BANGKOK, THAILAND – Thailand replaced its paper arrival card with a mandatory digital pre-registration system for all non-Thai visitors, raising the stakes for travelers who fail to register in time.
What the TDAC is and who must complete it
Since 1 May 2025, the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) has been compulsory for all non-Thai nationals entering the country by air, sea or land. The online form has fully replaced the old TM6 paper card that was previously handed out on flights.
The TDAC must be completed free of charge on tdac.immigration.go.th, no earlier than 72 hours before arrival in Thailand. After submitting the form, travelers receive a confirmation email with a QR code that is shown at passport control.
The digital card is not a visa and not an entry permit. It is a data collection document for the Thai immigration authority and is required regardless of how travelers enter the country.
Only transit passengers who do not pass through immigration and holders of a border pass are exempt. All others – tourists, business travelers and long-term residents with visas – must fill in a new TDAC for every single entry.
The 72-hour window before arrival
The online portal opens the registration window at the earliest 72 hours before the planned arrival in Thailand. Attempts to submit the form earlier result in an error message.
The deadline refers to the time of arrival in Thailand, not to the departure time abroad. For example, passengers landing in Bangkok on a Thursday evening could only start registration on the previous Monday.
Travelers with long-haul flights and stopovers are advised to count backwards from the scheduled arrival time in Thailand. The recommendation was to complete the form one to two days before departure, at home on a computer with a stable internet connection.
How the registration works
The only official platform is tdac.immigration.go.th, where the form is available in English in a clear layout. Users can activate a browser translation function if needed.
Before starting, travelers should have their passport details, flight number and arrival date, the full address of the first accommodation in Thailand and a valid email address. Passengers arriving from countries with a yellow fever risk also need a vaccination certificate.
On the start page, applicants can choose between an individual registration and a group registration. Groups of up to ten people can be registered in one process, after which the system sends an email with a QR code that can be stored on a phone or printed out.
Data corrections and limits
Once the TDAC has been submitted, name, passport number and date of birth are locked. Any errors in these fields require a completely new registration.
By contrast, the flight number, accommodation details and arrival date can still be corrected later, but only up to one day before entry into Thailand. On the actual day of arrival, no further changes are possible in the system.
Health declaration and special entry cases
The TDAC form has included a health declaration since 2025. Travelers must list which countries they visited in the previous 14 days and confirm whether they have symptoms such as fever, cough or skin rash.
These health details are evaluated jointly by the immigration authority and the Ministry of Public Health. The information is used to identify passengers who may require further checks.
Anyone arriving from a country on Thailand’s official yellow fever risk list – covering parts of Africa and South America – is automatically flagged by the system. In such cases, travelers must present proof of vaccination at a health checkpoint before passport control.
Those who cannot present this proof on arrival may not be able to proceed quickly through the entry process, even with a valid TDAC. Additional waiting times and checks are then possible.
Warning about third-party websites
Numerous commercial websites have appeared in search results, offering to process the TDAC for fees ranging from 8 to 25 US dollars. These providers are not authorized.
The official registration via tdac.immigration.go.th is free and typically takes about five minutes. Paid services do not offer an officially recognized shortcut or faster processing.
Fraudulent pages can often be recognized by phrases such as “official partner” or “faster processing”, or by immediately redirecting users to a payment page. Entering passport data on such sites carries a risk of data misuse.
The safest option is to type the official URL directly into the browser address bar instead of clicking on search engine results. This reduces the risk of landing on imitation pages.
Long-term residents and repeated entries
Foreigners living in Thailand with long-term visas such as Non-OA or Non-O must also complete the TDAC for every re-entry. This applies even after short trips abroad, for example for medical appointments or family visits.
The TDAC is therefore linked to each border crossing, not to a one-off registration. A long-term visa does not remove the obligation to submit the digital arrival card.
For residents who, for instance, live in Chiang Mai at age 65 and fly to Europe twice a year, each return trip requires a separate TDAC. According to the guidance, the process usually becomes quicker after the first attempt because address details are memorized and fields are familiar.
Those who need help can have relatives complete the online form or turn to local visa advisory offices. Third parties are allowed to submit the data as long as it matches the information in the passport.
If travelers forget the TDAC
Passengers arriving without a completed TDAC were not automatically turned away. Major airports such as Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Hat Yai have kiosk terminals and staff to help with on-the-spot registration.
However, travelers must expect waiting times of 30 to 60 minutes or more at these kiosks. This can put significant pressure on those with tight onward connections or traveling with waiting tour groups.
Some airlines already checked for a valid TDAC confirmation at check-in in Europe. In individual cases, passengers without proof could be refused boarding at the departure counter.
Families, groups and older passengers
People with little experience using online forms can ask family members or a travel agency to complete the TDAC on their behalf. This is explicitly permitted, provided that the data exactly matches the passport.
Families and travel groups can register up to ten people in one go using the group function. Each person still receives their own QR code as part of the confirmation.
Frequent visitors who fly to Thailand several times a year often find that the second registration takes under three minutes. A simple screenshot of the QR code stored in the phone’s photo gallery is sufficient as proof at the border.
Practical advice for smooth entry
Travelers are advised to complete the TDAC at home on a computer rather than on airport Wi-Fi. Passport numbers and dates should be taken directly from the document, not from memory.
The QR code should be saved as a screenshot and also printed out. This double backup is meant to prevent problems if a phone battery runs out or systems at the airport react slowly.
Passengers arriving via a stopover should enter the last departure airport before Thailand as their point of origin. This applies regardless of where the journey initially began.
What travelers should do now
The TDAC has been described as a five-minute procedure rather than a major bureaucratic hurdle, provided it is completed at the right time. The registration window opens at the earliest 72 hours before arrival in Thailand.
Authorities recommended treating the TDAC as a fixed step in travel preparation, similar to online check-in or printing booking confirmations. Those who do so should not face problems at the airport.
The only official address is tdac.immigration.go.th, with no app and no additional registration required. Users are advised to save the QR code both digitally and on paper once the process is complete.
Editorial notes stated that the information reflected the status as of April 2026. Entry rules can change at short notice, and travelers were urged to check current guidance from Thai embassies or their own foreign ministries before departure.