Who needs a TDAC and who does not
The Immigration Bureau's TDAC user guide says all non-Thai nationals entering the Kingdom must complete the card online before entry, whatever their mode of transport: air, land or sea. The guide makes no exception for children, so count every non-Thai passport in your party, including infants.
The Royal Thai Embassy in Abuja adds two points that matter in practice: the card is needed regardless of visa type, including visa-exempt entry, and it is registered every time you enter. A trip out to Cambodia or Laos and back means a second card.
Two groups do not file, according to the TAT announcement of the system:
- passengers transiting or transferring through Thailand without passing through immigration control
- travellers entering with a Border Pass
If your connection at Suvarnabhumi or Don Mueang means collecting bags, changing airports or leaving the secure area, you pass immigration and you need the card.
When to submit, and what it costs
The user guide's wording is that foreigners must submit their arrival card information "3 days in advance of their arrival date". Treat that as a window: TAT describes it as submitting "up to three days before" arrival, and the Abuja embassy as "within 3 days before" arrival. The guide does not say how the window is counted around the arrival day itself, so file as soon as you are inside the three days rather than at the airport.
The official portal charges nothing. Its page title reads "No Fees Required", and the embassy notice calls the card free of charge, tells travellers not to pay if asked and to submit only on the official website. If a site asks for a card number, you are not on tdac.immigration.go.th.
Filling in the card
To change something later, the guide's update function finds your card by TDAC number, date of birth and nationality. Full name, nationality and date of birth are locked once submitted.
What to show on arrival
The government's TDAC explainer on thailand.go.th tells travellers to show the confirmation email to immigration officers on arrival. The user guide says you can download or print a copy from that email for the duration of your stay. Save it offline on your phone before you board: arrival halls are a poor place to rely on roaming data.
Once through immigration, the next decision is getting into the city: see Suvarnabhumi Airport to the city or Don Mueang Airport to the city.
The visa exemption changed on 15 September 2026
According to the Government Public Relations Department notice of 4 September 2026, sourced from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' consular department, the revision was published in the Royal Gazette on 31 August 2026 and took effect on 15 September 2026:
| Scheme | From 15 September 2026 |
|---|---|
| 60-day visa exemption | Revoked |
| 30-day tourist visa exemption | 60 countries and territories |
| 15-day tourist visa exemption | New, 2 countries or territories |
| Visa on arrival | Reduced to 3 countries |
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs summary sheet ("status as of 31 August 2026") gives the same counts and a visa-on-arrival fee of 2,000 baht. The PRD notice says each country or territory now gets only one visa-exemption scheme. Some countries have separate bilateral visa-exemption agreements, and the Cabinet's May notice lists those, the new schemes and an e-Visa as the routes to entry.
People already in Thailand on 15 September 2026, or who arrived before that date, keep the stay period stamped in their passport. Anyone else coming for a purpose other than tourism should look at the relevant visa category; the PRD notice says only the tourist exemptions and visa on arrival were revised.
Money and items immigration and customs care about
The government's proof-of-funds reminder (7 July 2026, citing TAT) says officers may ask to see funds in baht, the equivalent in another currency, or documents showing an equivalent amount. Its figures:
| Entry type | Per person | Per family |
|---|---|---|
| Transit visa, certain visa-exempt cases, visa on arrival | 10,000 baht | 20,000 baht |
| Tourist visa, Non-Immigrant visa | 20,000 baht | 40,000 baht |
The same page says visitors on the tourist visa exemption should check the latest guidance for their nationality, as some official guidance states 20,000 baht per person or 40,000 per family. Children under 12 are not counted. The final entry decision rests with the officer at the checkpoint.
E-cigarettes are a separate risk. The government page on e-cigarettes (last updated July 2023) says importing them has been banned since 2014, with penalties of up to 10 years' imprisonment under the Customs Act; possessing smuggled goods can mean up to 5 years, and using one with nicotine in a public area a fine of up to 5,000 baht. Leave vapes at home.
Worked example: a family of four on a visa exemption
Two adults and two children aged 8 and 10, all holding passports from a country on the 30-day list, flying into Suvarnabhumi on a Saturday:
- TDAC: one adult files on the Thursday or Friday before, safely inside the 3-day window rather than at the airport, as one group submission with 4 entries. Cost: nothing.
- Visa: none needed for a stay of up to 30 days, provided the nationality is on the current 30-day list. Stays longer than that need a visa arranged in advance.
- Funds: the children are under 12 and are not counted. For the two adults, 2 × 10,000 baht and the family figure both come to 20,000 baht at the lower tier; at the higher figure the government page mentions for some visa-exempt tourists, 2 × 20,000 and the family figure both come to 40,000 baht. The page lists documents showing an equivalent amount as an alternative to cash, but what is accepted is the officer's decision, so have both a card and some baht or foreign currency.
- Switch: if one parent holds a passport from a 15-day country, that parent's stay limit sets the length of the family trip unless they get a visa.
Keep your shopping receipts too: if you plan to claim tax back on departure, see claiming your VAT refund.
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