Online entry permit[4] Entry Permit on arrival for NT$300. Free online registration prior to arrival is also available. Applicable to those who were born in Hong Kong or Macau, or those who have previously entered Taiwan at least once as a permanent resident of Macau. Not applicable to MSAR passport holders with nationality or citizenship of another country.[5] Permit not required for transiting through Taoyuan Airport without leaving the sterile area within 24 hours.
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Visa requirements

More information Country, Allowed stay ...
Country Visa requirement Allowed stay Notes (excluding departure fees)
Afghanistan Visa required[6]
Albania Visa not required[7] 90 days
Algeria Visa required[8]
Andorra Visa not required[9]
Angola Visa required[10]
Antigua and Barbuda Visa not required[11] 30 days
Argentina Visa not required[12] 30 days
Armenia Visa not required[13] 180 days
  • 180 days in a year.
Australia Visa required[14][15]
  • May apply online (Online Visitor e600 visa).
Austria Visa not required[16] 90 days
Azerbaijan Visa not required[17][18] 30 days
  • From 2 February 2026 to 2 February 2027, Macau passport holders can travel to Azerbaijan three times in a year without a visa and stay for up to 30 days at each entrance.
Bahamas eVisa[19] 3 months
Bahrain eVisa / Visa on arrival[20] 2 weeks
Bangladesh Visa required[21]
Barbados Visa not required[22] 30 days
Belarus Visa not required[23] 30 days
  • For a maximum total stay of 90 days within any 1 calendar year.
Belgium Visa not required[24] 90 days
Belize Visa required[25]
Benin eVisa[26][27] 30 days
  • Must have an international vaccination certificate.
Bhutan eVisa[28][29]
Bolivia eVisa / Visa on arrival[30] 30 days[31]
Bosnia and Herzegovina Visa not required[32] 90 days
  • 90 days within any 6-month period.
Botswana eVisa[33][34] 3 months
Brazil Visa not required[35] 90 days
Brunei Visa not required[36] 14 days
Bulgaria Visa not required[37] 90 days
Burkina Faso eVisa[38][39]
Burundi Visa on arrival[40] 1 month
Cambodia eVisa / Visa on arrival[41][42] 30 days
Cameroon eVisa[43][44]
Canada Visa required[45]
  • Macau citizens who do receive a visa are normally issued with multiple-entry combination visitor visas (Generally, the validity period is until the passport expiration date, and the maximum period is 10 years), and each entry can stay for a maximum of 6 months (the period of stay is subject to the border immigration officer).
Cape Verde Visa not required[46] 90 days
Central African Republic Visa required[47]
Chad Visa required[48]
Chile Visa not required[49] 30 days
Mainland China Home Return Permit travel
(Freedom of movement)
Until permit expiry
  • Holders of Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents are able to freely enter mainland China for all purposes within the validity of their travel document. Most permits for adults are valid for 10 years; minors under 18 years old are issued permits valid for five years.
  • Entry to Mainland China cannot be on a Macau SAR passport. However, all eligible for Macau SAR passport is also able to apply for a Home Return Permit, allowing the holder to enter and stay in mainland China until its expiry. Issuance of the Home Return Permit is not automatic for all MSAR passport holders and is at the sole discretion of the Bureau of Exit and Entry Administration of the Ministry of Public Security.
  • Those residing in the Mainland for more than six months may apply for the Residence Permit for Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan Residents.
  • Home Return Permit not required for MSAR Passport holders when transiting through Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou Airports within 24 hours without leaving the sterile area.
Colombia eVisa[50][51]
Comoros Visa on arrival[52] 45 days
Republic of the Congo Visa required[53]
Democratic Republic of the Congo eVisa[54][55] 7 days
Costa Rica Visa required[56]
Côte d'Ivoire eVisa[57][58] 3 months
Croatia Visa not required[59] 90 days
Cuba Tourist card required[60] 90 days
  • Can be extended up to 90 days with a fee.
Cyprus Visa not required[61] 90 days
  • 90 days within any 180 day period.
Czech Republic Visa not required[62] 90 days
Denmark Visa not required[63] 90 days
Djibouti eVisa[64][65] 90 days
Dominica Visa not required[66] 180 days
Dominican Republic Visa not required[67] 90 days
Ecuador Visa not required[68] 90 days
Egypt Visa not required[69] 3 months
El Salvador Visa required[70]
Equatorial Guinea eVisa[71][72]
Eritrea Visa required[73]
Estonia Visa not required[74] 90 days
Eswatini Visa required[75]
Ethiopia eVisa[76] up to 90 days
Fiji Visa not required[79] 4 months
Finland Visa not required[80] 90 days
France Visa not required[81] 90 days
Gabon eVisa[82][83] 90 days
Gambia Visa required[84]
Georgia Visa not required[85][86] 30 days
Germany Visa not required[87] 90 days
Ghana Visa required[88]
Greece Visa not required[89] 90 days
Grenada Visa not required[90] 3 months
Guatemala Visa required[91]
Guinea eVisa[92][93] 90 days
Guinea-Bissau Visa on arrival[94] 90 days
Guyana Visa required[95]
Haiti Visa not required[96] 3 months
Honduras Visa required[97]
  • No visa required if holding valid visa of US, Canada, or Schengen member state.
Hungary Visa not required[98] 90 days
Iceland Visa not required[99] 90 days
India Visa required[100]
Indonesia Visa not required[101] 30 days[102]
Iran Visa not required[103] 21 days[104]
Iraq Visa required[105]
Ireland Visa not required[106] 3 months
Israel Visa not required[107] 90 days
Italy Visa not required[108] 90 days
Jamaica Visa not required[109] 30 days
Japan Visa not required[110][111] 90 days
Jordan eVisa / Visa on arrival[112][113] 90 days
Kazakhstan Visa not required[114][115] 14 days
Kenya Electronic Travel Authorisation[116][117] 90 days
  • Applications can be submitted up to 90 days prior to travel and must be submitted at least 3 days in advance.
  • eTA fee is 32.50 USD.
  • Proof of reservation at the hotel where visitors plan to stay is required (if staying with friends, an invitation letter is also acceptable).
  • Yellow fever vaccination certificate is required if coming from endemic countries.
Kiribati Visa not required[118] 30 days
North Korea Visa required[119]
South Korea Electronical Travel Authorization[120][121] 90 days
  • The validity period of a K-ETA is 3 years from the date of approval.[122]
Kuwait Visa required[123]
Kyrgyzstan Visa not required[124] 30 days
Laos eVisa / Visa on arrival[126] 30 days
Latvia Visa not required[128] 90 days
Lebanon Free visa on arrival[129] 1 month
  • 1 month extendable for 2 additional months.
  • Granted free of charge at Beirut International Airport or any other port of entry if there is no Israeli visa or seal, holding a telephone number, an address in Lebanon, and a non refundable return or circle trip ticket.
Lesotho eVisa[130][131]
Liberia Visa required[132]
Libya eVisa[133][134]
Liechtenstein Visa not required[135] 90 days
Lithuania Visa not required[136] 90 days
Luxembourg Visa not required[137] 90 days
Madagascar Visa on arrival[138] 60 days
Malawi eVisa / Visa on arrival[139][140] 90 days
Malaysia Visa not required[141] 30 days
Maldives Free visa on arrival[142] 30 days
Mali Visa not required[143] 90 days
Malta Visa not required[144] 90 days
Marshall Islands Visa required[145]
Mauritania Visa on arrival[146]
Mauritius Visa not required[147] 90 days
Mexico Visa not required[148] 180 days
Micronesia Visa not required[149] 30 days
Moldova Visa not required[150] 90 days
  • 90 days within any 180 day period.
Monaco Visa not required[151]
Mongolia Visa not required[152] 30 days
Montenegro Visa not required[153] 90 days
Morocco Visa not required[154] 90 days
Mozambique eVisa / Visa on arrival[155][156] 30 days
Myanmar eVisa/ Visa on arrival[157][158] 28 days/30 days
Namibia Visa not required[159] 3 months
Nauru Visa required[160]
  Nepal Online Visa / Visa on arrival[161] 90 days[162]
Netherlands Visa not required[163] 90 days
New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority[164] 3 months
  • International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy must be paid upon requesting an Electronic Travel Authority.[165]
  • Holders of an Australian Permanent Resident Visa or Resident Return Visa may be granted a New Zealand Resident Visa on arrival permitting indefinite stay (pursuant to the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement), subject to meeting character requirements and obtaining an Electronic Travel Authority prior to departure.[166] Such travellers are not required to pay the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy.[165]
Nicaragua Visa not required[167] 90 days
Niger Visa required[168]
Nigeria eVisa[169][170] 90 days
North Macedonia Visa not required[171] 90 days
Norway Visa not required[172] 90 days
Oman Visa not required[173] 14 days
Pakistan Visa required[174]
Palau Free visa on arrival[175] 30 days
Panama Visa required[176]
Papua New Guinea eVisa[177][178] 60 days
  • Must arrive through Port Moresby (POM) or Rabaul (RAB) airports.
Paraguay Visa required[179]
Peru Visa required[180]
Philippines Visa not required[181] 14 days
Poland Visa not required[182] 90 days
Portugal Visa not required[183] 90 days
Qatar eVisa / Visa on arrival[184][185] 30 days
Romania Visa not required[186] 90 days
Russia Visa not required[187] 30 days
  • For a maximum total stay of 90 days within one calendar year period
Rwanda eVisa / Visa on arrival[188][189] 30 days
Saint Kitts and Nevis Visa not required[190]
Saint Lucia Visa on arrival[191] 6 weeks
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Visa not required[192] 30 days
Samoa Visa not required[193] 60 days
San Marino Visa not required[194]
São Tomé and Príncipe eVisa / Visa on arrival[195] 15 days[196]
Saudi Arabia eVisa / Visa on arrival[197][198] 90 days
Senegal Visa required[199]
Serbia Visa not required[200] 90 days
  • 90 days within any 180 day period.
Seychelles Visa not required[201] 30 days
Sierra Leone eVisa / Visa on arrival[202][203] 30 days
Singapore Visa not required[204] 30 days
Slovakia Visa not required[205] 90 days
Slovenia Visa not required[206] 90 days
Solomon Islands Visa required[207]
Somalia Visa on arrival[208] 30 days
  • All visitors must have an approved Electronic Visa (eTAS) before the start of their journey.[209]
South Africa Visa not required[210] 30 days
South Sudan eVisa[211][212]
  • Obtainable online.
  • Printed visa authorization must be presented at the time of travel.
Spain Visa not required[213] 90 days
Sri Lanka eVisa / Visa on arrival[214][215][216] 60 days / 30 days
  • Citizens of Macau would need to select People's Republic of China (Special Administrative Region of China) as their nationality while applying for the e-Visa.
  • Sri Lanka introduced an ETA valid for 30 days.[217]
Sudan Visa required[218]
Suriname Visa not required[219][220] 90 days
  • An entrance fee of USD 50 or EUR 50 must be paid online prior to arrival.[221]
  • Multiple entry e-Visa is also available.[222]
Sweden Visa not required[223] 90 days
 Switzerland Visa not required[224] 90 days
Syria Visa required[225]
Tajikistan eVisa[226][227] 60 days
Tanzania Visa not required[228] 90 days
Thailand Visa not required[229] 60 days
Timor-Leste Visa on arrival[230] 30 days
Togo eVisa[231][232] 15 days
Tonga Free visa on arrival[233] 31 days
Trinidad and Tobago Visa required[234]
Tunisia Visa required[235]
  • Visa not required for tourist groups organised by a travel agency.
Turkey Visa not required[236] 30 days
Turkmenistan Visa required[237]
Tuvalu Visa on arrival[238] 1 month
Uganda eVisa[239][240] 30 days
Ukraine Visa required[241][242]
United Arab Emirates Visa not required[243] 30 days
United Kingdom Visa not required[244] 6 months
United States Visa required[245]
  • Macau citizens who do receive a visa are normally issued with 10-years multiple-entry combination B1 / B2 visas, and each entry can stay for a maximum of 6 months (the period of stay is subject to the border immigration officer).
Uruguay Visa not required[246] 90 days
Uzbekistan Visa not required[247] 10 days
  • Must arrive by air. Otherwise an electronic visa is available.[248]
Vanuatu Visa not required[249] 30 days
Vatican City Visa not required[250]
Venezuela Visa required[251]
Vietnam eVisa[252][253] 90 days
Yemen Visa required[254]
Zambia eVisa[255][256] 90 days
Zimbabwe Visa on arrival[257] 30 days
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Territories

Visa requirements for Chinese citizens of Macau for visits to various territories, disputed areas, partially recognised countries and restricted zones:

More information Visitor to, Notes (excluding departure fees) ...
Visitor toVisa requirementNotes (excluding departure fees)
Europe
Abkhazia Permit required[258] Below are the requirements for receiving an entry permit to the Republic of Abkhazia: Copy of passport (sent by e-mail or by fax). Please make sure that your passport is valid for at least 6 months after your planned entry to Abkhazia. Filled electronic application. You should complete all sections of the application. If any necessary information is missing, the application will not be considered. An entry permit letter for visiting the Republic of Abkhazia will be sent to the email address from which the application was sent or to the fax number stated in the application.

Upon arrival nationals of Macau must visit the Consular Service within three working days in order to receive the visa of the Republic of Abkhazia.

Mount Athos Special permit required Special permit required (4 days: 25 euro for Orthodox visitors, 35 euro for non-Orthodox visitors, 18 euro for students). There is a visitors' quota: maximum 100 Orthodox and 10 non-Orthodox per day and women are not allowed.[259][260]
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Visa not required 3 months[261]
United Nations UN Buffer Zone in Cyprus Access Permit required[262] Access Permit is required for travelling inside the zone, except Civil Use Areas.
Faroe Islands Visa not required[263]
Gibraltar Visa not required[264]
Guernsey Visa not required[265]
Isle of Man Visa not required[266]
Norway Jan Mayen Permit required Permit issued by the local police required for staying for less than 24 hours[267] and permit issued by the Norwegian police for staying for more than 24 hours.[268]
Jersey Visa not required[269]
Kosovo Visa not required[270] 90 days
Russia Special authorisation required Several closed cities and regions in Russia require special authorisation.[271]
South Ossetia Visa not required Multiple entry visa to Russia and three-day prior notification are required to enter South Ossetia.[272][273]
Transnistria Visa not required Registration required after 24h.[274][275]
Africa
British Indian Ocean Territory Special permit required Special permit required.[276]
Eritrea outside Asmara Travel permit required To travel in the rest of the country, a Travel Permit for Foreigners is required (20 Eritrean nakfa).[277]
Mayotte Visa not required[278] 90 days
Réunion Visa not required[278] 90 days
Ascension Island Admission refused[279][280] From May 2015, the Ascension Island Government does not issue entry visas including eVisas to Chinese citizens of Macau.[281]
Saint Helena Visitor's Pass required Visitor's Pass granted on arrival valid for 4/10/21/60/90 days for 12/14/16/20/25 pound sterling.[282]
Tristan da Cunha Permission required Permission to land required for 15/30 pounds sterling (yacht/ship passenger) for Tristan da Cunha Island or 20 pounds sterling for Gough Island, Inaccessible Island or Nightingale Islands.[283]
Somaliland Visa on arrival 30 days for 30 US dollars, payable on arrival.[284][285]
Sudan Travel permit required All foreigners travelling more than 25 kilometres outside of Khartoum must obtain a travel permit.
Sudan Darfur Travel permit required Separate travel permit is required.[286]
Asia
India PAP/RAP PAP/RAP required Protected Area Permit (PAP) required for all of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram and parts of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand. Restricted Area Permit (RAP) required for all of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep and parts of Sikkim. Some of these requirements are occasionally lifted for a year.[287][288][289][290][291]
Kazakhstan Special permission required Special permission required for the town of Baikonur and surrounding areas in Kyzylorda Oblast, and the town of Gvardeyskiy near Almaty.[292]
Iran Kish Island Visa not required 14 days; Visitors to Kish Island do not require a visa.[293]
Malaysia Malaysia:

Sabah Sabah and Sarawak Sarawak

Visa not required These states have their own immigration authorities and passport is required to travel to them, however the same visa applies.[294]
Maldives Maldives Permission required With the exception of the capital Malé, tourists are generally prohibited from visiting non-resort islands without the express permission of the Government of Maldives.[295]
Palestine Visa not required[296] Arrival by sea to Gaza Strip not allowed.[297]
Tajikistan Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province OIVR permit required OIVR permit required (15+5 Tajikistani Somoni) and another special permit (free of charge) is required for Lake Sarez.[298][299][300]
United Nations Korean Demilitarized Zone Restricted zone
United Nations UNDOF Zone and Ghajar Restricted zone
Yemen Special permission required Special permission needed for travel outside Sana'a or Aden.[301]
Caribbean and North Atlantic
Anguilla Visa not required[302] 3 months
Aruba Visa not required[303] 30 days
Bermuda Visa required[304]
Netherlands Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba Visa not required[305] 30 days
British Virgin Islands Visa not required[306] 30 days
Cayman Islands Visa required[307]
Curacao Visa not required[308] 30 days
France French Guiana Visa not required[309] 90 days
France French West Indies Visa not required French West Indies refers to Martinique, Guadeloupe, Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy.[310]
Greenland Visa not required[263] 90 days
Montserrat Visa not required[311] 90 days
Puerto Rico Visa required[312]
Saint Pierre and Miquelon Visa not required[278] 90 days
Sint Maarten Visa not required[313] 3 months
Turks and Caicos Islands Visa required[314]
U.S. Virgin Islands Visa required[315]
Oceania
American Samoa Visa required[316]
Australia Ashmore and Cartier Islands Special authorisation required Special authorisation required.[317]
France Clipperton Island Special permit required Special permit required.[318]
Cook Islands Visa not required[319] 31 days[320]
Fiji Lau Province Special permission required Special permission required.[321]
French Polynesia Visa not required[322] 90 days
Guam Visa required[323]
New Caledonia Visa not required[278] 90 days
Northern Mariana Islands Visa required[324]
Niue Visa not required[325] 30 days[326]
Pitcairn Islands Visa not required 14 days visa free and landing fee US$35 or tax of US$5 if not going ashore.[327][328][329]
United States United States Minor Outlying Islands Special permits required Special permits required for Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Atoll, Palmyra Atoll and Wake Island.[330][331][332][333][334][335][336]
Wallis and Futuna Visa not required[278] 90 days
South America
Galápagos Pre-registration required Online pre-registration is required. Transit Control Card must also be obtained at the airport prior to departure.[337]
South Atlantic and Antarctica
Falkland Islands Visa required[338]
French Southern and Antarctic Lands Visa not required 90 days(excludes Adélie Land)
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Permit required Pre-arrival permit from the Commissioner required (72 hours/1 month for 110/160 pounds sterling).[339][340]
Special permits required for Bouvet Island, British Antarctic Territory, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Argentine Antarctica, Australia Australian Antarctic Territory, Antártica Chilena Province Chilean Antarctic Territory, Australia Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norway Peter I Island, Norway Queen Maud Land, New Zealand Ross Dependency.[341][342][343][344][345][346][347][348][349][350][351][352]
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Timeline of visa-free access

Visa requirements were lifted for Portuguese Macau (unilaterally or bilaterally) by the Philippines on 22 June 1994.[353]

Visa requirements were lifted for Chinese citizens of Macau by the Czech Republic on 1 October 2001,[354] Russia on 30 September 2012, New Zealand on 30 June 2014[355] and Belarus on 27 November 2016.[356]

Non-visa restrictions

Blank passport pages

Many countries require a minimum number of blank pages to be available in the passport being presented, typically one or two pages.[357] Endorsement pages, which often appear after the visa pages, are not counted as being valid or available.

Vaccination

Cover of the new International Certificate of Vaccination issued by the Bureau of Quarantine in the Philippines since 2021

The African countries of Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone and Togo, South Sudan and Uganda, along with French Guiana in South America, require all incoming passengers older than nine months to one year,[358] to have a current International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis.[359]

Some other countries require vaccination only if the passenger is coming from an infected area or has visited one recently or has transited for 12 hours in those countries: Algeria, Botswana, Cabo Verde, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Lesotho, Libya, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.[360][361]

Passport validity length

Very few countries, such as Paraguay, just require a valid passport on arrival.

However many countries and groupings now require only an identity card – especially from their neighbours. Other countries may have special bilateral arrangements that depart from the generality of their passport validity length policies to shorten the period of passport validity required for each other's citizens[362][363] or even accept passports that have already expired (but not been cancelled).[364]

Some countries, such as Japan,[365] Ireland and the United Kingdom,[366] require a passport valid throughout the period of the intended stay.

In the absence of specific bilateral agreements, countries requiring passports to be valid for at least 6 more months on arrival include Afghanistan, Algeria, Anguilla, Bahrain,[367] Bhutan, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Curaçao, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel,[368] Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Peru,[369] Philippines,[370] Qatar, Rwanda, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tokelau, Tonga, Turkey, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Vanuatu, Venezuela, and Vietnam.[371]

Countries requiring passports valid for at least 4 months on arrival include Micronesia and Zambia.

Countries requiring passports with a validity of at least 3 months beyond the date of intended departure include Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Honduras, Montenegro, Nauru, Moldova and New Zealand. Similarly, the EEA countries of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, all European Union countries (except Ireland) together with Switzerland also require 3 months validity beyond the date of the bearer's intended departure unless the bearer is an EEA or Swiss national.

Countries requiring passports valid for at least 3 months on arrival include Albania, North Macedonia, Panama, and Senegal.

Bermuda requires passports to be valid for at least 45 days upon entry.

Countries that require a passport validity of at least one month beyond the date of intended departure include Eritrea, Hong Kong, Lebanon, Macau, the Maldives[372] and South Africa.

Maximum passport age

Countries of the Schengen area require non-EU passports to be less than 10 years old upon entry.[373]

Criminal record

Some countries, including Australia, Canada, Fiji, New Zealand and the United States,[374] routinely deny entry to non-citizens who have a criminal record, while others impose restrictions depending on the type of conviction and the length of the sentence.

Persona non grata

The government of a country can declare a diplomat persona non grata, banning them from entering the country or expelling them if they have already entered. In non-diplomatic use, the authorities of a country may also declare a foreigner persona non grata permanently or temporarily, usually because of unlawful activity.[375]

Israeli stamps

Kuwait,[376] Lebanon,[377] Libya,[378] and Yemen[379] do not allow entry to people with passport stamps from Israel or whose passports have either a used or an unused Israeli visa, or where there is evidence of previous travel to Israel such as entry or exit stamps from neighbouring border posts in transit countries such as Jordan and Egypt.

To circumvent this Arab League boycott of Israel, the Israeli immigration services have now mostly ceased to stamp foreign nationals' passports on either entry to or exit from Israel (unless the entry is for some work-related purposes). Since 15 January 2013, Israel no longer stamps foreign passports at Ben Gurion Airport. Passports are still (as of 22 June 2017) stamped at Erez when passing into and out of Gaza.[citation needed]

Iran refuses admission to holders of passports containing an Israeli visa or stamp that is less than 12 months old.

Biometrics

Several countries mandate that all travellers, or all foreign travellers, be fingerprinted on arrival and will refuse admission to or even arrest travellers who refuse to comply. In some countries, such as the United States, this may apply even to transit passengers who merely wish to change planes rather than go landside.[380]

Fingerprinting countries/regions include Afghanistan,[381][382] Argentina,[383] Brunei, Cambodia,[384] China,[385] Ethiopia,[386] Ghana, Guinea,[387] India, Japan,[388][389] Kenya (both fingerprints and a photo are taken),[390] Malaysia upon entry and departure,[391] Mongolia, Saudi Arabia,[392] the Schengen Area,[393] Singapore, South Korea,[394] Taiwan, Thailand,[395] Uganda,[396] the United Arab Emirates and the United States.

Many countries also require a photo be taken of people entering the country. The United States, which does not fully implement exit control formalities at its land frontiers (although long mandated by its own legislation),[397][398][399] intends to implement facial recognition for passengers departing from international airports to identify people who overstay their visa.[400]

Together with fingerprint and face recognition, iris scanning is one of three biometric identification technologies internationally standardised since 2006 by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for use in e-passports[401] and the United Arab Emirates conducts iris scanning on visitors who need to apply for a visa.[402][403] The United States Department of Homeland Security has announced plans to greatly increase the biometric data it collects at US borders.[404] In 2018, Singapore began trials of iris scanning at three land and maritime immigration checkpoints.[405][406]

See also

References and notes

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