“I believe that things are on track for us to have a more agile, easier and faster system, and therefore that we can overcome this constraint that we know exists,” said Montenegro.

Since August 2023, Macau has not accepted new residency applications from Portuguese nationals for the “exercise of specialised technical functions”, allowing only justifications of family reunification or previous connection to the territory.

The guidelines eliminate a practice established after Macau’s transition in 1999.

Portuguese nationals are now only eligible for a “blue card”, a permit limited to employment, without the benefits of residency, particularly in terms of health and education.

The only alternative to guaranteeing a resident identity card is now to apply for the recent programmes to attract qualified staff.

“This is a concern we have regarding residence visas for all those who come to this territory with a desire to work and help Macanese institutions to carry out their work,” Montenegro confirmed.

The Prime Minister stressed that the procedures for obtaining residency “often end up being decisive for people seeking professional employment” in Macau.

“We are talking about people with various qualifications who come here to help develop many of the activities in which our community is involved,” Montenegro stressed.

The 2021 census indicates that more than 2,200 people born in Portugal are living in Macau. The latest estimate given to Lusa by the Consulate-General of Portugal pointed to around 155,000 Portuguese passport holders among the residents of Macau and Hong Kong.

Montenegro assured that both Portugal and Macau want “this whole process to be as smooth as possible and, therefore, for the rules to be quick and designed in such a way as not to discourage this mobility, which is a positive thing.”

The Prime Minister said that the governments on both sides “are in contact” and will “follow up” on the dialogue initiated with the visit to Macau at the end of March by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Paulo Rangel.

At the time, Rangel said that the “follow-up to the dialogue” initiated with Sam Hou Fai will take place at the seventh meeting of the Portugal-Macau Joint Committee, the first since 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Montenegro revealed today that the commission will meet between 4 and 6 February 2026, an announcement he highlighted as “one of the objective results” of the meeting with Sam Hou Fai.

In a statement, the Macao Government said only that the Chief Executive and the Portuguese Prime Minister “exchanged views on bilateral relations and issues of common interest”.