More than 155,000 foreign nationals, mainly Alien Permanent Resident Certificate (APRC) holders and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens, would be eligible to obtain the government’s Quintuple Stimulus Vouchers next month, the National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday.
About 140,000 foreign spouses and 16,000 APRC holders in Taiwan are eligible to claim the NT$5,000 of vouchers that are to be issued to stimulate the economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency said.
Foreign diplomats based in Taiwan are also eligible to receive the vouchers, which are to be issued starting on Oct. 8 and would be valid until April 30 next year, the agency said.
Photo: Wu Chih-lun, Taipei Times
Registration to obtain the digital version of the vouchers would open tomorrow for Taiwanese citizens of all ages and eligible foreign nationals, it said.
The vouchers would also be available as printed coupons and can be preordered on the Web site https://5000.gov.tw or at kiosks at major convenience stores, using the applicant’s National Health Insurance (NHI) card, starting on Sunday, the agency said.
Eligible foreigners who have not yet obtained an NHI card can take their residency certificate to a post office to collect a printed version of the vouchers, starting on Oct. 8, it said.
Foreign spouses, including those from China, whose residency documents are based on investment or employment, can call an NIA service station for help if they encounter any difficulty obtaining their vouchers, it said.
Once informed, the NIA would register them in the system as spouses of Taiwanese citizens so they can claim their vouchers, it added.
Questions about the stimulus voucher program can be directed to the agency through its hotline at 0800-024-111, which provides service in seven languages — Cambodian, Chinese, English, Indonesian, Japanese, Thai and Vietnamese — the agency said.
For Chinese-language services, two other hotlines are also available at 1988 and 1996, it said.
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