Lucas Meyer
Every non-Thai traveler entering Thailand must file the Thailand Digital Arrival Card, known as the TDAC, online before arrival. The card is free, it is filed only on the official Immigration Bureau site at tdac.immigration.go.th, and it must be submitted within the 3 days before arrival, including the arrival day itself. The TDAC replaced the paper TM6 arrival card on 1 May 2025, it applies to arrivals by air, land and sea, and it is not a visa: your visa or visa exemption rules still decide whether you can enter and how long you can stay.
Quick Facts: What Are the TDAC Essentials?
- Who files: Every non-Thai national, including children and infants, on every entry to Thailand
- Where: Only at tdac.immigration.go.th, the official Thai Immigration Bureau site
- Cost: Free. Any site asking for a payment or card details is not the official site
- When: Within 3 days before arrival, including the arrival day. Earlier submissions are not accepted
- Replaced: The paper TM6 arrival card, from 1 May 2025
- Not a visa: The TDAC records your arrival. It does not grant permission to enter
- Confirmation: You receive a confirmation with a QR code to show or keep available at passport control
- Prices checked / Last updated: November 2026
Who Must File the TDAC, and Who Is Exempt?
The rule is deliberately simple. If you travel on a non-Thai passport, you file a TDAC for each entry, whether you arrive on a long-haul flight into Bangkok, a regional flight into Phuket or Chiang Mai, a ferry, or a land border crossing. Children are not an exception: each child, including infants, needs a card filed by a parent or guardian. Thai nationals do not file. Everyone else should assume they do, whatever visa they hold. Travelers arriving on a tourist visa, a Destination Thailand Visa, a work or education visa, or under visa exemption all file the same card, because the TDAC tracks arrival information, not permission.
One practical consequence follows from the per-entry rule. A side trip to a neighboring country resets the process: leave Thailand for a weekend and return, and a fresh TDAC is due for the new entry, filed inside its own 3-day window. If your plans change after filing, file again with the corrected details rather than relying on an outdated confirmation.
When Exactly Does the 3-Day Window Open?
The window is anchored to your arrival date in Thailand, not your departure date, which matters on overnight long-haul flights. If you land on the 10th, the form opens on the 8th, in Thailand time. Submitting earlier is not possible, and there is no advantage in trying: the system only accepts filings inside the window. Most travelers file the day before departure, once flight numbers and the first address in Thailand are fixed. Filing on arrival day is allowed, but airport Wi-Fi, roaming failures and queues make that a poor plan. Set a reminder for 2 days before landing, file then, and screenshot the confirmation while you still have a reliable connection.
What Information Does the Form Ask For?
The form collects the details immigration used to take from the paper card: passport information, personal details, flight or vehicle number, arrival date, the address of your first accommodation in Thailand, and basic health and travel history questions. Have four things open before you start: your passport, your flight confirmation, your first hotel or address booking, and a contact email you can actually access while traveling, because the confirmation is sent by email as well as shown on screen. Enter names exactly as they appear in the passport, character for character. A mismatch between the card and the passport is the most common self-inflicted delay, and it is entirely avoidable with 30 seconds of checking before you press submit.
How Do You Avoid the Fake TDAC Websites?
The TDAC is free, and that single fact is your best defense. Unofficial sites copy the look of the official form and charge a processing fee for a service the Immigration Bureau provides at no cost; Thai authorities have repeatedly warned about them. Check the address bar before entering any data: the only official address is tdac.immigration.go.th, ending in the Thai government domain. If a page asks for card payment, a processing fee, or offers a paid express service, close it. Bookmarks help: save the official site when you book your flights, then use the bookmark inside the filing window instead of searching again under time pressure, when sponsored lookalike results are easiest to click by mistake.
What Happens at Passport Control?
On arrival, the immigration officer works from your passport and the TDAC record attached to it. Keep the QR confirmation reachable, on your phone and ideally as a screenshot or printed copy, until you are through. The TDAC does not replace the normal checks: officers can still ask about onward travel, accommodation and funds, and your stay is stamped under the visa or exemption you qualify for, not under the TDAC. Travelers pairing this arrival with a first stay in the capital will find our first-time Bangkok 3-day itinerary a useful next read, and anyone combining Thailand with a wider Asia trip should note how different each system is: compare the approach in our guide to a first trip to Tokyo, where no equivalent arrival card is filed in advance.
What Are the Most Common TDAC Mistakes?
Four errors account for most TDAC problems. The first is filing on a lookalike site and paying for a free form, covered above. The second is a name or passport number that does not match the passport exactly, often caused by autofill shortening a name or swapping digits. The third is an accommodation address left vague: use the full name and location of your first hotel or residence, taken from your booking confirmation, not a neighborhood name alone. The fourth is filing for the wrong arrival date after an overnight flight crosses midnight, which is why the window is counted from the Thai arrival date. Transit passengers who stay airside should check whether their itinerary involves formally entering Thailand, because separate tickets and baggage recheck can turn a connection into an entry that requires the card. When in doubt, file: a card filed for an entry that turns out to be pure transit costs nothing but a few minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions About the TDAC
Is the TDAC really free?
Yes. The official Immigration Bureau site states that no fee is required. Any charge means you are on an unofficial site.
Can you file the TDAC a week before traveling?
No. The system accepts filings only within 3 days before arrival, including the arrival day. Set a reminder instead of filing early.
Does the TDAC replace a Thai visa?
No. It is an arrival card, not a visa. Visa and exemption rules apply exactly as before, and the card alone does not guarantee entry.
Do children need their own TDAC?
Yes. Every non-Thai national needs a card, including infants and children. A parent or guardian files on the child’s behalf.
What if your flight changes after filing?
File a new card with the updated flight and arrival details inside the new window, and travel with the latest confirmation.
