The Macao Economic and Trade Delegation in Lisbon now makes it easier for elderly Macao people living in or around the Portuguese capital to prove that they are still alive and thus eligible for Macao government benefits.

The delegation issued on Tuesday a written statement announcing that from this month onward it will send staff to visit the homes in and around Lisbon of elderly Macao people that have trouble getting around, and that it will give out its email address and telephone number.

The delegation says it began last year teaching people with the right to reside in Macao but living in Portugal how to apply for proof-of-life documents by using a mobile phone application devised by the Macao Public Administration and Civil Service Bureau.

The delegation has helped hundreds of Macao people living in Portugal to prove to Macao government departments that they are still alive, and so claim benefits, according to its statement.