Thailand Digital Arrival Card: Submission and Exemptions 2026

The Thailand Digital Arrival Card is an electronic form (TDAC) that replaced the paper TM.6 arrival card. It is submitted for free on the official government portal. As of November 2026, the Immigration Bureau’s official FAQ gives the deadline as within 3 days before arrival, including the day of arrival.

The card is required for foreign travelers entering by air, land, or sea, but there are exceptions. Crew members, transit passengers who do not pass immigration control, and travelers entering specifically with a Border Pass do not fill it in. Ordinary land entry by passport does not fall under that last exception.

Current as of November 2026. Conditions may change. Below are the steps for preparing and submitting the form, correcting errors, and what to do if the website fails. A completed card does not replace a visa and does not guarantee permission to enter.

What is the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) and who needs it?

The electronic arrival card (TDAC) allows travelers to submit information about themselves, their trip, and their health. Thailand’s Consulate General in Munich explains that it replaces the paper TM.6. The electronic card came into use on May 1, 2025, as stated in the UK government’s travel advice on entering Thailand.

According to official clarifications from the Immigration Bureau, the requirement covers air, land, and sea routes. The card is needed when entering on a visa, on a visa on arrival, or under the visa exemption scheme, with the exceptions below.

For connections, passing immigration control is the deciding factor. If you leave the airport through passport control, the card is needed.

The legal basis for your stay is checked separately from the electronic form. For a general overview of procedures, see the guide to visas and legalization in Thailand.

Border Pass: when the exemption applies

When entering with a Border Pass, the electronic arrival card is not required. This is stated directly in a clarification from Thailand’s Consulate General in Hong Kong. The exemption relates to the document under which the traveler crosses the border.

In a review by the international consulting firm EY, the Border Pass is described as a separate travel document for residents of border areas. It allows visa-free crossing of Thailand’s land border with neighboring countries, including Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, and Myanmar.

It is easy to get confused here: a land route alone does not give an exemption. If you enter on an ordinary passport, follow the general rule for submitting the card. Do not apply the Border Pass conditions to a tourist trip through a land crossing.

When to submit the card and where to fill it in for free

As of November 2026, the Immigration Bureau’s official FAQ requires the card to be submitted within 3 days before arrival, including the day of arrival. The FAQ also uses the wording “up to 72 hours before entry.” The reference point is arrival in Thailand, not departure from the country of origin.

You can fill in the form for free on the official arrival card portal. Thailand’s Embassy in Canberra confirms that this is the only official website and that government submission is free. If a third-party service asks for payment for help, it cannot be treated as a mandatory government fee.

According to the official FAQ, the card is valid for the trip on the stated arrival date. Each new entry requires a new submission, even if you already filled out the form for a previous trip.

The system does not send reminders. Set your own reminder and prepare your details in advance, and start filling in the form once the submission window opens.

What documents and details to prepare

Before you start, have your passport, ticket, and accommodation booking open. This is a practical way to transfer details accurately; such preparation does not mean that all documents must be uploaded to the website.

Thailand’s Consulate General in Hong Kong lists the following categories of information:

• passport details;
• personal information;
• trip information;
• details of your accommodation in Thailand;
• basic health declaration.

Also prepare an email address you can access, since the confirmation will be sent there. For the health section, reconstruct your travel history for the past 14 days. As of November 2026, the instructions from Thailand’s Embassy in Lima use this period when describing additional health questions for travelers of certain nationalities or those who visited risk areas.

Thailand’s Public Relations Department reports that Russian is among the platform’s languages. However, details are entered in English — as Thailand’s Embassy in Dili specifically stresses.

The practical point is this: a Russian-language interface helps you understand the question, but it does not change the language of your answers. Take the accommodation address from your booking; it is better not to enter an arbitrary district in place of the requested details.

How to fill in the digital arrival card (TDAC) step by step

As of November 2026, the official FAQ estimates that filling it in takes roughly 3–5 minutes per person with the details ready. This is the agency’s estimate, not a guarantee for every situation. An unfinished form cannot be saved to continue later.

Opening the official portal

Open the official government arrival card website and choose your preferred interface language. Submission is free; you do not need to use a paid intermediary to fill in the government form.

Passport and personal details

Transfer the requested details from your passport, following the English spelling. Pay special attention to your full name, passport number, nationality, and date of birth: these cannot be changed through the regular update function.

The official guide allows reading the machine-readable zone (MRZ) of the passport or uploading an image of it. After recognition, check every transferred value. Automatic entry is convenient, but do the final check yourself before submitting.

Trip and accommodation details

Fill in the requested information from your ticket and accommodation booking. Check the arrival date and address so that the details match the trip for which the card is being completed.

Do not fill in an unclear field with approximate details just to move on. First find the needed information in your documents or booking.

Health declaration

Answer the form’s questions about your health and previous trips. As of November 2026, Thailand’s Embassy in Lima explains that for travelers of certain nationalities or those who visited risk areas in the past 14 days, the system asks for additional medical information.

Follow the questions the system shows for your situation. You do not need to determine requirements yourself from old country lists.

Review and submission

Before submitting, check the details once more against your passport, ticket, and booking. Check your email address: a mistake in it may prevent you from receiving the confirmation.

Complete the submission and save the document you receive. Prepare a copy you can open without internet access: at the border, this saves you from searching for the email over the mobile network.

Children and group submission

A card is needed for every child, including an infant. According to the instructions from Thailand’s Embassy in Lima, the form for a child is filled in by an accompanying parent or guardian. Age alone does not exempt a child from submission.

As of November 2026, Thailand’s Embassy in Bucharest states a maximum of 10 travelers in a group submission. For the following participants, you can use the details of participants in the same group.

This is convenient for a shared trip, but copied details must also be checked. Before completing the submission, make sure that:

• the passport details belong to the right person;
• the trip and accommodation information matches each participant.

After submission, check that each traveler has received a confirmation. A family submission helps fill in the forms together, but it does not replace an individual check of the details for adults and children.

Confirmation, QR code, and automated passport control (ABC)

After you submit the form, the confirmation arrives by email. Thailand’s Embassy in Lima describes the document with a QR code, which can be printed or shown on a device. The official FAQ clarifies: printing is not required.

At the immigration counter, present the confirmation together with your travel documents. Save the file on your phone, and if you wish, take a paper copy as a backup, for example in case your device runs out of battery.

As of November 2026, the official guide states that the system’s email indicates whether the traveler is cleared for automated passport control (ABC). Having a card alone does not mean access to automatic gates. Go by the result stated in the email.

The official FAQ also records the release of version 2026.10.00 dated October 15, 2026. Do not attribute to this entry any other changes that it does not describe.

No specific duration is promised for the check at the border. The remaining airport steps are covered in the guide on what to do after arriving in Thailand.

How to correct an error or submit a new card

To update incorrect details on the government portal, there is an Update Arrival Card function. You can use it to correct, for example, your accommodation address. Have your confirmation ready and make the corrections before entry.

According to the official FAQ, through this function you cannot change:

• full name;
• passport number;
• nationality;
• date of birth.

If the error concerns these details, submit a new card with the correct information. The most recent submission is considered valid — so after filling it in again, save the current confirmation.

Do not leave the check until you reach the passport control counter. First compare the details with your documents, then choose the appropriate route: updating editable information or submitting a new card.

The Immigration Bureau warns that a passenger may be refused entry by decision of the immigration service. A corrected form does not guarantee admission, but it helps avoid inconsistencies in the details. The consequences of an error on the card should not be confused with fines for overstaying.

If the website is down, there is no email, or there is no internet

If the email has not arrived, start by checking the email address you entered and your “Spam” folder. Also check whether you saved the document after completing the submission. If you cannot obtain the confirmation, contact an immigration officer at the checkpoint.

If the website shows an error, we recommend saving a screenshot of the error message.

As of November 2026, the instructions from Thailand’s Embassy in Lima list submission terminals at the following airports:

• Suvarnabhumi Airport (Suvarnabhumi Airport);
• Don Mueang Airport (Don Mueang Airport);
• Phuket International Airport (Phuket International Airport);
• Chiang Mai International Airport (Chiang Mai International Airport);
• Hat Yai International Airport (Hat Yai International Airport).

Some airports also provide wireless internet (Wi-Fi) for filling in the form. Thailand’s Embassy in Bucharest warns of possible queues and delays when using the terminal.

For land or sea entry, ask staff at the help desk. Thailand’s Consulate General in Hong Kong confirms that assistance is available to travelers who were unable to fill in the form in advance and have no internet access. Do not count on a terminal being available at every crossing.

Arrival card, visa, residence notifications, and the THIM app

The digital arrival card for Thailand is not a visa. Thailand’s Embassy in Colombo classifies it as an arrival procedure. The visa basis and the electronic form serve different purposes.

As of November 2026, Thailand’s Embassy in Moscow states that holders of ordinary Russian passports may stay in the country without a visa for up to 30 days under a bilateral agreement. To choose the appropriate basis, use a separate guide on how to choose a visa for Thailand.

The card also does not replace the notification of arrival at your place of residence. As of November 2026, the notice from the Phrae Immigration Office states the deadline of 24 hours from arrival at your place of residence. Details are described in the article on notification of residence in Thailand.

Separately, there is a long-stay report. Submitting the arrival card does not replace this procedure.

The Immigration Registration Management application (THIM) should also not be confused with the mandatory card. Thailand’s Tourism Authority has reported that during the pilot stage the app was optional as a way to access related registration and did not replace the card. This description of the pilot stage does not establish the app’s current status.