Thailand's TDAC Replaced the Paper TM6 , Here's the Drill

Thailand's Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) has been mandatory since May 1, 2025, replacing the old paper TM6 form for every non-Thai national entering by air, land or sea. It's free, it's digital and forgetting it can mean denial at the border.

The TDAC collects passport details, flight or vehicle info, your Thailand address, travel purpose and a health declaration , all submitted online before you arrive. Transit passengers who skip immigration are exempt, everyone else isn't.

Who's affected:

• Tourists on the 60-day visa-free entry (including U.S. citizens)
• Expats and long-term visa holders
• DTV visa holders and digital nomads
• Children and diplomatic non-Thai nationals
• Anyone crossing any border type , air, land or sea

Submit your TDAC within 72 hours before arrival, it's only valid for that single entry, so you'll need a new one each time. The process, turns out, is straightforward: scan your passport's MRZ to auto-fill fields, review, submit and you'll get a QR code by email , show it digitally or printed at immigration. Groups up to 10 travelers can submit together, which is honestly a nice touch for families.

Kiosks are available at major airports like Suvarnabhumi and Phuket if you arrive without one, but don't count on that buffer. Scams charging fees for TDAC submission exist, the real thing costs nothing.

The broader picture matters here. Thailand's cabinet endorsed visa reforms in February 2026, keeping the 60-day visa-free window but flagging frequent entries , 3+ air entries per year or 5+ months of cumulative stay , for additional scrutiny. Land crossings are capped at 2 visa-free entries per year. A 300 THB arrival fee is still postponed to Q2/Q3 2026, so that clock is ticking. Easy visa runs, frankly, are over.

DTV visa holders should watch the 180-day threshold that triggers tax residency , that's a separate headache worth planning around before it bites.

Read our full Thailand guide for the complete picture on visas, entry rules and the latest nomad news affecting your stay.