Business accounts: Macau

Updated 6 October 2026

An honest assessment before work starts, the quote is fixed in writing.

A company account in Macau is opened at a local bank supervised by the Monetary Authority of Macao. The bank works with a company registered with Macau's Commercial and Movable Property Registry and registered for tax with the Financial Services Bureau. The main settlement currencies are the pataca and the Hong Kong dollar, and many accounts are also opened in US dollars and yuan. The company needs the account from day one: capital is paid in and taxes are paid from it. The pataca is pegged to the Hong Kong dollar at 1.03 patacas per Hong Kong dollar, about 8.08 patacas per US dollar at the European Central Bank rate of 5 October 2026.

The company for the account

• Limited liability company: the main form for small and medium business, minimum capital 25,000 patacas, about $3,100.
• Joint-stock company: for larger projects, with a much higher minimum capital.
• Registration with the Commercial and Movable Property Registry; foreign investors can use the support of the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute.
• Tax registration: a declaration of commencement of business with the Financial Services Bureau.

Taxes the bank will see

• Complementary profits tax: 12% on annual profit above 600,000 patacas, about $74,300; profit below that is exempt.
• There is no VAT in Macau.
• The bank compares account turnover with the company's tax returns.

Foreign founder documents

• An individual: passport and proof of address.
• A company: certificate of incorporation, articles and a resolution to set up the Macau company, certified and translated into one of Macau's official languages, Chinese or Portuguese.
• A director who will personally work in Macau obtains a work permit.

Bookkeeping and reporting

• Larger taxpayers, companies with capital or average profit of 1 million patacas or more, keep full accounts and file statements signed by an auditor.
• Other companies are taxed under simplified rules, and the tax office may assess profit itself.
• Licences for trading or industrial activity are issued by the Economic and Technological Development Bureau.

The Hengqin cooperation zone

Macau companies expanding to neighbouring Hengqin island, in the Guangdong-Macao in-depth cooperation zone, pay 15% corporate tax there instead of mainland China's usual 25%, subject to conditions. Such a set-up needs both a Macau account and a mainland account.

What the bank checks

• a Commercial and Movable Property Registry extract and articles;
• tax registration with the Financial Services Bureau;
• passports and tax residency of directors and owners;
• real activity in Macau: office, staff, contracts with clients in Macau, Hong Kong or mainland China;
• origin of capital and payment countries.

Protection of funds

Since October 2024 Macau's deposit protection scheme repays up to 800,000 patacas, about $99,000, per depositor per bank, up from the previous 500,000 patacas.

How opening works

1. Company registration and tax registration.
2. An office or registered address in Macau.
3. Bank file and origin of capital.
4. The director's meeting with the bank.
5. Account opening in patacas, Hong Kong dollars and, if needed, US dollars and yuan.

Why banks refuse

• The company has no activity in Macau.
• Owners or origin of capital not disclosed.
• Payments with higher-risk countries without a clear explanation.
• Gaming-related activity without the relevant licences.

What we do

Murblz specialists register a company in Macau with locally licensed partners, handle tax registration, prepare the bank file and support the opening until the decision. We quote the cost after a short consultation; the decision always rests with the bank.

What we do

• Corporate account - opening assistance

See also

Company formation · Personal account · Investment property

FAQ