On March 1st, the legal regime for the development of the Deep Cooperation Zone in Hengqin comes into effect, with the aim of attracting Macao SAR residents.
However, despite promises that Hengqin will be a platform for interaction with the Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese residents of the Macao SAR will continue to need a visa.
Macao SAR residents of foreign nationality, including Portuguese nationals, will continue to need a visa to enter Ilha da Montanha, despite the multiple political elaborations of cooperation with Portuguese-speaking countries in Hengqin, such as the implementation of the Financial Services Platform for Portuguese-Speaking Countries Portuguesa (Special Mediation Zone) and the CLAP-U Financial Services Solution for the Lusophone World, among other initiatives. However, it will continue to be easier for a Portuguese resident of the Macao SAR to travel, for example, to Thailand than to Hengqin.
