Travel Guide
All Travelers Visiting Thailand Must Complete This Digital Entry Form Starting May 1
Feb
Last Updated
Home to paradisiacal islands surrounded by turquoise waters, astoundingly beautiful natural landscapes dotted with quaint villages and centuries-old temples, and most notably, a bustling Bangkok, Asia’s number one city break, Thailand is all the rage in 2025.
Travelers will be flocking from all over the world to bask in the tropical Koh Kood sun, take a long tail boat ride through imposing limestone formations, and experience Bangkok’s riotous nightlife at Sukhumvit Soi 11, but there’s a catch:
Bringing only your passport will not suffice.
Regardless of nationality, and this includes Americans and Canadians, you will now need to complete a mandatory digital entry form starting May 1, without which you will not be allowed into the country:
Mandatory Online Form To Enter Thailand From Next Spring
As confirmed by Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports on January 31, Thailand is preparing to introduce a mandatory online form for tourists entering the country from the start of May.
For years now, new arrivals have been required to fill out the TM6 Immigration Form upon landing before proceeding to the immigration booth itself to speak to an agent, but now, they’re digitizing the process and renaming it TDAC (which stands for Thailand Digital Arrival Card).
As it pertains to the form itself, not much has changed:
You will still be required to provide personal information, such as first name, surname(s), date of birth, passport number, address in the country, and other data, but the big change is that it will no longer be handed out to passengers during Thailand-bound flights, not be available at border checkpoints.
In other words, it can only be completed online, and that’s why it’s important you do so in advance.
You never know whether WiFi at airports in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, or any other entry point will be functional and available upon landing, and in most cases, you won’t be able to buy a local SIM until you’re past the border itself.
This means that unless you’ve completed the form in advance if you don’t have access to the internet when arriving in Thailand, you could find yourself stuck between a rock and a hard place.
The Immigration Form Will Be Accompanied By This Other Digital Requirement
The announcement was made in October 2024, when Thailand confirmed they will be bringing into a new Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system, applying to all visa-exempt travelers.
The ETA will be implemented at some point this year––maybe simultaneously as the TDAC?––and it functions as a digital travel permit.
You’ll be expected to fill out a form (don’t we love forms?), provide your personal details and other information, such as travel purposes, and once submitted, download the confirmation to present it to airline staff at the airport.
For now, it is free of cost.
Without an ETA and its accompanying TDAC, Americans may not be allowed to travel to Thailand once these get implemented fully.
The ETA has no start date set yet.
On the other hand, the TDAC does, beginning May 1.
Everything Else We Know About Thailand’s TDAC
Back to the TDAC itself, it will replace the previous TM6 form––we know, so many different acronyms, but bear with us––and as stated previously, it’s best completed in advance in order to avoid border delays and more serious complications when arriving at your destination.
We know you probably don’t care all that much about what a Thai minister has to say about the subject, but we must add that the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Nattareeya Thaweewong, has stated that this will, in fact, facilitate the entry of tourists.
Thinking about it, the Minister isn’t exactly wrong:
If you’ve ever flown into Thailand before and were required to fill out the TM6 form by hand amidst the chaos that is the international area of Chiang Mai Airport, you know how stressful and painstakingly long a process it can be (especially if you didn’t bring your own pen).
The TDAC will drastically reduce waiting for most people, and it will speed up border procedures, as once it’s launched, border guards will simply have you show the confirmation page, likely to feature a QR code, instead of manually going through the answers themselves.
To sum it up, in order to enter Thailand in 2025, you will need the following documentation:
- A Thai ETA (once it’s implemented)*
- A completed TDAC form (from May 1, 2025)
- A valid passport with at least six months left of validity
- In some cases, you may be asked to show proof of outbound travel, such as a return ticket, and sufficient funds
*If you require a visa to enter Thailand, you will still need a visa, not an ETA. Americans, Canadians, Brits, and most European nationals can enter Thailand visa-free, so they are not concerned.
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
