TDAC: How to Fill Out Thailand's Digital Arrival Card Without Mistakes

Since May 1, 2025, all foreigners entering Thailand must fill out the TDAC (Thailand Digital Arrival Card) online. The paper cards that used to be handed out on planes are gone. You need to fill out the TDAC no earlier than 3 days before arrival. It takes 5 minutes and it's free. I've filled it out 12 times — for myself and helping guests. Here's a step-by-step guide on what to enter in each field and where people usually get stuck.

What Is TDAC and Why You Need It

TDAC (Thailand Digital Arrival Card) is an electronic arrival form that has completely replaced the paper immigration card T.M.6. If you flew to Thailand before May 2025, you remember those paper forms the flight attendants handed out? Forget them. Everything is now done through a website.

The purpose of TDAC is to speed up passport control and collect tourist statistics. In practice, passport control has become faster: before, the officer manually entered data from a paper form; now they scan a QR code — and all the information is already in the system. At Phuket Airport, the queue at passport control has decreased by roughly 30-40% based on my observations.

The form is free. All websites that offer to "process TDAC for a fee" are scams. The official address is: tdac.immigration.go.th. If a site asks for payment — close it. If the domain differs by even one letter — it's phishing. I've seen fakes like tdac-thailand.com, thai-tdac.org, and similar. Don't fall for them. Whether you're entering on a visa or visa exemption, TDAC is required either way.

When to Fill It Out

No earlier than 3 days (72 hours) before arrival. You can fill it out a day before, the evening before your flight, or at the airport before boarding — the system will accept it. Also check whether you need a visa for Thailand — the rules were updated in 2026.

My advice — fill it out 1-2 days before departure, at home, in a calm environment, with reliable internet. Don't leave it for the airport: the atmosphere there is stressful, Wi-Fi can lag, and if you're a family of 4, each person needs a separate form.

Important: after completing the form, you'll receive a QR code by email. Save it on your phone or print it out. At passport control in Bangkok/Phuket, you'll show it to the officer. I always take a screenshot of the QR code and save it to my phone's Favorites — that way I definitely won't lose it.

What You'll Need to Fill It Out

Prepare in advance:

• Passport — number, issue date, expiry date
• Flight number — from your ticket or airline app (e.g., EK376, SU270)
• Arrival date in Thailand (not the departure date from your country, but the actual arrival date)
• Address in Thailand — hotel name, street, postal code. Get it from your Booking or Agoda reservation
• Email — the QR code will be sent here, make sure the address works
• Phone number — your number with country code, needed in case of contact

If you're flying with a layover (e.g., London — Dubai — Phuket), enter the flight number of the last leg that lands in Thailand, and the boarding city is Dubai in this case, not London.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1. Go to the Website

Open tdac.immigration.go.th. The site works on desktop and mobile. There's a language selector: English, Chinese, Thai. Click "Arrival Card".

The site sometimes lags — especially during peak hours when thousands of tourists are filling it out at the same time. If the page won't load, wait 5 minutes and try again. Don't switch to third-party sites — official only.

Step 2. Personal Information

Fill in your personal details. Here's each field in detail:

• Family name — your surname as it appears in your passport, in Latin characters. Write exactly as in your passport: SMITH, JOHNSON. No non-Latin characters
• First name — your given name in Latin: JOHN, MARY
• Middle name — leave blank if your passport doesn't include a middle name. Don't add anything that's not in your passport — the system may not match
• Date of birth — in DD/MM/YYYY format
• Gender — Male or Female
• Nationality — select your country from the dropdown list
• Passport number — your passport number without spaces
• Passport expiry date — your passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry
• Country of residence — your country of residence
• Phone — your phone number with country code (e.g., +44..., +1...)
• Email — a working address where the QR code will be sent

Step 3. Trip Information

Information about your trip. Be careful not to mix these up:

• Country / city of boarding — the country and city from which your last flight to Thailand departs. If you're flying London-Dubai-Phuket, enter UAE / Dubai, not UK / London
• Mode of arrival — Air (if flying). There's also Land and Sea — for those entering via land border or ferry
• Date of arrival — the date you arrive in Thailand. Account for time zones: if you depart from Europe on the evening of the 15th and arrive on the morning of the 16th Thai time — enter the 16th
• Flight number — the flight number that lands in Thailand (e.g., EK376, SU270, TG932)
• Purpose of visit — Holiday/Tourism (if you're a tourist). For remote workers on DTV visas, Tourism also works — it's not critical
• Length of stay — approximate number of days. This is an estimate; there's no penalty for inaccuracy

Step 4. Accommodation

Where you'll be staying in Thailand. This is the trickiest section for tourists:

• Type — Hotel, Private House (if staying with friends), Condominium (if renting a condo)
• Name — full name of your hotel or condo. Write the complete name: "Patong Beach Hotel", not just "my hotel in Patong"
• Province — Phuket (if flying to Phuket)
• District — Mueang Phuket (center, Phuket Town, Rawai, Chalong), Kathu (Patong, Kamala, Kathu), Thalang (Bang Tao, Laguna, Mai Khao, airport)
• Sub-district — the exact sub-district. If you don't know, look up your hotel address on Google Maps
• Postal code — your hotel's postal code (get it from your Booking reservation). For Phuket, it's usually 83000, 83100, 83110, 83120, 83130, or 83150
• Address — the exact hotel address: building number, street. Copy it from Booking or the hotel's website

Pro tip: open your Booking reservation, find the "Address" section — everything is already in English. Copy and paste it. If you're renting via Airbnb, the address is in the booking confirmation.

Step 5. Health Declaration

Health declaration: whether you've been to countries with epidemics (Ebola, yellow fever, etc.) in the past 14 days. Most likely no — answer "No" to all questions. Then check the box agreeing to the terms (that the data is accurate and you accept the entry rules).

Read carefully — there's nothing complicated, but you must check the box, otherwise the Submit button stays inactive.

Step 6. Review Your Data

Before submission, the system shows all entered data on one screen. Check every field — especially:

• Passport number — the most common error
• Arrival date — make sure you didn't confuse it with the departure date
• Email — if the address is wrong, the QR code goes nowhere

If everything is correct — click Submit.

Step 7. Getting the QR Code

An email with the QR code and Approval Code arrives at the address you provided. Usually the email comes within 1-5 minutes. If it hasn't arrived after 15 minutes, check your Spam/Junk folder. Gmail and other providers sometimes filter it.

Save the QR code in multiple ways:

• Screenshot on your phone — in Favorites or a separate album
• Star the email in your inbox
• Print it on paper — if your phone dies, the printout saves the day
• Send the screenshot to yourself on Telegram (Saved Messages) — it definitely won't get lost

At passport control in Thailand, show the QR from your phone screen or the printout. The officer scans it — and the data is pulled up automatically.

Do Children Need TDAC?

Yes. Each family member needs a separate form, including infants and newborns. Use the child's passport details. Since 2023, every child needs their own passport to enter Thailand — being listed in a parent's passport is no longer accepted.

When filling out TDAC for a child:

• Email — use the parent's email, the QR code will be sent there
• Phone — parent's phone number
• Accommodation — same hotel as the parents
• Purpose of visit — Holiday/Tourism

I fill out TDAC for a family of 4 in 15-20 minutes. The data is nearly identical — only the name, date of birth, and passport number change.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Over 12 submissions (mine and guests'), I've collected the typical mistakes:

• Passport number error — the most common. Double-check, enter without spaces
• Wrong arrival date — account for time zones. Thailand is GMT+7. A night flight from Europe on the 15th arrives in Bangkok on the 16th
• Entering your home address instead of the hotel — the Accommodation field needs your address in Thailand, not your home address
• Paying on third-party websites — TDAC is always free. If they ask for money — it's a scam
• Wrong boarding city — if you have a layover, enter the last city before Thailand, not the city of origin
• Filling it out more than 72 hours early — the system won't let you submit. Don't waste your time; wait for the 3-day window
• Typo in email — the QR code goes to the wrong address. Double-check it
• Middle name — don't enter anything that's not in your passport. Leave the field blank if unsure. Otherwise, the data won't match your passport

What If You Didn't Fill It Out in Advance

Don't panic. At the arrival airport (Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket) there are kiosks and volunteers who help fill out TDAC for free. Wi-Fi works in the arrival area. More about SIM cards and internet in Phuket.

Go to tdac.immigration.go.th, fill it out on your phone in 5 minutes, get the QR. You'll lose 10-15 minutes. Don't panic — nobody fines you for this.

At Phuket Airport (HKT), computer kiosks for filling out TDAC are right before passport control. Volunteers in blue vests will help if you get stuck. But remember: there can be a queue at the kiosks too, especially when 3-4 flights arrive simultaneously.

DON'T trust people with badges offering to "process TDAC for 500 baht" — it's a rip-off. Do it yourself. If you're wondering how to get from Phuket Airport to your hotel, there's a separate article on that.

TDAC for Re-Entry

Every time you enter Thailand, you need to fill out a new TDAC. If you live in Phuket and flew to Malaysia for the weekend — you fill out the form again when you return. The system doesn't save previous data for auto-fill.

My life hack: I saved all my details (passport number, Phuket address, postal code) in a note on my phone. I fill it out with copy-paste in 3 minutes. Especially useful when you're doing a visa run and filling it out for the 5th time that year.

TDAC When Leaving Thailand

TDAC is only an Arrival Card. When departing Thailand, you don't need to fill out anything. Just go through passport control with your passport. Previously, you also had to hand in part of a paper card when leaving — that's been eliminated.

Is TDAC Required for Overland Entry?

Yes. TDAC is mandatory regardless of how you enter: by air, land (bus, car via border), or sea (ferry, yacht). In the "Mode of arrival" field, select Air, Land, or Sea accordingly.

For overland entry from Malaysia (a popular visa run route), fill out TDAC the same as for a flight. The boarding city is the border checkpoint you're crossing through (e.g., Sadao).

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does TDAC cost?

It's free. If a website asks for payment, it's a scam. The official address is: tdac.immigration.go.th.

Can I fill out TDAC a week before arrival?

No, only within 3 days (72 hours) of arrival. If you try earlier, the system won't accept it.

Do I need TDAC for a transit stop?

If you don't leave the airport — no. If you exit the airport (e.g., an overnight stay in Bangkok) — yes.

What if I lose my QR code?

Check your email (including Spam). If you can't find it, fill out a new form — the system will overwrite the old data. You can also show your passport at immigration — sometimes they let you through with just that.

Do children need TDAC?

Yes, each family member needs a separate form, including infants. Use the child's passport details.

Is TDAC needed when leaving Thailand?

No. TDAC is only an Arrival Card. When departing, you don't need to fill out anything — just go through passport control.

Can I fill out TDAC without a flight number?

No, the flight number is a required field. If you're flying with a layover, enter the flight number of the last leg that lands in Thailand.

Read Also

• Thailand Visa 2026: Visa Exemption, Extension, DTV
• How to Get from Phuket Airport to Your Hotel: 7 Ways
• How Much Money to Bring to Phuket in 2026: Budget Breakdown
• Safety in Phuket: What You Need to Know