The 2026 Lunar New Year has arrived, and many foreigners overseas have returned to Taiwan to visit relatives. A few days ago, a Taiwanese netizen who works in China posted a complaint on Threads. In the past, he could apply for a short-term prepaid card when returning to Taiwan to solve the problem of using the phone during his return to Taiwan. However, this year he was told that he had already applied for one in nine months, so he could not apply! The Taiwanese was furious. He believed that the government ignored the rights of Taiwanese businessmen and Taiwanese who often travel between the two sides in order to prevent fraud. How to use the phone when returning to Taiwan?
How should Taiwanese businessmen and officials who often travel between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait solve the current application control on the number of telecommunications phone numbers? Here is an analysis:
In order to combat fraud, the NCC added a control mechanism for the number of individual (national) phone number applications at the end of last year. As a result, Taiwanese businessmen or Taiwanese officials who returned to Taiwan during the Spring Festival this year complained repeatedly because they frequently returned to Taiwan and were unable to apply for short-term prepaid cards! What should I do if I frequently return to Taiwan but cannot apply for a phone number? The following is a summary video and detailed instructions for solving this problem:
1. Reasons for Taiwanese businessmen to apply for Taiwan trunk telecommunications phone numbers:
Recently, there are netizens who are currently working in mainland China.ThreadsComplaint: “In previous years, when I returned to Taiwan, I could get prepaid cards (traffic cards) divided into 4G and 5G, with 7 days, 10 days, and 15 days. This year, I can’t apply. The telecommunications company said that I had already applied once in December last year, and I would have to wait until 9 months later to apply again. Damn it, who made the rules for this? Taiwanese businessmen who returned to Taiwan from the mainland did it. There are 500,000 to 600,000 workers, a conservative estimate (there are nearly 200,000 Taiwanese in Kunshan, with the largest number in Guangdong and Fujian). How do they use their phones when they go back to Taiwan to celebrate the New Year? Use mainland telecom cards? This is not how you protect yourself from fraud, this is not how you protect yourself from Chinese people, and this is not how you protect yourself from Taiwanese businessmen and Taiwanese!”
In order to strengthen telecommunications fraud and prevent the problem of phone number capitation, the NCC announced the “Guidelines on the Risk Management Mechanism for Telecommunications Services Provided by Telecommunications Enterprises” in September last year. Regarding the restrictions on phone number application, an additional control mechanism for the number of phone number applications for individuals (nationality) was added: starting from December 30, 2020, the total number of phone numbers held by each individual card (nationality) (all application types combined) will be based on the principle of 2, and the monthly application quota control period will be changed to apply for “within 9 months” 1 In principle, if a customer intends to apply for gate 3 or above, the customer must explain the reason and purpose of the application and provide supporting information (such as purchase invoice, entry and exit records, etc.) for the telecommunications operator’s KYC risk review.Since the netizen had already applied for a prepaid card in December last year, according to the latest application guidelines for phone numbers, he will not be able to apply for a prepaid card from the same operator since he returned to Taiwan during the Spring Festival this year within nine months!
2. How should Taiwanese businessmen and officials who frequently travel between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait or come to Taiwan for a short period of time solve the problem of returning calls to Taiwan?
For Taiwanese businessmen and officials who frequently travel between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, if you want to solve the problem of returning calls to Taiwan, it is recommended that you takeChange to another telecommunications provider, provide supporting documents (such as purchase invoice, entry and exit records, etc.) or apply for a regular prepaid cardTo solve it, the instructions are as follows:
A. Change to a prepaid card from another telecom operator:
The current limit on the number of phone numbers in NCC’s “Guidelines for Risk Management Mechanisms for Telecommunications Services Provided by Telecommunications Enterprises” is for the number of phone numbers of a single operator applying for the license number, so it can be circumvented by switching to prepaid cards from other telecommunications operators. In other words, if the station applied for a Chunghwa Telecom prepaid card at the end of last year, it can switch to a prepaid card from another telecom operator (Taiwan Mobile, Far EasTone Telecommunications or 7-11 ibon). becauseThe sightseeing card (prepaid card) solutions for tourists coming to Taiwan launched by Telecom Sanxiong are similar. There is no need to stick to applying for a specific telecom operator.。
If you come to Taiwan for a short period of time, you can refer to the tourist card plan of the telecommunications operator. For details, please visit the official website ( Chunghwa Telecom、Taiwan Big Brother、Far EasTone Telecom)。
2. Provide supporting information (such as purchase invoice, entry and exit records, etc.):
If it is not possible to apply for a specific telecom operator, you can apply for the third door in accordance with the requirements of the telecom operator and provide the purchase invoice, entry and exit records, etc. for the telecom operator to conduct KYC review. However, the application process for this program is quite cumbersome and must be reviewed, and it is usually not possible to apply on the spot. Since travelers returning to Taiwan are unlikely to wait for a long time at the airport to apply, it is more recommended to go to the directly-operated store of the telecom operator you want to apply for after returning home (the franchise store clerk may find it troublesome and make excuses to decline)。
3. Apply for a regular prepaid card:
If you are a Taiwanese businessman or Taiwanese official who needs to travel frequently between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, it is recommended that you apply for a general prepaid card instead of a short-term tourist prepaid card. Generally, prepaid cards can be recharged once every six months to maintain the use of the account number. When returning to Taiwan,Then you can choose the appropriate method based on your needs for stored-value Internet solutions.
Compared with tourist cards for tourists coming to Taiwan, using a general prepaid card can fix the phone number and facilitate contact with relatives and friends in Taiwan. In addition, telecom operators usually launch preferential stored-value plans during special festivals. For Taiwanese people who often return to Taiwan, choosing a general prepaid card should be a more economical choice!
For general prepaid card stored-value plans, please see each official website for details ( Chunghwa Telecom、Taiwan Big Brother、Far EasTone Telecom)。
Source: KOCPC Chinese