The government of Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) Monday confirmed that the Hong Kong SAR government has extended the staying period of Macao residents in Hong Kong to a maximum 180 days starting from Monday.

The move came as the global financial crisis hurt the economy of China's two SARs, and the Hong Kong authority hoped that the new policy will benefit the two sides' mutual economic and tourism development, according to a report by the Macao Daily Times.

Under the new policy, Macao residents, possessing a valid Electronic Macao SAR Permanent Resident Identity Card together with a declaration form or visit permit for Macao residents to HK, can enter HK as visitors and stay for a maximum period of 180 days. Non-permanent Macao residents are allowed to stay for a maximum period of 30 days.

Local radio TDM quoted Macao's immigration authority as saying that the number of Macao residents who visited Hong Kong last year accounted for 696,800 of the total, an increase of 11 percent over the 626,000 in 2007.

(Xinhua News Agency February 17, 2009)