Short answer
The Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) is a free online form that every non-Thai visitor must complete before entering Thailand by air, land or sea. The Immigration Bureau says to submit it within 3 days before arrival, counting the day you land, on its own site, tdac.immigration.go.th. It takes about 3 to 5 minutes per person, children need their own card, and each card is valid for one entry. It is not a visa, and nobody should charge you for it.
The TDAC is a free online form for every foreign visitor
The Thailand Digital Arrival Card replaces the paper arrival card. A Royal Thai Consulate-General explained in April 2025 that, from 1 May 2025, all non-Thai nationals entering Thailand must complete the TDAC online before they arrive, whether they come by land, sea or air and whether or not they need a visa. The Immigration Bureau's own user guide says the same: it applies to every non-Thai national entering the kingdom.
It is not a visa. The guide says so in plain words, and the Royal Thai Embassy in London adds that the card cannot be used in place of a visa and that the visa-exemption rules are unchanged by it. Submission is free of charge. If you are not sure how long your passport lets you stay without a visa, read our guide to Thailand's visa exemption rules first.
When to fill it in: within 3 days before you land
The Immigration Bureau's FAQ says the card should be submitted within 3 days in advance of arriving in Thailand, including the date of arrival. The same page says a card is valid from the moment you submit it until you arrive, and describes the window as up to 72 hours before entry. It also says the system sends no reminders and no alerts, so put the date in your own calendar.
You do not have to finish it at home. The FAQ says travellers without a smartphone or internet can use kiosks and Wi-Fi after landing, and lists kiosks at five airports: Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Hat Yai. But the Bureau also says that completing the card in advance helps immigration go faster, so filing it before you fly is the easier choice.
What you need to have ready
The FAQ lists what the form asks for: passport details, your flight number and arrival date, your address in Thailand, the purpose of travel, health declaration information and an email address for receiving the card. The user guide says everything must be entered in English, and that you can scan the machine-readable lines of your passport, or upload a picture of them, to fill in the passport details automatically. Check them again after scanning.
The health section is not for everyone. According to the guide, the system asks for health information only if the country you visited in the two weeks before arrival, the country you boarded in, your nationality or your flight is on the list kept by Thailand's Ministry of Public Health. The form cannot be saved half-finished, so gather your booking confirmations first and do it in one sitting.
Families, children and groups
Every traveller needs a card, including babies and children, says the FAQ. One person can complete it for the others: it confirms that you may submit for family members, children or group travellers, and that tour leaders and authorised agents can do so too. A single submission can hold up to 10 travellers; if the trip details are the same, the guide lets you pick "Same as Previous Traveler" instead of typing them again.
A family card is still one entry per person. Each traveller's passport details go in separately, and the confirmation is sent to the email address you give. Anyone who is just changing planes and does not pass through immigration does not need a TDAC, according to the FAQ; if you leave the airport, you do.
Mistakes to avoid, and how to fix them
The first mistake is paying on a look-alike site. The Royal Thai Embassy in London says the card is free, tells travellers to use only the Immigration Bureau's official website and warns of fraudulent attempts: do not pay if you are asked to. The second is reusing an old card. The FAQ says a TDAC is valid for one entry on the expected arrival date, so a new one is needed every time you enter Thailand.
Errors can be fixed. The "Update Arrival Card" function lets you change details before you travel, but the guide says your full name, nationality and date of birth cannot be updated. In that case the FAQ advises submitting a new form: the system treats the latest valid submission as the one that counts. The FAQ warns that wrong information can lead to refused entry at the immigration officer's discretion.
At the airport: the email, the QR code and the automated gate
After you submit, the system emails you the card with a QR code. The FAQ says you do not need to print it: download it, or open it from the email, and show it on your phone. If you have no device with you, a printed copy is a good idea. If no email arrives, speak to the immigration officer at the checkpoint. A kiosk does not print the QR code; the FAQ says to photograph it.
In its release of 15 October 2026 the Bureau changed the email. After a submission or an update it now says whether you may use the Auto Border Control gate: "AUTOMATED BORDER CONTROL - ELIGIBLE" in green, or "IMMIGRATION COUNTER - MANUAL PROCESSING", which means you go to the normal counter. Read that line before you land so you know which queue to join.
Filing the card before a Phuket tour
The card asks where you will stay, so have your hotel booking open when you fill it in. If you are joining our Phi Phi and Maya Bay speedboat tour, the Phuket hotel you give us is the one where the minibus collects you, between about 7:00 and 8:30 am; we confirm the exact time the day before. The tour is from $75 per person.
The card does not change anything about the day itself. The route is in our Phi Phi travel guide and the times and packing list are in the tour schedule. For the other small jobs before you fly, a Thai SIM and some cash for the park fee, see our guides to SIM cards and eSIMs and to ATM fees and cash.
Practical checklist
- Type the address of the Immigration Bureau's TDAC site yourself, and do not pay if a site asks for money.
- File the card within 3 days before arrival, counting the day you land, and set your own reminder.
- Have passports, flight numbers and your hotel address ready, and type everything in English.
- Make one card for each traveller, children included; a group form takes up to 10 people.
- Save the confirmation email and QR code on your phone, and read whether it says gate or counter.
Questions and answers
How much does the Thailand digital arrival card cost?
Nothing. The Immigration Bureau's site and the Royal Thai Embassy in London both say it is free of charge. The embassy warns that fraudulent sites exist and tells travellers not to pay if they are asked to.
How early can you submit the TDAC?
The Immigration Bureau says to submit it within 3 days before your arrival date, including the arrival day itself. It describes the card as valid from submission until you arrive, and it sends no reminders.
Do children and babies need a TDAC?
Yes. The Immigration Bureau's FAQ says all travellers, including infants and children, need one. A parent or another traveller can fill it in for them, and a group submission can hold up to 10 people.
Can you use the same TDAC for a second trip?
No. The FAQ says a card is valid for one entry on the expected arrival date, so you submit a new one every time you enter Thailand, even if the trips are close together.
What if your flight or hotel changes after you submit?
Update the card before you enter Thailand. The guide lets you edit most details, but not full name, nationality or date of birth; for those, submit a new form, and the latest valid one is used.
Do you need the TDAC if you are only changing planes in Bangkok?
Not if you do not pass through immigration. The FAQ says transit passengers who stay airside do not need one, but anyone who leaves the airport does.