Thailand TDAC: Application, Form and How to Complete It

What is the Thailand TDAC?

The Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) is an online form that replaces Thailand’s former paper arrival card for international travellers. It is used for arrivals by air, land and sea.

The TDAC is not a visa. It does not replace a visa where one is required, and having a visa does not normally remove the separate requirement to complete the TDAC. Travellers may need this arrival card whether they enter visa-free, with Visa on Arrival, or with a visa obtained before travel.

Completing a TDAC is an arrival-card requirement, not a visa approval or a guarantee of admission to Thailand. Immigration officers make the final decision on entry.

Who needs to submit a TDAC?

Thailand’s Immigration Bureau states that non-Thai nationals entering Thailand must complete a TDAC before entry. This applies to arrivals by air, land or sea, including infants and children.

• Non-Thai nationals entering Thailand: a TDAC is normally required before entry, regardless of the transport method used.
• Children and infants: each child needs TDAC information, even when a parent, guardian or another traveller completes the form on the child’s behalf.
• Airside transit passengers: a TDAC is not normally required when you remain in transit and do not pass Thai immigration.
• Flight crew: the current TDAC guidance states that crew do not need to submit a TDAC.

Your visa position is a separate question. If you need to establish whether your passport and trip require a visa for Thailand, consult Go2entry’s general Thailand visa and entry-requirements guide.

When can you submit the Thailand TDAC?

You can submit the TDAC within three days before your arrival date in Thailand, including the date of arrival. The relevant date is the date you arrive in Thailand—not the date you leave your home country or begin a multi-leg itinerary.

For example, if you arrive in Thailand on Friday 10 October, the submission window opens on Tuesday 7 October. You can submit on 7, 8, 9 or 10 October, before you enter Thailand.

Do not interpret this as a requirement to submit exactly three days before travel. It is a submission window. Preparing the details in advance can help you submit accurately once the window opens.

What to prepare before starting the form

The official TDAC system does not allow you to save a partly completed submission and return later. Gather the relevant details before you begin.

• Passport and personal details: use the travel document you will use to enter Thailand. The form can offer passport MRZ scanning or MRZ-image upload, but review every retrieved detail before continuing.
• Arrival and trip details: prepare your arrival date, flight or vehicle number, country where you boarded, travel purpose and any departure information you choose or need to provide.
• Thailand accommodation details: have the address and accommodation information available for the place you expect to stay.
• Health declaration information: the system may request additional information depending on factors such as countries visited during the two weeks before arrival, boarding country, nationality or flight, where these are listed by Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health.
• Email address: provide an email address so the TDAC and QR code can be sent to you after submission.

How to complete the TDAC form

The current TDAC system offers individual and group submission. All details must be entered in English. For dropdown fields, the official guide indicates that typing three characters can help display matching options.

1. Choose an individual or group submission. Use an individual submission for one traveller. Use group submission when you are entering several travellers together.
2. Enter personal and passport information. Check that the names, date of birth, nationality and passport details match the travel document exactly.
3. Add trip and accommodation information. Enter the arrival information and your Thailand accommodation details carefully. Departure information is available as an optional trip field in the current system.
4. Complete the health section if prompted. Answer the health-related questions requested by the system for your circumstances.
5. Review the preview screen. Use the edit function before submission if anything is wrong. This is the best time to correct a typing error.
6. Enter an email address, accept the terms and submit. Download the TDAC after submission and retain the emailed confirmation.

Families and group TDAC submissions

A parent, guardian, tour leader or another authorised traveller can complete the TDAC for children, family members or group travellers. The current system allows up to 10 travellers in one group submission.

This is a technical way to enter several people together; it does not mean that one shared TDAC replaces each traveller’s individual arrival-card record. Enter and review each traveller’s identity, travel and health information separately.

Where travel and accommodation details are the same, the group function can reuse the previous traveller’s corresponding information. Check every copied field before submitting, especially if one member of the group has a different itinerary, hotel or recent travel history.

Transit and connecting flights in Thailand

A connection does not automatically mean you need a TDAC. The practical question is whether your itinerary requires you to pass Thai immigration and enter Thailand.

• Remaining airside in international transit: if you stay in the transit area and do not pass immigration, the TDAC is not normally required.
• Passing Thai immigration: if you must clear immigration to enter Thailand, submit a TDAC within the permitted window.
• Leaving the airport during a connection: leaving the airport means entering Thailand, so a TDAC is normally required.
• Checked baggage or separate tickets: these arrangements can sometimes require immigration clearance, but the outcome depends on the airline, airport procedures and your actual itinerary. Confirm whether you will need to enter Thailand rather than assuming that every baggage collection follows the same process.

What happens after you submit the TDAC?

After a successful submission, you can download the TDAC with its QR code. The system also sends the information and QR code to the email address provided.

A printed copy is not required under the current official guidance. Keep the downloaded TDAC or email confirmation accessible on a phone or other device. Printing a backup can still be sensible if you may not have reliable device access, battery power or connectivity during the journey.

The QR code confirms your TDAC submission. It is not a visa, an entry authorisation or evidence that admission to Thailand has been approved.

Can you update a TDAC after submission?

Yes. The current TDAC system provides an Update Arrival Card function that can be used before travel. To retrieve a submission, the official guide instructs travellers to enter the TDAC number, date of birth and nationality/citizenship, then search for the record.

The current TDAC instructions state that the following details cannot be updated through the update function: full name, nationality/citizenship and date of birth. If one of these details is incorrect, submit a new TDAC with the correct information.

If you need to change information that cannot be updated, submit a new TDAC with the correct details. The current official FAQ states that, where multiple TDAC submissions exist for one traveller, the most recent submission is treated as valid.

If your flight, hotel or other travel details change before entry, update the existing TDAC where the system allows it, or submit a new one when necessary. Your details should be accurate and complete when you enter Thailand.

Practical TDAC examples

• Holiday flight to Bangkok: a traveller arriving in Bangkok on 10 October should use 10 October as the arrival date for the TDAC window, even if their flight departed another country on 9 October. They can submit from 7 October onward.
• Family travelling with two children: one adult can use group submission to enter the family’s details, but each adult and child—including an infant—must have their own information included. The group limit is 10 travellers per submission.
• Connection through Bangkok without immigration: a traveller who remains airside for an onward international flight does not normally need a TDAC. If the itinerary changes and they must clear immigration or leave the airport, the TDAC requirement can apply.
• Error in a hotel address: a traveller who notices an accommodation mistake before travel can use the update function if the field is editable. They should review the replacement confirmation after saving the correction.
• Error in a name, nationality or date of birth: these details cannot be updated through the current update function. The traveller should submit a new TDAC with the correct information before entry.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Using the departure date instead of the Thailand arrival date: the submission window is linked to the date you arrive in Thailand.
• Confusing the TDAC with a visa: the TDAC is a separate arrival formality and does not determine whether you need a visa.
• Assuming a family submission creates one shared record: group submission is only a way to enter multiple travellers together; every traveller still needs their own details recorded.
• Submitting without reviewing passport data: check information retrieved through MRZ scanning or image upload against the passport before submission.
• Relying on an outdated confirmation after a correction: if you update or replace a submission, download and keep the latest TDAC confirmation.

When should you verify your individual trip?

These instructions cover the current TDAC process, but your wider entry formalities can also depend on the passport you use, the purpose and duration of the trip, and whether you will actually pass Thai immigration during a connection. In cases involving dual nationality, complex transit, a changed travel document or a change of itinerary, check the requirements for your real journey before departure.

Use Go2entry to check the entry formalities that may correspond to your passport, route and travel plans.