Every foreigner entering Thailand by air, land or sea must fill in the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) online, within the three days before arrival. It is free, it takes a few minutes, and the only official website is tdac.immigration.go.th. Any site that asks you to pay for it is not the Thai government.
The TDAC replaced the paper arrival card, the TM.6, on 1 May 2025. It is not a visa and does not give you permission to enter; it is simply the arrival information Thai immigration used to collect on paper. You still need a passport, and either a visa or a nationality that qualifies for visa-exempt entry. This page explains who needs the TDAC, when to submit it, how to fill it in, and how to avoid the copycat sites that charge for it.
TDAC at a glance (as of October 2026)
- Official site
- tdac.immigration.go.th (Immigration Bureau)
- Cost
- Free
- When
- Within 3 days before arrival, including the day of arrival
- Who
- All non-Thai nationals, including children and infants
- Entry by
- Air, land and sea
- Valid for
- One entry; a new TDAC for every trip
- Time needed
- About 3–5 minutes per person, according to the official FAQ
- In force since
- 1 May 2025, replacing the paper TM.6
Who must submit a TDAC, and who does not
The official FAQ is short on exceptions. All non-Thai nationals must submit one before entering Thailand, whatever their visa type: visa-exempt visitors, visa-on-arrival travelers, long-stay visa holders, business travelers, charter and incentive groups, and diplomatic passport holders who are not Thai. Children and infants need their own TDAC.
You do not need one if you are:
- a Thai national;
- a transit or transfer passenger who stays airside and does not pass through Thai immigration (if you leave the airport, you need one);
- on a technical landing or transit flight;
- aircraft crew;
- entering with a Border Pass, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Arriving overland makes no difference: land and sea arrivals need a TDAC too, including at the border posts covered in our guide to crossing from Malaysia. Long-term residents returning to Thailand also file one; TAT's launch notice advised them to choose "Thailand" as their country of residence.
When to submit: the three-day window
The FAQ says the card "should be submitted within 3 days in advance of arriving in Thailand (including the date of arrival)" and that you can submit "up to 72 hours before your entry". TAT's example: if you arrive on 5 May, you can submit from 2 May. You cannot submit a week ahead, and the window is counted from your arrival in Thailand, not your departure from home.
For long-haul travelers this matters. If you leave New York or London on the evening of 1 May and land in Bangkok on 3 May, you can already submit on 1 May before you fly. If your departure is more than three days before arrival, with a stopover for example, submit during the stopover. You can also submit on the day you arrive, on your phone after landing or at a kiosk.
Submit before you board, not in the arrival hall. The TDAC sends its QR code by e-mail, and airport Wi-Fi or a new SIM may not work the moment you land. Filing it at home or at your departure airport means you queue once, at immigration, instead of twice.
How to fill in the TDAC, step by step
The official TDAC user guide describes the process in a few screens. Have your passport, flight number and hotel address ready first, because you cannot save a half-finished form and come back later.
- Open the official site at tdac.immigration.go.th and choose to submit an arrival card.
- Personal details: enter your passport information. You can scan or upload the machine-readable zone (MRZ) of your passport to fill this in automatically; check the result.
- Trip and accommodation: your flight or vehicle details, arrival date, purpose of travel and your address in Thailand (usually the first hotel).
- Health declaration: the Ministry of Public Health's questions. Extra questions appear only if a country you visited in the two weeks before arrival, your boarding country, your nationality or your flight is on the ministry's list.
- Review everything and correct it with the Edit button.
- E-mail address: enter the address where the TDAC should be sent, accept the terms and submit.
- Download the card with its QR code. You do not have to print it; showing it on your phone is enough, though the FAQ suggests a printed copy if you will not have a device.
All details must be entered in English (Latin letters). The platform is offered in several languages, including Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Russian, according to the FAQ. A family or group can submit up to 10 travelers in one go, with a "same as previous traveler" option for the shared trip details.
Changing a TDAC after you submit it
Plans change. Use "Update Arrival Card" on the official site to correct details before you enter Thailand. Everything can be updated except your full name, passport number, nationality and date of birth. If one of those is wrong, submit a new TDAC with the correct details; the system treats the most recent submission as the valid one. If you change hotels or flights, update the card before you arrive.
The FAQ also warns that the system sends no reminders before your trip, and that passengers who give incorrect information "may be denied entry based on immigration discretion". If the e-mail with the QR code never arrives, talk to the immigration officer at the checkpoint.
Fake TDAC websites: how to spot them
On 29 March 2026 the Immigration Bureau's spokesperson, Pol. Maj. Gen. Choengron Rimpadee, said that at least 10 percent of foreign arrivals had registered through fraudulent TDAC websites, according to a report in Khaosod English. These sites are not linked to the government, some charge a fee, and the data you enter there never reaches the immigration system, so you may arrive without a valid TDAC. The bureau also warned that the data can be misused and that some fake sites pretend to offer e-visas.
Copycat sites often appear at the top of search results, use the words "official" or "Thailand Arrival Card" and look professional. Simple checks protect you:
- Check the address. The real site is tdac.immigration.go.th. Thai government sites end in .go.th. A .com, .org, .online or any other ending is not the government.
- Any payment request is a warning sign. The official site's own title reads "No Fees Required". A "processing fee", "service fee" or "express handling" means you are on the wrong site.
- Type the address yourself, or follow the link from the Immigration Bureau's main site (immigration.go.th), rather than clicking an advert.
The FAQ does say that travel agencies may submit a TDAC for their clients if authorized. A tour operator you already booked with may do this, but it is a service, not a government fee, and you can always do it yourself for nothing.
If you paid a TDAC website, file a real one at once. A paid copycat registration is not in the immigration system. Submit a new TDAC on tdac.immigration.go.th, then contact your card issuer about the charge. Change any password you reused on the fake site.
No internet? Kiosks at five airports
If you cannot submit in advance, the FAQ lists TDAC kiosks at five airports: Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Hat Yai, with Wi-Fi provided on arrival. Kiosk users receive the QR code by e-mail and can photograph it from the screen. TAT describes the help points at immigration checkpoints as being "for exceptional circumstances only", so do not rely on them at a busy land border. Our guide to Thailand's airports covers the main arrival points. A local SIM or eSIM bought before you fly solves most of these problems; see our comparison of SIM cards and eSIMs in Thailand.
The THIM app does not replace the TDAC
In June 2026 the Immigration Bureau opened a pilot of a new app, Thailand Immigration Management (THIM), for iOS and Android. TAT stresses that it is optional, that it "is not an additional arrival-card requirement and does not replace TDAC at this stage", and that travelers should continue to complete the TDAC. You may use the app for TDAC-linked registration if you wish, but the website remains the standard route.
After arrival, the address you gave is only part of the picture: hotels also register foreign guests with immigration, which is why they ask for your passport (see do hotels in Thailand need your passport?). For longer stays and visa options, our older overview of visas and retirement in Thailand is a starting point, and our guide to Thai customs allowances covers what you may bring in.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Thailand Digital Arrival Card free?
Yes. The TDAC is free of charge on the official Immigration Bureau site, tdac.immigration.go.th, whose own title reads "No Fees Required". Sites that charge a processing or service fee are not government sites, and registrations made there do not reach Thai immigration.
How many days before arrival can I submit the TDAC?
Up to three days before your arrival in Thailand, including the arrival day itself. If you arrive on 5 May, the earliest you can submit is 2 May. You can also submit on the day you arrive, online or at a kiosk at five major airports.
Do transit passengers need a TDAC?
Not if you stay airside and do not pass through Thai immigration. If you leave the airport, for example on a long layover in Bangkok or to change between Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang, you must pass immigration and therefore need a TDAC.
Do children need their own TDAC?
Yes. The official FAQ says all travelers, including infants and children, need a TDAC. A parent can submit for the whole family in one group submission of up to 10 travelers, and each person receives their own card.
Can I change my TDAC after submitting it?
Yes, with "Update Arrival Card" on the official site, before you enter Thailand. You cannot change your full name, passport number, nationality or date of birth; for those, submit a new TDAC. The most recent submission is the valid one.
Sources
- Immigration Bureau – TDAC facts and questions (checked October 2026)
- Immigration Bureau – TDAC user guide (checked October 2026)
- Immigration Bureau – Official Thailand Digital Arrival Card (checked October 2026)
- Tourism Authority of Thailand – Thailand Digital Arrival Card system set to launch on 1 May 2025 (checked October 2026)
- Khaosod English – 10% of foreign arrivals used fake TDAC sites, immigration warns (checked October 2026)
- Tourism Authority of Thailand – Thailand Immigration Management application introduced (checked October 2026)
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office – Thailand entry requirements (checked October 2026)