TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Bureau of Consular Affair (BOCA) on Thursday (Aug. 26) announced a lottery event that will run from Sept. 1 to March 31, 2022, to promote its travel-abroad registration service, giving away an iPad mini among other prizes each month.

To automatically qualify for the lottery, Taiwanese passport holders traveling during the event period should register their trip information (such as contact information, itinerary, location of accommodation, and emergency contact person in Taiwan) through the BOCA’s official Line account.

Aside from one iPad mini, lottery prizes include coupons with values ranging from NT$5000 (US$178.98) to NT$1000, anti-bacterial spray, and travel toiletry packs.

The BOCA service takes advantage of not only the common use of smartphones nowadays but also the widespread use of the messaging app Line in Taiwan, allowing citizens to skip the extra steps of visiting specific sites or logging into portals just to register and receive information.

MOCA's official Line account (Taiwan News screenshot)

By registering important trip information, the various representative offices of the Taiwan government may offer emergency assistance to citizens abroad much more efficiently.

BOCA’s official Line account also provides updates on travel alerts, safety information, and contact information of representative offices.

Citizens may use the handle @boca.tw to search for the account on Line.