Until 2025, you filled in Thailand's arrival card on the plane with a borrowed pen. That paper form is gone. Foreign visitors now submit a Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) online before they travel, and some are still finding out at the check-in desk.
It is a short, free form. The two things that go wrong are submitting at the wrong time, and paying a website that should not be charging you.
The short version
| Question | Answer |
|---|
|----------|--------|
| Who needs it | Foreign nationals entering Thailand by air, land or sea |
|---|---|
| When | Within the 3 days before you arrive |
| Where | The official Thai immigration TDAC website |
| Cost | Free |
| How long it takes | About 10 minutes |
| What you get | A confirmation (with a QR code) to show if asked |
| Is it a visa? | No |
What the form asks
Have these ready before you start:
- Passport details — number, nationality, expiry date
- Arrival details — date, flight number or border crossing, where you are travelling from
- Where you are staying — the address of your first night's hotel or accommodation
- Departure details if you have them
- A short health declaration — the countries you have been in recently
The accommodation address is the part people get stuck on. Use your first night's booking; you do not need to list everywhere you will stay.
When to submit it
The TDAC opens three days before your arrival date. Submitting earlier is not possible, and leaving it until you are standing at immigration is stressful on airport Wi-Fi. The easy moment is the evening before your flight, once your flight number and hotel are fixed.
If your plans change after submitting — a new flight, a new hotel — you can update the card on the same site.
The fake TDAC websites
Search for "Thailand arrival card" and you will find sites that look official, ask the same questions, and then charge a fee to "process" your application. Some are simply reselling a free government form; others are worse.
- The official form is free. If a site asks for card details, you are on the wrong site.
- Get to it from the Thai immigration bureau or the Thai embassy website in your country, rather than from an advert.
- Nobody at Thai immigration will ask whether you paid an agent.
TDAC is not a visa
This catches people out in both directions. Filling in the TDAC does not give you permission to stay; your passport does, or a visa does.
Thailand lets many nationalities enter without a visa for a set number of days, and it has changed both the list of countries and the number of days more than once in recent years. Check your own passport's current rules with the Thai embassy or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before booking, especially if you plan a long stay. The first-time Bangkok guide covers the rest of the pre-trip checklist.
Layovers and land crossings
- Airside transit — connecting to another flight without passing Thai immigration usually does not need a TDAC.
- Leaving the airport on a layover — that is entering Thailand, so you need one. The Bangkok layover guide explains what a long connection can fit in.
- Arriving overland from Malaysia, Laos or Cambodia — the TDAC applies to land crossings too.
After you land
Immigration may scan your TDAC confirmation or simply check your passport. Keep the confirmation on your phone and as a screenshot, in case you have no signal in the hall. From there, the airport to city centre guide covers getting into Bangkok without the taxi-queue mark-up.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Thailand Digital Arrival Card?
The TDAC is the online version of the paper arrival card (the old TM6) that foreign visitors used to fill in on the plane. Since May 2025 foreign nationals entering Thailand submit it online before travel instead. It is not a visa: it records who is arriving, how, and where they will stay.When do I have to submit the TDAC?
Within the three days before you arrive in Thailand. You cannot submit it weeks in advance. Many travellers do it the evening before their flight, when their accommodation address and flight number are certain.Does the TDAC cost money?
No. The official TDAC is free on the Thai immigration website. Several look-alike websites charge a 'processing fee' to submit it for you. You do not need them, and they are the most common way people lose money over this form.Do I still need a visa if I have filled in the TDAC?
The TDAC does not replace a visa. Whether you need one depends on your passport: many nationalities can enter Thailand visa-free for a set number of days, and Thailand has changed that list and the length of stay more than once. Check your own passport's current rules with the Thai embassy or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before you fly.Do I need the TDAC if I'm only transiting through Bangkok?
If you stay airside and connect to another flight without passing through Thai immigration, you generally do not. If you leave the airport — even for a few hours on a long layover — you are entering Thailand and need one. Check with your airline if your connection is unusual.
