Thailand Digital Arrival Card: TDAC Guide for Phuket

The Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) is a free online form that every non-Thai traveller must complete within the three days before landing in Phuket, counting the day of arrival. It takes about three to five minutes per person on the Immigration Bureau's only official website, tdac.immigration.go.th, and you need a new card for every entry. There is no reason to pay anyone to file it.

With the high season under way and international flights into Phuket filling up, the card is the first piece of Thai paperwork most visitors meet. It replaced the paper TM.6 form on May 1, 2025, and the system has been updated several times since, most recently in October.

Who needs a Thailand Digital Arrival Card?

According to the Immigration Bureau's official FAQ, all non-Thai nationals entering by air, land or sea need one, including infants, children and diplomatic passport holders. It applies whatever your entry status: visa exemption, visa on arrival or a visa issued in advance. The main exceptions are aircraft crew and transit passengers who never pass through immigration. If you leave the airport during a stopover, you need a card.

The form does not decide how long you may stay. Since September 15, 2026, the old 60-day visa exemption has been replaced by a 30-day exemption for passport holders from 60 countries and territories, including the UK, the US, Australia, Germany and India, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). Check the rule for your own nationality before planning a long trip.

When and where to submit

• Window: within three days before arrival, including the arrival day. Earlier submissions are not accepted.
• Official channels: the website tdac.immigration.go.th, or THIM (Thailand Immigration Management), the Immigration Bureau's app for iOS and Android. TAT has stressed that THIM is optional and does not replace the TDAC; it is simply another way to file it.
• Cost: free. Look-alike websites and apps charge fees. Travel agents may file on your behalf with your permission, but the government itself charges nothing.
• Groups: up to 10 travellers can go in one submission, so one parent can file for the whole family.

What information does the TDAC ask for?

Gather everything before you start, because the form cannot be saved and finished later.

Section	What you enter
Personal details	Name, passport number, nationality, date of birth, occupation, country and city of residence
Trip	Flight number, arrival date, where you boarded and the purpose of travel; departure details are optional
Accommodation	Type of stay and the Thai address, with province, district and sub-district
Health declaration	Countries where you stayed in the two weeks before arrival
Contact	An email address to receive the QR code

A "Retrieve with Passport" button lets you scan the machine-readable strip of your passport with a phone camera, which cuts typing errors. For a Phuket hotel, copy the address from your booking. The island has three districts: Mueang Phuket, Kathu, which includes Patong, and Thalang, where the airport is.

What happens after you submit the Thailand Digital Arrival Card?

The system emails a confirmation with your details and a QR code. You do not have to print it; showing it on a phone is enough, though the Immigration Bureau suggests carrying a printout if you will not have a device. TDAC sends no reminders, so set your own.

Since a system update on October 15, 2026, the email also says whether you may use the automated border control gates ("ELIGIBLE") or must go to a staffed counter ("MANUAL PROCESSING"). Every update to your card triggers a new email, so check the latest one. Immigration officers still have the final word.

Can you use the e-gates at Phuket Airport?

For most visitors, not yet. Phuket Airport opened its first 10 arrivals autogates in June and announced plans to expand to 21, the Bangkok Post reported. In September, however, Phuket Airport Immigration told The Phuket News that only three machines were usable, and only by travellers from Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong. A wider rollout to 33 nationalities needed a Royal Gazette announcement and had no confirmed date. Plan for the regular counters, especially when several long-haul flights land together. For departures, e-gates have been open to e-passport holders since June 13, according to TAT.

How to fix a mistake

Use "Update Arrival Card" on the website to change your flight, dates or accommodation. Your name, passport number, nationality and date of birth cannot be edited; for those, submit a new card. The system treats the most recent submission as the valid one. If a delay pushes your landing past midnight, update the arrival date so it still matches.

Forgot to fill it in?

Phuket is one of five airports with TDAC kiosks, alongside Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Chiang Mai and Hat Yai, and free Wi-Fi is provided for travellers who arrive without a card. Kiosk users receive the QR code by email only, so photograph the screen as a backup. Filing before you fly is still far quicker than queuing at a kiosk after a long flight.

Tips for a smooth arrival in Phuket

• Submit the day before you fly, once your flight time is confirmed.
• Save the QR code to your phone's photos in case the airport connection is slow.
• Type the official address yourself rather than clicking sponsored search results that ask for card payments.
• Keep your hotel booking and onward or return ticket to hand for the immigration officer.
• If you hope to use the departure e-gates, make sure your passport has at least 180 days of validity left.

Once you clear immigration, our guides explain how to get from Phuket airport to Patong and what to expect inside the terminal in our Phuket airport guide. Check Phuket weather in November before packing, and see our explainer on Thailand's TM6, TM7 and TM30 forms; TM6 is the paper card the TDAC replaced.

FAQ

Is the Thailand Digital Arrival Card free?

Yes. Filing on tdac.immigration.go.th or through the THIM app costs nothing. Any site asking for a fee is not the Thai government.

How early can I submit the TDAC?

No more than three days before arrival, with the arrival day counted as one of the three. For a Friday landing, the earliest day to file is Wednesday.

Do children need their own TDAC?

Yes. Every traveller needs a card, including babies, but a parent can add them to the same submission, up to 10 people.

Do I need a new TDAC after a side trip to Malaysia?

Yes. Each card is valid for one entry only, so you must file again before re-entering Thailand by air, land or sea.

Photo: International terminal, Phuket International Airport, by MNXANL / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.