TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In addition to Taiwanese citizens, over 150,000 foreign spouses, foreigners with permanent residence, and diplomats are eligible to pre-order Taiwan's stimulus vouchers starting on Wednesday (Sept. 22).
Taiwan is launching its beefed-up Quintuple Stimulus Voucher (振興五倍券) program to help stimulate Taiwan's economy as it recovers from the soft lockdown over the summer. Unlike last year's Triple Stimulus Vouchers (振興三倍券) that were worth NT$3,000 (US$101) each but required NT$1,000 to acquire, the new vouchers are worth NT$5,000 and will be free of charge.
As was the case with last year's vouchers, Taiwanese citizens; foreign spouses, including Chinese; Alien Permanent Resident Certificate (APRC) holders; and diplomats are eligible. According to the National Immigration Agency (NIA), over 156,000 foreign nationals are eligible, including 140,000 foreign spouses and 16,000 APRC holders.
Eligible residents will have the option of registering for either the digital version of the vouchers starting Wednesday or the paper version beginning Sept. 25. They will also have the ability to book vouchers for up to five people at once.
The primary method for eligible foreign residents to apply is to enter their National Health Insurance (NHI) card numbers. Qualified foreign nationals who have not yet received their NHI cards will not be able to pre-order the vouchers but can present their resident certificate at the post office to pick up the printed version.
Digital vouchers
On Wednesday, people can begin to apply for a digital version of the vouchers, with the vouchers going into effect on Oct. 8. To do this, click on the link at the top of the page that reads "預訂與查詢" (reservations and inquiries).
To book for an individual, click on the link that reads "個人綁定" (individual registration). To reserve digital vouchers for more than one person, click "共同綁定" (group registrations).
Paper vouchers
In order to make a reservation for the paper vouchers, click "紙本五倍券" (paper Quintuple Stimulus Vouchers). Individuals who reserve paper vouchers on the website can pick them up at the post office starting Oct. 12.
Once these reservations are completed, the post office will send the applicant a text message informing them when and where to pick up the vouchers. Those who do not wish to reserve their vouchers in advance can pick them up in person at one of the country's 1,269 post offices from Nov. 1 to April 30.
To sign up for the vouchers, visit the official 5000 Quintuple Stimulus Voucher website or sign up via a kiosk at one of Taiwan's major convenience store chains.
If foreign nationals encounter any difficulties obtaining the vouchers, they can call the NIA's counseling service hotline for foreigners at 0800-024-111. The hotline provides services in Mandarin, English, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Thai, and Cambodian.