The Thailand Digital Arrival Card
Every foreign national arriving in Thailand has to submit one, by air, land or sea, whatever their nationality and whatever their visa. It takes a few minutes, it is free, and the reason you have probably seen a price is that a great many websites will fill it in for you.
The whole point of this page
The TDAC costs nothing.
It is a government form on a government website. Thai Immigration runs it and has published its own warning telling travellers to register only on the official site because it is free and secure. Sites that charge are third parties typing your details into the same free form, and you have handed your passport, your itinerary and your address to a company you did not choose.
The official TDAC site tdac.immigration.go.thThat is the only address. Anything ending in something else, however official the page looks, is not Thai Immigration.
- Cost
- Free
- Who needs one
- Every non-Thai national entering the country
- When
- Within 3 days of arrival, and no earlier
- Mandatory since
- 1 May 2025
- Replaces
- The paper TM6 arrival card
The timing catches people out
The window is three days, and it is a window rather than a deadline. The system will not accept a submission more than 72 hours before you land, so the sensible instinct of getting the admin done a fortnight early does not work here. Set a reminder for three days out.
The other end is generous: you can do it on the day you travel, including at the airport, as long as you have the details with you. If your flight is at dawn, do it the evening before.
What to have in front of you
Four things. Gathering them first turns a fifteen-minute job into a four-minute one.
- 1 Your passport Number, nationality, date of issue and date of expiry. The form will not accept a passport that expires inside your stay.
- 2 Your flight or crossing Flight number and arrival date, or the border crossing if you are coming overland. It has to match what you actually travel on.
- 3 Where you are staying the first night The full address of the hotel or the place you are staying. A booking confirmation has it; a hotel name on its own is usually not enough.
- 4 Countries you have been in recently Part of the health declaration. Have the list to hand rather than guessing at the keyboard.
When you submit, the completed card is emailed to you. You can download or print it as often as you like during the stay. Save a screenshot, because arrivals halls are exactly where roaming data stops working.
Who does not need one
The official guide states the rule as all non-Thai nationals entering the country. The exceptions below are the ones consistently reported by airlines and immigration guidance rather than quoted from the immigration site itself, so treat them as the shape of the rule and check yours if you are close to the line.
- Thai nationals. The card is for foreign nationals.
- Passengers in transit who never clear immigration. Airside the whole way, luggage checked through, no TDAC. Leave the transit area for any reason and you need one.
- Airline crew on duty.
- Border-pass holders crossing on a local pass rather than a passport.
It is not a visa. The official guide says so directly. The TDAC is a declaration of arrival and it does not decide whether you are allowed in. Whether you need a visa is a separate question.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Thailand Digital Arrival Card free?+
Yes. It is free on the official site at https://tdac.immigration.go.th/, which is run by Thai Immigration. Any site charging a fee is a third party filling the same free form on your behalf, and Thai Immigration has published its own warning about them.
When do I have to submit the TDAC?+
Within three days of arriving, and no earlier. The system will not take a submission more than 72 hours ahead, which catches people who try to get it done weeks in advance. Submitting on the day of travel is allowed.
Is the TDAC a visa?+
No, and the official guide says so in as many words. It is an arrival declaration that replaced the paper TM6 card. Whether you need a visa is a separate question and the TDAC does not answer it.
Do I need a TDAC if I am only changing planes in Bangkok?+
Not if you stay airside and never clear immigration. If you leave the transit area for any reason, including changing terminals or collecting and rechecking luggage, you are entering Thailand and you need one.
What happens after I submit it?+
You are emailed the completed arrival card, which you can download or print as many times as you need during your stay. Keep it reachable without a data connection: a screenshot is enough.
Checked against the official Thai Immigration TDAC site and its published guide on 20 August 2026. This is the fastest-moving page on this site: the requirement is fifteen months old and has already changed once. Confirm the current rule on tdac.immigration.go.th before you travel.
More before you go: visas and entry, plugs and power, when to come.