- ✓The TDAC (Thailand Digital Arrival Card) is the online form that replaced the old paper TM6 immigration slip — there is no longer a paper card to fill in on the plane; you do it online before you arrive.
- ✓Most non-Thai nationals entering through immigration by air, land or sea must submit it, including visa-exempt visitors; Thai nationals, airside transit passengers who do not pass immigration, crew and Border Pass users are among the published exceptions.
- ✓The official TDAC is free and lives on one government website; copycat sites charge a 'service fee' to fill in a free form and some exist to harvest passport data — only ever use the official address and verify the URL.
- ✓Submit it within three days before arrival, counting the arrival date, and confirm the current rule on the official site before travel.
- ✓Have your passport, travel and accommodation details to hand when you fill it in — and because the procedure, timing and required fields can change, confirm the current process on the official site before you submit.
What the TDAC is — and why returning visitors keep missing it
If you've been to Thailand before, you'll remember the little paper immigration form — the TM6 — handed out on the plane to fill in before landing. That's gone. Thailand has replaced it with the Thailand Digital Arrival Card, the TDAC: an online form you complete shortly before you arrive, rather than on paper at the border. The job is the same — telling immigration who you are, where you're coming from and where you're staying — but the process is now digital and done in advance.
That switch is exactly why people miss it. Returning visitors expect a paper slip that never comes; first-timers may not realise there is a separate arrival declaration beyond a visa or exemption. For most non-Thai nationals who pass through immigration, the TDAC is a mandatory separate step completed online before arrival, and the official version is free. Published exceptions include Thai nationals, airside transit or transfer passengers who do not pass immigration, crew and Border Pass users. Because Immigration can revise the procedure, confirm your case on the official site.
Do you have to fill in the TDAC, and is it really mandatory?
The TDAC is mandatory for most non-Thai nationals who enter Thailand through immigration, whether by air, land or sea, including visitors using visa exemption. It is separate from the visa or exemption that authorises the stay. Thai nationals do not submit a TDAC. Published exceptions also cover passengers transiting or transferring without passing immigration and crew; Thai embassy guidance lists Border Pass users as exempt.
Complete the form online before arrival rather than expecting a paper TM6 at the border. If you will pass immigration during a connection, do not assume the airside-transit exception applies. Immigration rules and border procedures can change, so confirm unusual circumstances through the official FAQ or the Thai mission responsible for your journey.
When should you submit it, and how do you do it?
Submit the TDAC within three days before arrival, including the arrival date. You cannot file it months in advance. Completing it before departure is less stressful than relying on airport connectivity, but confirm the current window on the official site because Immigration can revise the process.
The form itself is straightforward when you have your details ready. The steps below are the typical flow — use them as a guide and follow the official site's current fields:
- Go to the official TDAC site directly — tdac.immigration.go.th — and verify the URL in your browser bar before entering anything. Don't reach it via a search ad or an unfamiliar link.
- Have your passport open, plus your inbound flight or travel details and the address of your first night's accommodation in Thailand.
- Complete the personal, passport, travel and accommodation fields as prompted; check the spelling against your passport exactly.
- Submit the form within the official window before your arrival date.
- Save and, where offered, screenshot or download the confirmation, so you can show it on arrival without depending on a signal.
- It is free — if you are ever asked to pay a fee, stop: you are on a copycat site, not the official one.
How do you avoid the fake TDAC sites that charge a fee?
This is the trap worth dwelling on. Because the TDAC is a required form that many travellers don't recognise, a small industry of copycat websites has grown up around it — sites that look official, charge a 'service fee' to fill in a free government form, and at the worse end exist mainly to harvest the passport and personal data you type in. The official TDAC is free and on one government site; if a site asks for payment to submit your arrival card, that alone tells you it isn't the official one.
Protect yourself with a few simple habits. Reach the TDAC by typing the official address directly rather than clicking a search ad or an emailed link, since paid ads and lookalike domains are how most people land on the fakes. Check the URL carefully before entering any details — copycats use confusingly similar domains. Be wary of any site charging a fee, demanding extra documents, or pushing urgency. And if you're unsure whether you're on the right site, stop and navigate to the official address yourself. The same fake-official-website pattern targets visa applicants too, which is why our scams page treats it as a recurring risk.
Thailand TDAC · at a glanceAdmin FC
- Official site
- tdac.immigration.go.th — the ONLY official site; the form is free; verify the URL before entering any details
- What it is
- The Thailand Digital Arrival Card — the online entry form that replaced the paper TM6 immigration slip
- Who needs it
- Most non-Thai nationals entering through immigration by air, land or sea, including visa-exempt visitors — separate from a visa or exemption
- Exceptions
- Thai nationals; airside transit/transfer passengers who do not pass immigration; crew; and Border Pass users under the published guidance — verify unusual cases officially
- When to submit
- Within three days before arrival, including the arrival date — verify the current timing on the official site
- Have ready
- Passport, flight/travel details and Thailand accommodation address — Verify the exact required fields when you fill it in
- Cost
- Free on the official site — any 'service fee' means you're on a copycat site, not the government one
- Verify first
- The submission window, required fields and procedure — all set by Thai Immigration and subject to change; confirm officially
