The Thailand Digital Arrival Card: the free form, the rules, the traps.
The TDAC does not decide how long you may stay. Since 15 September 2026 the visa exemption gives 30 days for tourism (the FCDO's words for British passports, read 16 September 2026); the country list, the transition rule for earlier arrivals and the extension option are in our visa exemption guide.
Who needs it, and who is exempt
The official manual's scope is all non-Thai nationals arriving by air, land or sea, infants included, every entry. The exemptions it lists: airline and ship crew, travellers transiting without passing through immigration, and people entering on a Border Pass. The TDAC replaced the TM6 paper card in May 2025: instead of a form filled in on the plane, you enter your details online before you travel and receive a QR code by email. At immigration you present your passport, and can show the QR if asked.
How to do it in five minutes
- Timing: within 3 days of arrival, counting the arrival day. Landing on a Friday? Wednesday onward. The official FAQ also puts the window as 72 hours, so do not cut it fine either way; it belongs with your online check-in, not on booking day.
- Go to tdac.immigration.go.th: type it, don't search for it.
- Have ready: your passport, your arrival flight or vehicle number and date, the name and address of where you sleep the first night (copy it from the booking), the purpose of your visit, the countries you were in during the two weeks before arrival (they decide whether health questions appear), and an email address for the confirmation. The form is filled in English.
- A family or group: one session covers up to 10 travellers, and a "Same as Previous Traveler" shortcut copies the shared flight and hotel details. Enter each person's details.
- Health questions appear only when something triggers them: a country you visited in the two weeks before arrival, your boarding country, your nationality or your flight is on the Ministry of Public Health's list. If nothing is, the section does not appear.
- Save the QR from the confirmation email: screenshot it, and print it if you like paper. No smartphone at all? Airports have kiosks and free Wi-Fi at arrival, but doing it from your hotel two days early beats doing it jet-lagged in a queue.
- Made a mistake? Use the site's "Update Arrival Card" function first. Which fields it lets you change is stated inconsistently in the official material (the manual locks full name, nationality and date of birth; the FAQ adds the passport number; a change note says editing was widened), so if Update will not take the correction, submit a fresh card: the latest submission is the one that counts.
Common edge cases, answered
Land borders from Malaysia, Laos or Cambodia? Same requirement, same site, same window; the Border Pass is the one exemption, and it applies to border-pass holders, not to tourists on a passport. Leaving and re-entering? Every entry needs a fresh TDAC. The confirmation has not arrived? Check the spam folder and the email address you typed, then use the site's own help before you resubmit. Used a paid site already? Check that you received a TDAC confirmation. An authorised agent may submit for you, but if you have no valid submission, do it on the official site, free, before you fly.
The copycat sites
Lookalike websites charge to "process" a form the government issues free. A fee does not by itself prove fraud (an authorised agent may charge for help), but a site that is not tdac.immigration.go.th, a .go.th government address, is not the system, and a submission made elsewhere may never reach it, which means you land with nothing after handing your passport details to strangers. The pattern is the same each time: ads bought against "Thailand arrival card", an official-looking page, an address like "thailand-tdac-online". If a TDAC page shows a price and is not the official one, close the tab.
The immigration app does not replace this
In mid-2026 Thailand began piloting a mobile app called THIM (Thailand Immigration Management), and posts circulated that it replaces the arrival card, or that it became mandatory in August. As of our read on 16 September 2026, the official TDAC manual, FAQ and 2026 change notes (published through 13 August) say nothing of the kind, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand said on 11 June that travellers "should continue to complete the Thailand Digital Arrival Card" and that THIM "does not replace TDAC at this stage". So: the card on the website is the requirement. If that changes we will rewrite this section the week it does.
Questions people ask
Is the Thailand Digital Arrival Card free?
Yes. Government submission is free, and the only official place to submit it is tdac.immigration.go.th, run by Thai Immigration. Lookalike sites charge to process the same form; a fee does not by itself prove fraud, but a site that is not the official one is not the system, and a submission made elsewhere may never reach it.
When should I submit the TDAC?
Within 3 days before you arrive in Thailand, counting your arrival date: for a Friday arrival, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. The official FAQ also describes the window as 72 hours, so do not cut it fine. It belongs on your final-days checklist, not your booking-day one.
Do children and babies need a TDAC?
Yes. Every non-Thai traveller needs one, including infants and children. A parent can submit for the whole family in one session (up to 10 travellers), entering each person's details.
Who is exempt from the TDAC?
The official manual lists three exemptions: airline and ship crew, travellers transiting without passing through immigration, and people entering on a Border Pass. Everyone else needs it for every entry by air, land or sea.
What do I need to fill in the TDAC?
Your passport and personal details, your arrival flight or vehicle and date, the address where you sleep the first night, the purpose of your visit, the countries you were in during the two weeks before arrival (they decide whether health questions appear) and an email address for the confirmation. The form is filled in English. Health questions appear only when a country you visited, your boarding country, your nationality or your flight is on the Ministry of Public Health's list.
Can I fix a mistake on my TDAC?
Use the site's Update Arrival Card function first. The official material is inconsistent about which fields are locked (the manual names full name, nationality and date of birth; the FAQ adds the passport number; a change note says editing was widened), so if Update will not take the correction, submit a fresh TDAC: the latest submission is the one that counts.
Does Thailand's THIM app replace the TDAC?
Not as of 16 September 2026. The official TDAC manual, FAQ and 2026 change notes say nothing about the app replacing the card, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand said on 11 June 2026 that it does not replace the TDAC at this stage. Submit the card at tdac.immigration.go.th as usual.
The TDAC is one line on a longer runway.
Book-by dates, entry admin, cash planning, rain plans: the planner tracks the whole countdown to wheels-up, not just the itinerary, and it is free.
Build my route →