The electronic national ID (eID) card will have a “military grade” information-security system, a senior Ministry of the Interior official said yesterday.
The government announced last year that new ID cards that combined existing national ID cards with Citizen Digital Certificates would be launched by October this year.
However, early last month, Department of Household Registration Affairs Director Chang Wan-yi (張琬宜) said that travel restrictions triggered by COVID-19 had made importing the equipment to manufacture the cards difficult, so the rollout would likely be pushed back until next year.
Chang yesterday confirmed that the program has been delayed probably until next year, due to improvements being made to the cards and production issues caused by the pandemic.
The ministry originally estimated the new cards would cost the same as the current national IDs — NT$200 — but production costs have been higher due to the improved security features, she said
While initial cards would be provided free of charge, there are plans to charge a NT$900 fee for replacements for lost cards, because the department has to carry out additional identity checks and other risk-prevention measures since the new cards would carry more sensitive data, she said.
People who need to replace an eIDs due to changes in personal information would have to pay a NT$300 fee, she said.
The costs are still just estimates, and the department would welcome public input, she said.
However, replacing or undating an eID would still be cheaper than other government-issued documents, such as passports or Alien Resident Certificate cards for foreigners, which respectively cost NT$1,300 and NT$1,000 to replace, Chang said.
“The eID will be the most secure type of card issued in the country ... It will be as secure as a classified military document,” she said.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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