The Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) is the country's replacement for the old paper TM.6 form. Every non-Thai national entering Thailand must submit it online before arrival. It is free, takes about 5 minutes, and is one of the easier travel admin tasks you'll do — but it's also one of the most-targeted by scam sites charging $20-50 to fill out a form anyone can do in their browser. This guide covers what to do, what to skip, and what most travelers get wrong.
The 30-second version
Submit your TDAC at tdac.immigration.go.th, the official Thai government URL. Free. Submit 24-48 hours before your flight. Save the QR code that arrives by email. Show it at immigration on arrival. Done.
What is the TDAC?
The TDAC (Thailand Digital Arrival Card) is a mandatory digital declaration for every visitor entering Thailand by air, land, or sea. It replaced the paper TM.6 immigration form across all entry points in 2025 and is now strictly enforced.
What it does: it gives Thai immigration your basic details before you arrive — passport, flight, address in Thailand, contact info. It does not grant you a visa, extend your stay, or replace your visa exemption. It is purely a digital declaration.
Who needs to submit a TDAC?
Every non-Thai national entering Thailand. This includes:
- Tourists on visa exemption (most Western nationalities, currently 60 days)
- Visa-on-arrival travelers
- Visa holders (tourist, DTV, retirement, education, business — every category)
- Children with their own passports (parents submit on their behalf)
- Travelers transiting through Thailand if they exit immigration
Thai citizens do not submit a TDAC.
When to submit it
Submit your TDAC within 3 days before arrival. The official window is 72 hours; in practice, submitting 24-48 hours before your flight is the sweet spot. Too early and the system may reject you; too late and you risk being held up at immigration.
What information you need
- Passport: number, issue date, expiry date, nationality. Make sure passport is valid 6+ months from arrival.
- Flight: arrival flight number, arrival date, departure city.
- Address in Thailand: hotel or first-night accommodation. The full hotel name and address is fine; you can update plans later.
- Contact email: the system sends a confirmation QR code here. Save it to your phone.
Step-by-step: submitting your TDAC
- Go to tdac.immigration.go.th — this is the only official URL.
- Choose your language (English available).
- Fill out personal details (passport, name as it appears on passport, nationality).
- Fill out flight details and arrival information.
- Enter your first-night accommodation address.
- Review for typos. Wrong passport numbers cause delays.
- Submit. You'll receive a confirmation QR code by email within minutes.
- Save the QR code to your phone or print it. Show it at immigration on arrival.
Common mistakes (and how to avoid them)
- Wrong arrival date. Use your Thailand local arrival date, not your departure date from your home country. Crossing the international date line trips up many travelers.
- Submitting through a third-party "TDAC service." They are not the government. Anyone charging you to submit a TDAC is reselling a free service.
- Typos in passport number. Immigration cross-checks the TDAC against your passport on arrival. Even one wrong character can delay your entry by 30+ minutes.
- Forgetting hotel address. Pick any first-night accommodation and use that address. You can change plans after arrival.
- Using one TDAC for multiple entries. Each entry into Thailand requires a fresh submission. Border-running from Cambodia? Submit a new one.
- Forgetting to submit for kids. Children traveling on their own passports each need their own TDAC.
The scam warning
Search "TDAC Thailand" and you will see paid Google ads from third-party sites charging $20-$50 to submit the form for you. These are not the government. They are reselling a free service. Some are scrapers; some are legitimate but expensive concierge services. Either way, you don't need them.
Always type tdac.immigration.go.th directly into your browser. Bookmark it. Treat any other URL as suspect.
What about the visa exemption rules?
Submitting a TDAC does not grant you a visa or extend your stay. Most Western nationalities currently get 60 days visa-free on arrival, but the rules are under review and may revert to 30 days. Use our visa checker to confirm for your specific country.
After arrival
Once you're through immigration, the TDAC has done its job. You don't need to interact with it again unless you leave and re-enter Thailand — at which point you submit a new one.
If you need an interactive entry checklist that tracks all the other things to bring (insurance, onward ticket, cash, SIM), use our TDAC + entry checklist tool.