THAILAND ENTRY GUIDE

Entering Thailand: TDAC, passport and arrival guide

Chosen your dates for Bangkok or Phuket? Check the entry conditions for your own passport and travel purpose, then complete your TDAC for your arrival date in Thailand. Keep your passport, ticket and accommodation booking beside you as you enter the details. This guide takes you from documents to prepare before departure through immigration and baggage collection after landing.

How to complete TDACComplete, save and update using mobile screens →Thailand visa typesChoose a visa for your travel purpose →Thailand tourist visaSingle and multiple entries and application documents →

Essential information before you start

Who this guide is for
International travellers checking the conditions for their own passport and purpose
Arrival declaration
TDAC · free submission through the official website
Visa exemption
Check eligibility for your passport; follow the actual permission granted at immigration

Start with the rules for your passport

Visa exemption depends on passport nationality, passport type and purpose of travel. English-language guidance does not mean that every reader has the same eligibility. Use the official Thai e-Visa website to check your nationality and travel document, and read the instructions of the Thai embassy or consulate responsible for where you are applying. Check each traveller separately if family or friends hold different passports.

An advertised maximum stay is not automatically granted to every arrival. After immigration, check the actual admitted-until date recorded in your passport and leave within that permission. If you will work, study or stay for a longer purpose, prepare the relevant visa rather than relying on tourist entry conditions.

What to have ready before your flight

Keep your passport, ticket and accommodation booking together. Enter your name exactly as it appears in your passport and use the booking’s English accommodation name and address for the TDAC. Read the Thai arrival date and flight number from your ticket, rather than copying the date you leave your departure country.

Have your return or onward ticket and accommodation details ready. If asked where you will stay or when you will leave, explain your booked itinerary. Check the financial evidence required for your passport and entry category in the responsible Thai mission’s official instructions. Funds required as evidence of your trip are separate from TDAC submission, which is free.

Complete the TDAC within three days, including arrival day

The TDAC is the online arrival declaration replacing the paper arrival card. Non-Thai nationals entering Thailand by air, land or sea must complete it before immigration, subject to the official exemptions. Children need their own traveller details too.

Submit within the three-day window that includes your arrival date. Prepare your passport, ticket, English accommodation address and email, and use the local arrival date in Thailand. Download the completed document to your phone so you can open it at the airport even with an unreliable connection.

Completing an arrival declaration does not issue a visa. TDAC and visa preparation are separate. If your purpose requires a visa, prepare both the visa and the TDAC.

After you land at the airport

Follow Immigration / Passport Control signs to the immigration area. Keep your passport, TDAC confirmation and any required visa easy to reach. Answer questions about your travel purpose and accommodation using your actual plans.

After immigration, read the permitted-stay expiry recorded in your passport. Continue to Baggage Claim, collect your bags and pass through customs to the arrivals hall. Use the declaration procedure if you have goods to declare. Routes differ between airports such as Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang, so read the guide for your arrival airport as well.

Transit without entering Thailand

You do not need a TDAC if you transit without passing immigration. If you enter Thailand to leave the airport or collect bags and check in again, you need a TDAC.

If you booked separate tickets, ask the airline before departure whether your bags will be checked through and whether you must pass Thai immigration. An itinerary labelled “transit” can still require entry into Thailand.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need both a TDAC and a visa?

Travellers entering under a valid visa exemption still need a TDAC unless an official TDAC exemption applies. The TDAC is an arrival declaration; a visa is a separate requirement based on your passport and travel purpose. A work or study trip cannot be prepared simply by completing the TDAC.

How long can I stay without a visa?

The applicable permission depends on your passport, passport type and purpose. Check your eligibility through the official Thai e-Visa website and responsible Thai mission. After arrival, use the actual permission recorded in your passport when planning your departure.

Which date do I enter for a late-night arrival?

Use the local arrival date in Thailand shown on your ticket. If you depart one day and land in Thailand the next, enter the next day’s date. Check the arrival date and flight number together.

Keep planning your trip

Complete TDAC on your phone →Thailand visa types →Tourist visa requirements →Choose where to go in Thailand →

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