Remember the little paper form the flight attendants used to hand out somewhere over the Indian Ocean, the one you filled in on your knee with a borrowed pen? It’s gone. Since May 2025, every foreign visitor to Thailand completes the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) online before landing. I fly into Bangkok several times a year, and the process now takes me about as long as a coffee. The only real traps are doing it at the wrong time and doing it on the wrong website.
Here’s how to get it right in 2026.
What is the TDAC?
The TDAC is Thailand’s digital arrival card. It replaces the old paper form and collects the same kind of information: who you are, how you’re arriving and where you’ll be staying. Three things to remember:
- Every foreign visitor must complete it.
- It’s done online, before you arrive.
- It’s free. Completely. Always.
The TDAC is not a visa and it doesn’t replace one. It’s simply the arrival card, in digital form.
When to fill it in
You complete the TDAC within the three days before your arrival in Thailand. Not weeks ahead when you book your flight, and ideally not in a panic at the boarding gate either.
My own habit: I fill it in the evening before I fly, at home, with my passport on the table and a decent internet connection. If something goes wrong, I still have time to fix it calmly.
Tip: count the three days from your arrival date in Thailand, not your departure date. On a long-haul overnight flight from Europe or the US, you often land the day after you take off.
What you need before you start
Gather these before you open the form, and the whole thing takes a few minutes:
- Your passport, the one you’ll travel on (the details must match exactly).
- Your flight details for the flight that lands in Thailand.
- Your address in Thailand: the hotel, guesthouse or apartment where you’re staying.
- An email address you can check on your phone, since that’s where the confirmation arrives.
How to fill in the TDAC, step by step
Step 1: Go to the official website
The only official site is the Thai Immigration Bureau’s: tdac.immigration.go.th. Type the address yourself in your browser rather than clicking the first search result. Sponsored results are exactly where the copycat sites like to sit (more on them below).
Step 2: Enter your passport details
Copy your details exactly as they appear on your passport. Take your time here: a typo in a passport number is the kind of small mistake that becomes a big conversation at an immigration desk.
Step 3: Add your flight
Enter the details of the flight that brings you into Thailand. If you’re connecting through another country, it’s the final flight, the one that actually lands in Thailand, that matters.
Step 4: Give your address in Thailand
Enter where you’ll be staying. A hotel name and address is perfect. If you’re moving around the country, use the place where you’ll sleep when you arrive.
Step 5: Complete the health declaration
There’s a brief health declaration at the end. Answer honestly; it only takes a moment.
Step 6: Submit and save your confirmation
Once you submit, you receive a confirmation with a QR code by email. Keep it on your phone and, to be safe, take a screenshot as well. Airport Wi-Fi and roaming don’t always cooperate the moment you need them.
What happens at the airport
At immigration, have three things ready: your passport, your TDAC confirmation and your hotel address. Depending on the time of day, immigration can take anywhere from 20 minutes to over an hour at Suvarnabhumi, so having everything in hand saves you fumbling in the queue.
The officer may also ask for:
- a passport valid for at least six months beyond your date of entry;
- a return or onward ticket dated before the end of your permitted stay;
- the address of your accommodation;
- less often, proof of sufficient funds.
If you want to know what comes next, from SIM cards to the cheapest ride into town, I’ve covered it in Arriving in Bangkok: from the airport to the city.
How to avoid the fake TDAC websites
This is the part that matters most. Many websites imitate the official form, often with Thai flags, official-looking logos and words like “fast,” “assisted” or “guaranteed.” Then they charge you for the privilege: €20, €50, even €90 for a form that costs nothing.
Warning: the TDAC is free. If a website asks you for a card number at any point, you’re on the wrong site. Close the tab and go to tdac.immigration.go.th.
A few simple reflexes:
- Check the address bar. The official form lives on tdac.immigration.go.th. Anything else is not the Immigration Bureau.
- Be wary of ads. A sponsored search result is not a sign that a site is official.
- Ignore “processing” or “express” options. There’s nothing to speed up on a free form you fill in yourself.
- Don’t trust links in unsolicited emails or messages about your “arrival card.”
Fake TDAC sites belong to the same family as fake hotel websites and fake ticket sellers. I’ve rounded up the most common traps, online and on the street, in Bangkok Scams: how to avoid them.
The TDAC is not your visa
Filling in the TDAC doesn’t tell you how long you can stay. That’s a separate question, and the rules changed recently: the 60-day visa exemption that many nationalities enjoyed from July 2024 ended on September 15, 2026. Since then, citizens of around sixty countries are entitled to a 30-day visa exemption, which can be extended once, by up to 30 days, at an immigration office.
Visa rules have shifted several times in recent years, so check the official Thai e-Visa portal or the Royal Thai Embassy in your country before you book. I keep a full breakdown in Thailand Visa in 2026: entry requirements.
And about the “tourist tax” you may have read about: as of September 2026, no entry fee is being collected yet. A 450 THB fee was approved in principle in August 2026, but it still has hurdles to clear and how it will be paid hasn’t been decided. If you’re traveling in 2027, check before you leave.
My quick TDAC checklist
- Fill it in within the three days before arrival.
- Use tdac.immigration.go.th only.
- Pay nothing.
- Double-check your passport details.
- Save the QR code email and a screenshot.
- Keep your hotel address handy for immigration.
FAQ
Is the Thailand Digital Arrival Card free?
Yes. The TDAC is free on the official site, tdac.immigration.go.th. Any website asking you to pay is not the official service, whatever its logo looks like.
How early can I fill in the TDAC?
You complete it within the three days before your arrival in Thailand. Count from the day you land, not the day you take off.
Do I need to show the TDAC at immigration?
Have your TDAC confirmation ready on your phone, along with your passport and your hotel address. A screenshot of the QR code is a good backup in case you have no connection when you land.
To go further
Entry rules, transport, neighborhoods, food and the traps to avoid: Mr Schaka’s guidebook, Bangkok – The Practical Guide, gathers everything you need to plan your stay and find your way around the Thai capital. The English edition is out now as a PDF ebook: buy it here →
