Macau — Legal Help

Emergency number is 999 (110 and 112 also route to police for visitors). Macau's legal system is Portuguese-derived; the Judiciary Police (PJ) handle criminal investigation. Almost no Western country maintains a consulate in Macau — Hong Kong consulates cover it — so consular help involves a cross-border trip and delay; if detained, insist on consular notification and an interpreter, both of which you are entitled to.

The general age of consent is 14, but the 2017 Penal Code amendments (Law 8/2017) made paying for sexual services from anyone under 18 a specific crime, and commercial exploitation of minors carries heavy sentences. Also note casino-specific hazards: never sign loan documents or IOUs offered on the floor — loan-sharking disputes are a common route for foreigners into police stations.