Pillar guide: Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) — full guide
Step 1: Open the official portal (only)
Timing matters: You can only submit within 72 hours (3 days) before arrival. Earlier than that, the form rejects you. Best practice: do it the day before you fly.
Step 2: Personal information
- Full name — exactly as in passport (including middle names if shown)
- Date of birth — DD/MM/YYYY format (Thai standard)
- Gender — as shown in passport
- Nationality — passport-issuing country
- Passport number — exactly as printed (no spaces, no dashes)
- Passport expiry date — must be 6+ months after intended departure from Thailand
- Country of residence — where you currently live
- Occupation — broad categories (employed/self-employed/retired/student/other)
Pro tip: The portal supports MRZ scan — you can upload a photo of your passport\'s machine-readable zone (the bottom two lines on the photo page) and it auto-fills most fields. Saves about 60% of typing.
Step 3: Travel details
Enter your trip information:
- Mode of arrival — air / land / sea
- Date of arrival — must be within 72 hours of submission
- Vehicle/flight number — your flight code (e.g., TG406, EK376) or vessel name for sea/land
- Country of boarding — where you board the plane (transit does not matter)
- Purpose of visit — tourism / business / transit / education / employment / medical / other
- Length of stay — number of days you intend to be in Thailand
Step 4: Accommodation in Thailand
You must provide accommodation for your first night:
- Type — hotel / hostel / serviced apartment / private residence / friend or family
- Province — Bangkok / Chonburi (for Pattaya) / Phuket / Chiang Mai / etc.
- District (Amphoe) — sub-region. For Pattaya, it is "Bang Lamung."
- Sub-district (Tambon) — for Pattaya it is "Nong Prue" or "Pattaya City."
- Address — full street address with hotel name and Soi number
- Hotel name (if applicable)
If staying with friends or family, use their address. The system does not verify — but immigration may ask you about it on arrival, so use a real address.
Step 5: Health declaration
The health declaration is a yes/no checklist for symptoms in the past 14 days:
- Fever
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
- Sore throat
- Diarrhoea
- Recent international travel to outbreak areas (Thailand updates the list periodically; usually empty as of May 2026)
Most travelers tick "no" to all and continue. Honesty matters — false declarations can lead to refusal of entry.
Step 6: Review and submit
The portal shows you a summary. Verify carefully — once submitted, you cannot edit core fields (name, passport number, date of birth, nationality). Minor changes (flight time, accommodation address) can sometimes be updated by re-submitting before arrival.
Enter your email address. Tick the terms-and-conditions box. Click Submit.
Step 7: Save the QR code
You\'ll get an email with a PDF containing:
- Your TDAC reference number
- A QR code
- Personal and travel summary
Save this PDF to your phone offline (don\'t rely on email at the airport — Thai airport WiFi is unreliable). Take a screenshot of the QR code as backup.
What happens at the airport
At your departure airport, the airline check-in agent will ask to see your TDAC. Show the QR code or PDF. Without TDAC, you can be refused boarding.
At Thai immigration, present your passport and TDAC QR code. Immigration scans both. The whole process takes 1-3 minutes when paperwork is in order.
Common TDAC mistakes
- Submitting too early — outside the 72-hour window. The form rejects.
- Wrong passport number — even one wrong character means TDAC does not match passport. Re-submit before flying.
- Using a scam site — paying $40+ for a "TDAC service" that may or may not actually submit. Always use the official URL.
- Forgetting the QR code — at the airport without WiFi, no QR = no boarding.
- Skipping for kids — every traveler needs a TDAC, including infants. Submit one per person.
- Reusing old TDAC — TDAC is single-use. Every time you re-enter Thailand, submit a fresh one.
What if you forget
If you arrive at Thai immigration without a TDAC, the officer will direct you to a kiosk or staff helper to complete it on the spot. You\'ll wait 10-20 minutes. Some airports add a fine; most just process you with extra paperwork. Do not plan on this — airline check-in agents may refuse boarding without TDAC.
Official sources
The official TDAC portal: tdac.immigration.go.th · Official manual: tdac.immigration.go.th/manual/en/ · Read about all 2026 Thailand visa changes.
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