Thailand Digital Arrival Card

What the arrival card is

It's the free online form that replaced the paper arrival card on 1 May 2025, and every non-Thai visitor files one before entry.

Everyone who isn't Thai, arriving by air, land or sea, must complete it online before they arrive.

It asks for your passport details, your flight, where you're staying and a short health declaration. It takes about 3 to 5 minutes a person.

The TDAC is not a Thailand visa. It's the arrival registration; your right to stay comes from the visa rules below.

File it once you have your flight and first hotel booked.

Ask Tanner to send the group the official link the night before.

How to file it

File the Thailand Digital Arrival Card at tdac.immigration.go.th, the Immigration Bureau's own site, or in its THIM app. It costs nothing.

• Open the official site and choose Arrival Card.
• Enter your passport details, or scan the passport's machine-readable line.
• Add your flight into Thailand and your first night's address.
• Answer the health questions.
• Check every field, add your email and submit.
• Download the PDF with the QR code.

You don't need to print it. Show the QR code on your phone at the immigration desk.

The common mistakes are small ones. Type your name exactly as the passport's machine-readable line shows it, and enter the flight that lands in Thailand, not your first flight from home.

The official THIM app files the same card, with a passport scan that fills in your details.

Pick the site or the app, not both, and file once.

Ask Tanner to check everyone has a QR code before the flight.

How early can I fill out the TDAC?

You can fill out the TDAC up to 3 days before you arrive, counting the arrival day itself, the official TDAC FAQ says.

Landing on the 10th, you can file from the 8th.

There's no last-minute cut-off, and kiosks with Wi-Fi wait at Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Hat Yai airports.

Ask Tanner to time the car to your landing.

Is it free?

Yes, it's free on the official site and in the THIM app.

Lookalike sites charge a fee to process the same free form.

The official address ends in .go.th and never asks for a card number. If a site asks you to pay, close it and go to tdac.immigration.go.th.

Filing for the whole group

One person can file for the group, up to 10 travellers in one submission, and each person gets their own QR code.

A tour leader or agent can file for the whole group, and every traveller on a charter or incentive trip needs a card.

Each person should have their own QR code on their own phone before the desk. One phone with 12 codes slows the whole line.

Send everyone's passport details to one person two days before the flight, and file the group in one sitting.

Ask Tanner to collect everyone's details.

What you need at the desk

To enter Thailand in 2026 you need a passport with at least 6 months left, a TDAC, a visa or visa exemption, and proof you're leaving.

Your passport must have at least 6 months left after the day you arrive, with at least 1 blank page.

The UK FCDO says officers can ask to see proof of funds and an onward or return ticket.

Keep your return flight and a card with money on it ready at the desk.

Do you really need 20,000 baht?

No, a single traveller needs proof of ฿10,000; the ฿20,000 figure is for a family, the UK FCDO says.

Be ready to show it. A bank card and a recent statement on your phone are the easy answer.

Bring enough to show for each person in the group.

How long you can stay

You can stay in Thailand for up to 30 days without a visa if your passport is on the exemption list, the rule since 15 September 2026, as the UK FCDO's entry advice confirms (checked October 2026).

The new 30-day exemption replaced the old 60-day one for travellers from 60 countries and territories, TAT News confirms (checked November 2026).

The list includes the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, every EU country, Japan, Singapore, India, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.

Land-border entries on the exemption are limited to twice a calendar year, except for travellers from Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Singapore. Check your passport is on the list before you book.

Is it a visa on arrival?

No, the TDAC is not a visa on arrival; it's an arrival form, and everyone files one whatever their visa.

Since 15 September 2026, visa on arrival is only for passports from Azerbaijan, Belarus and Serbia.

The TDAC works with every visa type, including visa on arrival and visa-exempt entries.

If your passport isn't on the 30-day list, apply for a visa before you fly.

Staying longer than 30 days

Yes. The UK FCDO says eligible travellers can apply to Thai immigration for an extension before their permission to stay runs out.

The officer decides, so it isn't guaranteed. Apply a few days before your stay ends, or get the right visa before you fly.

Overstaying costs ฿500 a day, up to ฿20,000, the UK FCDO says, and can mean a ban of up to 10 years on coming back.

Ask Tanner to fit the whole trip inside 30 days.

What to know before your flight

Your flight goes smoothly when the TDAC, the passport and the bags all match the rules.

The TDAC's "country where you boarded" means the last airport before Thailand, so connecting through Doha, it's Qatar.

A transit passenger who stays airside doesn't need a TDAC. Leave the airport and you need one.

Vapes are illegal to bring into Thailand, buy or sell here, the Thai government says (checked October 2026), and the UK FCDO says you can bring no more than 200 cigarettes a person.

Leave the vape at home.

The best way to land

Land with the TDAC filed, the QR code on your phone and a car already waiting for the group.

Immigration at the big airports takes as long as the queue. A driver who holds the arrival time means nobody hunts for a taxi with the bags.

A luxury van for up to 4 starts from ฿6,500 for 10 hours, and a party van takes up to 10.

See how it works on our Bangkok airport transfer and Phuket airport transfer pages.

Ask Tanner, and the van's at arrivals.

When to file it

File it the evening before your flight, inside the 3-day window.

Earlier, and the form won't take the date. At the immigration desk, it works, but the queue forms behind you.

If your flight or hotel changes, use Update Arrival Card on the official site. Your name, passport number, nationality and date of birth can't be changed; for those, file a new card.

Set a reminder for the night before you fly, because the TDAC system sends no reminders.

From the arrival card to the first evening

Then plan the arrival itself: the car at the gate, the hotel or villa, and the first party.

Our VIP transport page shows how the cars work, and Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya walk you through the first evening.

Plan it with Tanner; he has the car waiting when you clear immigration.

The checklist

The quick version is in the checklist above; the details are below.

• TDAC: free, online at tdac.immigration.go.th or the THIM app
• When: within 3 days before arrival, arrival day included
• Groups: up to 10 travellers per submission; 12 people file twice
• Visa-free stay: up to 30 days for 60 countries since 15 September 2026
• Visa on arrival: Azerbaijan, Belarus and Serbia only
• Extension: apply to Thai immigration before your stay ends
• Overstay: ฿500 a day, up to ฿20,000

Thailand Digital Arrival Card in short

• What it is: the free online arrival form that replaced the paper TM6 card on 1 May 2025.

• Every non-Thai visitor files one, arriving by air, land or sea.
• File it within the 3 days before you land, at tdac.immigration.go.th or in the THIM app.
• One person can file for up to 10 travellers at once, and each gets a QR code.
• It isn't a visa: most visitors then stay up to 30 days visa-free. See getting around Thailand.

Checked November 2026.