Thailand Digital Arrival Card — your TDAC, read and filed
The TDAC is the Thailand arrival card every foreign traveller completes before entering the country. It is tied to your passport, it can only be filed in the 72 hours before you arrive, and Thai immigration checks it at the counter. This guide reads every field with you before your Thailand entry form goes in.
Get my Thailand arrival card Who needs it
- 72 h — Your filing window
- Online — Application
- Online — Linked to your passport
What the Thailand Digital Arrival Card is
The entry form, not a visa
The TDAC is the electronic arrival form that replaced the paper card cabin crew used to hand out before landing. Every foreign traveller entering Thailand completes one - by air, by land or by sea - whether arriving for a short trip or a long stay.
It records your passport details, your flight or crossing, your arrival date and where you are staying. Everything on it is tied to your passport, so the details have to match your travel documents exactly.
A passport number with one character wrong, or a flight number that does not match your booking, is the most common reason a traveller is held up at the Thai immigration desk - which is why this guide checks every field with you before your form goes in.
Your TDAC at a glance
Careful review
A careful review of your passport and travel details before filing - every field checked against your documents, character by character.
Fast email delivery
Your completed document is dispatched directly to your inbox as soon as processing finishes - with the QR code immigration reads at the counter.
Apply from any device
Submit the form online from your smartphone, tablet or desktop computer - any hour of the day, from anywhere.
Secure verification
Your details are encrypted and validated through the official system, which complies with Thailand's Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA).
The TDAC at a glance
Figures reflect the rules as published at launch; requirements can change - confirm on the official portal.
The essentials in one grid
What the TDAC is
The Thailand Digital Arrival Card is the electronic arrival form every foreign visitor files before entering Thailand. It replaced the paper card once handed out on planes and at borders. It records your passport details, your flight or border crossing, your arrival date and where you are staying - and immigration officers check it at the counter.
Full explanation »Not a visa
The TDAC is an entry form, not a visa. If your nationality needs a visa, you still need one.
Details »One per entry
Every entry into Thailand needs its own card - a there-and-back trip means two.
Details »Airside transit is exempt
Staying airside and flying straight on? No card needed. Clearing immigration - including changing airports in Bangkok - means you file one.
Details »Digital only
No paper forms: filing is online, and your confirmation arrives by email. Keep a copy on your phone.
How to file »Three principles
Source-linked
Key claims link to the official TDAC portal, the Thai Immigration Bureau and Wikipedia - so you can verify everything yourself.
Zero commerce
No products, no services, no affiliate links. The official arrival card is free; paid third-party services are clearly labelled as such.
Privacy-first
No analytics of our own, no data sale. One local-storage value stores your banner choice. See the Privacy Policy.
All pages
Official sources
- tdac.immigration.go.th - the official Thailand Digital Arrival Card portal; filing is free ("No Fees Required").
- thaievisa.go.th - the official Thailand Electronic Visa portal.
- immigration.go.th - the Royal Thai Police Immigration Bureau.
- mfa.go.th - the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- Visa policy of Thailand - Wikipedia - a well-referenced overview of who needs what.
- Official TDAC manual & FAQ - the Immigration Bureau's own step-by-step guide, including group submission and updating.
- Royal Thai Consulate-General, New York - the official announcement of the TDAC launch on 1 May 2025.
- ThaiLawOnline - TDAC glossary - a licensed Thai law firm's plain-English review of the rules.