ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to analyze the practical phenomenon of the internal audit independence in Macau and mainly focuses on the ‘compliance’ perspective. Semi- structured interviews were conducted with the in-house internal auditors from three representative sectors: Government, Gaming and Banking. Meanwhile, institutional theory is employed to assist in analyzing the findings. Results indicate that there are improper reporting relationships over the findings identified by the internal auditors; there are rooms for improvements in the existing audit culture in the local territory. Furthermore, it also indicates that there are audit staffs who are not competent enough in discharging their responsibilities and role confusions arisen from having the ‘oversight’ and ‘advisory’ roles concurrently shouldered by the internal auditors. Fortunately, results show that there are close interactions among the Audit Committees and the internal auditors. Meanwhile, the existing compliance environment as concluded in the research provides empirical evidence to the regulatory pillar of the institutional theory and makes contribution to the literature in the Asia Pacific region. Upon the findings identified, recommendations are further suggested in the research. Such as achieving best relationships between the Audit Committees and the internal auditors, setting up ‘tone at the top’ culture by managements within the organizations; offering continuous training to the professionals and drawing a clear line of responsibilities between the ‘oversight’ and ‘advisory role’ that are undertaken by the internal auditors.