Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC): How to Register Free Before You Fly

What the TDAC is

The Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) is the online form that replaced the paper TM6 arrival card most of us used to fill in on the plane. Foreign visitors entering Thailand by air, land or sea are expected to submit it before they arrive. The information is the same kind you used to write by hand: who you are, how you are arriving, and where you will stay first.

Two things matter more than anything else on this page. The form is free, and there is only one official place to do it.

The official website

Register here and nowhere else:

https://tdac.immigration.go.th/arrival-card/#/home

Bookmark it on the phone you will travel with. If a search engine shows you an ad above the official result, skip the ad. Several paid lookalike sites appeared within weeks of the TDAC launch, and they still buy search ads.

When to submit

You can submit the TDAC within the three days before your arrival date in Thailand. Submitting a week early does not work, and the system will not accept a date outside that window.

A sensible routine for most travellers:

• Two days before your flight, gather the details listed below
• The day before you fly (or the morning of), submit the form
• Save the confirmation as a screenshot and as the PDF or email you receive

If your flight lands after midnight, check the arrival date you enter. People landing at 1<30></30> am on the 15th sometimes type the 14th because that is when they left home. Use the date you actually touch down in Thailand.

What you need before you start

The form takes about ten minutes if you have everything ready. Keep these open:

• Your passport, with the number and expiry date exactly as printed
• Your arrival flight number and date (or the border crossing if arriving by land)
• The address of your first night in Thailand, including the hotel name and province
• A working email address
• Your departure plan if you already have one (flight or onward travel)

For the address, copy it from your hotel booking confirmation rather than typing from memory. Immigration staff and your airport driver will both be looking at the same hotel name, so it helps if they match.

Families should fill one form per traveller. The system lets you add companions travelling with you, but every person, children included, needs their own details entered.

Common mistakes we see

These come up often enough that they are worth checking twice:

1. Passport number typed with the letter O instead of zero, or I instead of 1
2. Arrival date in the wrong format or set to the departure date
3. Using an Airbnb host's name instead of the property address
4. Submitting the form for one airport and then changing flights to land somewhere else
5. Paying a third-party site and assuming that counts as the official submission

If you made a mistake after submitting, the official site allows you to edit the card. Do that before you fly rather than at the immigration counter.

How to spot a fake TDAC site

Scam sites copy the colours and layout of the real form, then ask for a "processing" or "express" fee at the end. Thai authorities have said clearly that the TDAC has no fee.

Warning signs:

• The web address is anything other than tdac.immigration.go.th
• A payment page appears at any point
• The site promises faster immigration for a premium
• Someone messages you on social media offering to submit it for you
• You receive emails pushing you to "complete payment or your entry will be refused"

If you already paid one of these sites, check whether you also have a confirmation from the official site. If not, submit the real form yourself. Then contact your card issuer about the charge.

At the airport, ignore anyone offering to fill in the TDAC for cash. Free airport Wi-Fi is available at the major terminals if you need to submit on arrival.

On arrival

Have the passport and the TDAC confirmation on your phone screen before you reach the counter. Officers do not always ask to see it, but fumbling through email while a queue builds behind you is stressful. Keep the screen brightness up so a QR code or confirmation number can be read.

After immigration you collect your bags and walk out to arrivals. This is the point where planning your first ride pays off. A pre-booked driver tracking your flight means you skip the taxi queue and the touts. For Bangkok, the common bookings are Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) to a Bangkok hotel and Don Mueang Airport (DMK) to a Bangkok hotel. Heading straight to the coast, there is Suvarnabhumi to Pattaya. In Phuket, most arrivals go to the west coast beaches, for example Phuket Airport to Patong.

Our Bangkok airport arrival guide walks through the halls and meeting points step by step.

TDAC and your visa are separate things

The TDAC is not a visa. It does not give you permission to stay, and it does not replace an e-Visa if your passport needs one. Think of it as the arrival paperwork that sits on top of whatever entry status applies to you. Our Thailand visa overview explains the main entry routes and where to check the current rules for your nationality.

FAQ

Do children need their own TDAC?

Yes. Each traveller needs their details submitted, including infants.

I am transiting through Bangkok without leaving the airport. Do I need one?

Travellers who stay airside and do not pass through immigration generally do not. If you are collecting bags and re-checking them, you will pass immigration and should submit it. Check with your airline if you are unsure.

Can I submit it on my phone?

Yes. The site works on mobile browsers. A laptop is easier for long addresses, but a phone is fine.

What if my flight is delayed into the next day?

Edit the arrival date on the official site if you can. If you cannot, keep your delay notice from the airline and explain at the counter.

Is there an app?

Use the official website. Be careful with apps in the stores that claim to be the TDAC; several are unofficial.

A short checklist

• Bookmark tdac.immigration.go.th
• Submit within three days of arrival, never on a paid site
• Screenshot the confirmation
• Book your first ride with your flight number added
• Read the Thailand arrival checklist for money, SIM and day-one planning

For destination ideas once you are through, the Tourism Authority of Thailand site is a good start, and our Bangkok things to do page lists bookable tours with their meeting points and inclusions.