Marrying and Sponsoring a Macanese
Listen to this articleMarriage 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
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:
| Province | Code | Province | Code |
| Alberta | 403 / 587 (southern Alberta)
587 / 780 (central and northern Alberta) |
Nunavut | 867 |
| BC | 236 / 250 / 778 (majority of BC)
236 / 604 / 778 (Metro Vancouver) |
Ontario | 226 / 519 (southwestern Ontario)
249 / 705 (northeastern Ontario) 289 / 365 / 905 (Greater Toronto Area) 343 / 613 (eastern Ontario) 416 / 647 (Toronto) 807 (northwestern Ontario) |
| Manitoba | 204 / 431 | PEI | 782 / 902 |
| New Brunswick | 506 | Quebec | 418 / 581 (eastern Quebec)
438 / 514 (Montreal) 450 / 579 (Greater Montreal) 819 / 873 (remainder of Quebec) |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 709 | Saskatchewan | 306 / 639 |
| Northwest Territories | 867 | Yukon | 867 |
| Nova Scotia | 782 / 902 |
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.
| Canadian Time Zone | # of Hours Macao is Ahead | # of Hours during DST |
| Pacific (BC, Yukon) | 16 hours | 15 hours |
| Mountain (Alberta, western Nunvaut, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan) | 15 hours | 14 hours |
| Saskatchewan | 14 hours | 14 hours |
| Central (Manitoba, Northwest Territories, central Nunavut, northwestern Ontario) | 14 hours | 13 hours |
| Eastern (most of Ontario, most of Quebec) | 13 hours | 12 hours |
| Atlantic (Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, eastern Quebec) | 12 hours | 11 hours |
| Newfoundland | 11.5 hours | 10.5 hours |
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.
Consulate General of Canada in Hong Kong13th Floor, One Exchange Square Postal Address: Telephone: 85 (2) 3719 4700 |
View Larger Map |
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
Sponsoring Your Hongkonger Spouse to Canada
Want to know more about marrying in Hong Kong? Let us know!
