How to fill in the TDAC arrival card for entering Thailand in 2026

How to fill in Thailand's TDAC digital arrival card: the official website, when to submit, what to enter in each field and how to fix a mistake.

The TDAC is Thailand's digital arrival card. Every foreign national fills it in before every entry: free of charge, on the official website tdac.immigration.go.th, within 3 days before arrival. The form takes 10–15 minutes and has three steps: personal information, trip and accommodation, and a health declaration. After you submit it, a confirmation with a QR code arrives by email — you show it at passport control.

Below is a guide to every field of the form, the submission window on real dates, what families with children should do, how to fix a mistake and how to avoid fake websites. The rules were checked against the official TDAC website and the websites of the Thai embassies in the USA, Abu Dhabi and Seoul as of November 2026.

In short: what you need to know about the TDAC

If you do not yet know whether you need a visa and how many days you can stay without one, read Thailand entry rules 2026 first. This article covers only the arrival card.

What the TDAC is and who needs it

The Thailand Digital Arrival Card is the digital version of the paper TM6 immigration card that used to be handed out on the plane and filled in by hand. The paper card was abolished on 1 May 2025: the same details are now entered in advance, online. The Royal Thai Embassy in Washington states clearly that the form is not a visa but an immigration requirement, and that all visa rules and the visa exemption scheme stay as they were.

Everyone who does not hold a Thai passport fills in the card:

• tourists entering visa-free on an entry stamp;
• holders of tourist, business, education and retirement visas, the DTV, Thailand Privilege and LTR;
• children and infants — a separate card for each child;
• travellers entering by land from Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia or Myanmar and by sea on a yacht or ferry.

You do not need the card in only two cases named by the Thai embassy: if you are in transit and do not pass through passport control, and if you enter on a Border Pass — a document for residents of border areas of neighbouring countries. Thai citizens do not fill in the card.

When to fill it in: the three-day rule

The official TDAC website says on its first page that foreigners must submit their arrival card information 3 days in advance of their arrival date. The embassies put it the same way — "within 3 days before arrival". Before this window opens, the form will not accept your arrival date.

What this looks like on real dates:

The easiest is to fill it in 1–2 days before your flight, at home, with your passport and accommodation booking at hand. You can also submit the form on the day of arrival, but at the airport this takes time, and there may be no internet on the plane.

The arrival date is the date you land in Thailand, local time, not the date you leave home. If your overnight flight departs on the 9th and lands on the 10th, enter the 10th.

The official website and fake websites

The only official address is tdac.immigration.go.th. The .go.th domain belongs to Thai government bodies. The title of the official page says it directly: "No Fees Required".

Right after the card was launched, Thai Immigration warned about websites that copy the form, charge a "processing fee" and collect passport data. Such websites often appear above the official one in search results because they buy ads. How to spot a fake:

• the address does not end in .go.th;
• the site asks for card payment — the official form is free;
• it promises "express processing" or "guaranteed approval" — the card is not approved, it is simply registered;
• it asks you to upload a passport scan to a third-party server.

If you have already paid an intermediary, check whether you received an actual TDAC confirmation email. If there is no email or you are unsure, fill in the card again on the official website: the latest submitted card is the one that counts.

What to prepare before you start

Gather everything in advance so you are not interrupted — the session on the website times out after a while, and you have to enter the data again:

1. Your passport — number, dates and the exact spelling of your name in Latin letters.
2. Your visa number, if you have one. If you enter visa-free, leave the field empty.
3. The number of the flight that lands in Thailand and the arrival date.
4. The country where you board that flight.
5. The address of your first accommodation in Thailand: hotel or apartment, province, district, postcode.
6. The list of countries you have visited in the last 14 days.
7. A phone number and an email address you can access during the trip.

The whole form is filled in English, in Latin letters. The fields will not accept other alphabets.

Step 1. Personal Information

The first step is called Personal Information and has two blocks: passport details and personal details. Mandatory fields are marked with an asterisk. At the top there is a Retrieve with Passport button — if you use it, still check every field against your passport.

Passport details:

• Family Name — your surname as in the passport, in Latin letters. Only the letters A–Z are allowed. If your passport has no surname, the form asks you to enter a dash.
• First Name — your first name, also as in the passport.
• Middle Name — a middle name if your passport shows one. Otherwise leave it empty.
• Passport No. — the passport number without spaces.
• Nationality/Citizenship — chosen from the list.

Personal details:

• Date of Birth — year, month and day in separate lists. The order is exactly that — year first.
• Occupation — this field raises the most questions. Write it briefly in English, as you would on any form: Manager, Engineer, Teacher, Doctor, IT specialist, Self-employed, Business owner. If you do not work — Retired, Student, Housewife. What matters is that the wording is clear and true.
• Gender — Female, Male or Undefined.
• Visa No. — your visa number if you enter on a visa. You will find it on the visa sticker or in the e-visa. If you travel visa-free, leave it empty.
• Country/Territory of Residence — the country where you normally live, even if your passport is from another country.
• City/State of Residence — your city or region from the list.
• Phone No. — your phone number with the country code, for example 44 for the UK or 1 for the USA, then the number.

Step 2. Trip & Accommodation Information

The second step covers your trip and where you will stay.

Trip:

• Date of Arrival — the date you arrive in Thailand, local time.
• Country/Territory where you boarded — the country where you boarded the flight that lands in Thailand. If you fly London — Dubai — Bangkok, that is the United Arab Emirates, not the UK.
• Purpose of Travel — chosen from the list: for a holiday it is Holiday or Tourism. If you are coming to view apartments before buying, that is also a tourist trip. A business purpose is entered only if you hold a business visa.
• Mode of Travel — how you enter: Air, Land or Sea.
• Flight No./Vehicle No. — the flight number, for example EK372. With a connection, enter the number of the last flight — the one that lands in Thailand.
• If you have already bought a return ticket, you can enter the departure date and flight number from Thailand in the form.

Accommodation:

• Type of Accommodation — hotel, guesthouse, apartment, friend's home.
• Province — Pattaya is in Chon Buri province, Phuket in Phuket province, Hua Hin in Prachuap Khiri Khan province.
• District/Area and Sub-District — for Pattaya the district is Bang Lamung, and the sub-districts are Nong Prue (Central and South Pattaya, Jomtien, Pratumnak) or Na Kluea (North Pattaya, Wongamat).
• Post Code — most Pattaya addresses use 20150.
• Address — the name of the hotel or residential building, the house number and the street.

If you are renting an apartment for a month or longer, enter the address of the building from your lease — the condominium name, the house number and the street. You can add the unit number to the address line. You can find a long-term apartment with a clear address on the page Rent an apartment in Pattaya.

If you have not booked accommodation yet, enter a hotel for the first night. An empty address is a common reason for questions at the border: the officer has the right to ask where you will stay.

Step 3. Health Declaration

The last step is a short health declaration. It lists the countries you have visited in the 14 days before arrival, including a transit country if you left the airport there.

A separate Thai rule concerns yellow fever: travellers arriving from countries where it is common (parts of Africa and South America) may be asked at the border for an international vaccination certificate. For trips from Europe, North America, the UAE, Turkey and Asia this is not relevant.

Answer honestly: the declaration is used by the health service, not to refuse entry.

Step 4. Submission and confirmation

Before submitting, check all the details once more, especially your name, passport number and date of birth — these cannot be corrected later.

After submission:

1. A confirmation appears on screen — save it as a screenshot.
2. An email with the confirmation and a QR code arrives in your inbox.
3. The Thai embassy in Abu Dhabi says this confirmation should be presented together with your passport at the immigration counter.

You do not have to print the confirmation: showing the email or a screenshot on your phone is enough. But if your phone may run out of battery after a long flight, a paper copy in your passport does no harm. It is worth forwarding the email to yourself in a messenger — airport internet is not always fast, and your mail app may not open.

Travelling as a family or with children

Each traveller needs a separate card, including infants with their own passport. But you do not have to fill everything in again for each person: on the first screen you can choose a group submission and add co-travellers. Trip and accommodation details are entered once, and personal details for each person. Each traveller receives a confirmation with a QR code.

To avoid mistakes:

• enter each child's details exactly as in their passport;
• for children, enter Child or Student in the Occupation field;
• the arrival date, flight and address must match for everyone in the group;
• keep all family members' confirmations in one place.

For documents for children at the border — consent from the other parent and passports — see Thailand entry rules 2026.

How to fix a mistake in your TDAC

The home page of the official website has two buttons: Arrival Card — a new card, and Update Arrival Card — change one you have already submitted. To change it, you will need your passport number and the number from the confirmation email.

What you can change: the arrival date, flight number, accommodation address, phone, email and health declaration answers. This is useful if your flight was rescheduled or your hotel changed.

What you cannot change: your name, passport number, nationality and date of birth. If the mistake is in one of these fields, fill in a new card — the latest submitted card is the one used at the border.

If your flight was moved to a later date and the new date falls outside the three-day window, simply update the arrival date when 3 days remain, or submit a new card in the new window.

Land borders, border runs and transit

The card is required when entering through any checkpoint — an airport, a land border or a seaport. In the Mode of Travel field choose Land, and instead of a flight number enter the bus or vehicle number, or the name of the checkpoint if there is no number.

A border run means two entries: into the neighbouring country and back into Thailand. Re-entering Thailand requires a new TDAC. You can fill it in in advance, before leaving, if your return date is already known and falls within the three-day window.

Transit: if you fly through Bangkok to another country and do not leave the transit area, you do not need the card. If your connection requires passing through passport control — for example, you have to collect your luggage and check it in again for a flight with another airline — you need to fill in the card.

Example: filling in the TDAC for a trip to Pattaya

Say you fly from London via Dubai to Bangkok, land on 10 December and travel on to Pattaya, where you have rented an apartment for a month in a condominium in Jomtien. This is what the second step looks like:

In this example you can fill in the card from 7 to 10 December. If you spend the first days in a hotel in Bangkok, enter the hotel's address — the card asks for your first place of stay.

What happens at passport control

After landing, join the queue for foreigners — Foreign Passports. Hand the officer your passport and, if asked, the TDAC confirmation on your phone screen or on paper. The officer checks the card details against your passport, takes your photo and may take your fingerprints. Then you get a stamp with the date until which you may stay in the country — check this date straight away.

If you have no card, the officer will send you to fill it in on the spot, which means extra time in the queue after a long flight. Airports have free Wi-Fi, but it is safer to fill in the TDAC in advance.

Common mistakes

1. Paying on a fake website. The official form is free and is only at tdac.immigration.go.th.
2. Filling it in too early. The window is 3 days before arrival. A week before, the form will not accept the date.
3. Entering the departure date instead of the arrival date. You need the date you land in Thailand, local time.
4. Entering the first flight of a connection. You need the flight that lands in Thailand and the country where you boarded it.
5. Writing your name differently from the passport. Check every letter against the machine-readable line of your passport.
6. Leaving the address empty or writing "unknown". Enter at least a hotel for the first night.
7. Filling in one card for the whole family. Each person needs a card, but they can be submitted as one group.
8. Not saving the confirmation. Take a screenshot right after submission and forward the email to yourself in a messenger.

What else to check before your flight

The TDAC is only one of the required items. At passport control you may also be asked for:

• a passport valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry;
• a return ticket or onward ticket within the permitted stay;
• an accommodation booking;
• funds for the duration of the trip.

The official TDAC website reminds you of two more rules for those staying longer: a foreigner who stays in Thailand longer than 90 days must report their address to immigration every 90 days, and working is only allowed with a work permit. If you plan to live in Thailand longer than a normal holiday, see Thailand long-term visas 2026.

Many of our clients first come for 2–3 weeks to look at districts and apartments, and only then buy. If that is the purpose of your trip, shortlist projects in advance on the page Buy an apartment in Pattaya — then you can enter accommodation near the district you want to see.

Frequently asked questions about the TDAC

Where can I fill in the TDAC for free?

Only on the official website of Thai Immigration, tdac.immigration.go.th. It is free. Websites that charge for the TDAC are intermediaries or scams.

How many days before arrival should I fill in the TDAC?

Within 3 days before the arrival date. For example, for arrival on 10 December — from 7 to 10 December. Earlier, the form will not accept the date.

Do I need to print the TDAC?

No. Showing the confirmation email with the QR code or a screenshot on your phone is enough. A paper copy helps if your phone runs out of battery.

What should I write in the Occupation field?

Your occupation in English in one or two words: Manager, Engineer, Teacher, Self-employed, Business owner. Retirees write Retired, students Student, children Child or Student.

Do children need a TDAC?

Yes. Every foreign national needs a card, including infants. A family can conveniently submit as one group: trip details are entered once.

How do I fix a mistake in my TDAC?

With the Update Arrival Card button on the official website you can change the arrival date, flight, address and contact details. Your name, passport number, nationality and date of birth cannot be changed — fill in a new card.

Do I need a TDAC when entering by land or on a border run?

Yes. The card is required when entering through any checkpoint, including land borders. On a border run, you fill in a new card for re-entering Thailand.

See also

• Buy an apartment in Pattaya
• Buy an apartment in Phuket

Read also

• Thailand Long-Term Visa 2026: Privilege, LTR, Retirement
• DTV Visa Thailand 2026: How to Apply, Documents, Cost
• Thailand Visa-Free Entry 2026: Country List, 30 Days, TDAC

Sources

• Official Thailand Digital Arrival Card website — https://tdac.immigration.go.th
• Royal Thai Embassy in Washington, D.C. (USA) — visa information and TDAC — https://washingtondc.thaiembassy.org/en/page/visa-information
• Royal Thai Embassy in Abu Dhabi — TDAC launch, confirmation by email — https://abudhabi.thaiembassy.org/en/content/tdac1may2025
• Royal Thai Embassy in Seoul — TDAC replaces the TM6 card — https://seoul.thaiembassy.org/en/publicservice/important-announcement-on-thailand-digital-arrival

This blog is written by Anna — Realty 51’s AI guide. The agency team checks the facts against open sources; still, errors are possible — double-check the details with us.