Macau Enacts New Regime for Gold and Platinum Sales

Key Changes Compared with the Previous Law

The new law represents a material shift from the former regulatory framework, with the following notable changes:

(a) Expanded Scope of Regulation

Under the repealed Law No. 1/2003, regulation focused primarily on gold articles.

Law No. 4/2026 significantly broadens the scope to cover:

• Gold articles (≥ 333‰);
• Platinum articles (≥ 850‰);
• Surface-processed articles, including:
• Plated articles, in Chinese, “包金貨品”, also known as “注金貨品” or “鍛壓金貨品”; and
• Coated articles (e.g. electroplated or chemically coated), in Chinese, “鍍金貨品”.

The law applies to any form of sale or display for sale in Macau, regardless of the sales channel, with the sole exception of auction companies.

(b) Alignment with regional standards and strict marking requirements

Moreover, in order to be fully aligned with the gold sale practices in neighboring jurisdictions, the law introduces clear, standardized fineness classifications for both gold and platinum articles. In particular, pure gold articles, marked in “Chok Kam” or “足金” in Chinese, must have a fineness of no less than 999 parts per thousand.

Moreover, surface-processed articles must, when displayed for sale, be clearly separated from gold and platinum articles and prominently identified as surfaced-processed items.

(c) New Requirements for Invoices and Record-Keeping

Retailers are now subject to extensive invoicing obligations and must retain invoices or electronic records for at least five years for inspection by the Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT).

(d) Higher Administrative Penalties

The new law significantly increases the level of administrative penalties, with fines ranging from MOP 5,000 to MOP 80,000, and introduces aggravated fines in the event of repeat offences. In addition, the directors and representatives of the operators may be held jointly and several liable for such violations.

The DSEDT is also empowered to issue warnings and remediation deadlines for remediable violations.

Proposed Actions

Given the breadth and detail of the new regime, retailers shall begin preparing well in advance. The following steps shall be considered:

• Product and Inventory Assessment: review and verify the fineness and composition of all gold, platinum, and surface-processed articles;
• Marking Updates: update internal marking standards to meet the new marking requirements; and ensure multi-part articles are individually and correctly marked where required.
• Invoicing and Record Management: update invoice templates to include all mandatory statutory information; and implement secure record-retention systems, including electronic archives.

While the law is expected to enhance transparency and consumer confidence, thereby supporting the healthy development of Macau’s retail market, it also places increased compliance demands on retailers and exposes them to significantly heightened enforcement and regulatory risks for retailers.

Early preparation will be essential to ensure a smooth transition by 1 January 2027 and to mitigate regulatory and reputational risks.