Macau | China residence permit rights for SARs and Taiwan residents to be enacted Sept 1

Macau (MNA) – Residents of Macau, Hong Kong and Taiwan will be granted more civil rights in Mainland China starting on September 1, the Chinese State Council announced on Thursday vis-à-vis the ‘Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan Residence Permit Application Policy’.

Deputy Minister of Public Security Shi Jun revealed during a press conference that the policy will allow SARs and Taiwanese residents to enjoy three rights, six basic public services and nine convenient policies.

He said the three rights cover application of social insurance, legal employment and housing provident fund.

The six basic public services comprise education, basic public employment service, basic public health service, public cultural and sports service, legal aid and other legal services.

Shi further announced that the nine policies include registration of driving licence, vehicle, fertility, banking, insurance, and other financial services, application of occupational quality examination and acquisition of professional qualification, as well as more convenience in purchasing public transportation tickets, such as trains, or entertainment consumption.

Shi said residents from the SARs and Taiwan are free to apply for a Residence Permit for the Mainland in order to enjoy the aforementioned benefits of the policy.

He added that those who stayed on the Mainland for over half a year and are legally employed or study there would be qualified for application.

Interested residents should approach the appointed locations on the Mainland to apply for a Residence Permit, which will take 20 working days to issue.

Chinese authorities said they will announce the appointed locations later this month.

Asked about the difference between the Residence Permit and the Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents, the Vice-chairman of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the State Council, Huang Liuquan, explained that the Travel Permit merely serves the purpose of travel between the SARs and the Mainland without many civil rights.