(ECNS) – China will pilot a new electronic version of the Mainland Travel Permit (MTP) for Taiwanese Residents from July 6.
The new simplified electronic MTP omits the need for stamps when travelers move through Customs. Instead, an embedded electronic chip checks personal information against an official database. The new version will also be safer as it uses upgraded digital anti-fraud security technology.
Each MTP holder is granted their own unique eight-digit serial number, which will last them a lifetime.
Zheng Baigang, the chief of the Bureau of Exit and Entry Administration of the Ministry of Public Security, says holders of an old five-year MTP can keep their serial numbers in the new version.
Old MTPs are still viable as long as they have not yet expired; however, holders could instead apply to change to a new electronic MTP at the pilot scheme's offices.
Since 1992, mainland public security departments have issued over 17 million MTPs to promote interaction with Taiwan.
