The Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) is mandatory for every foreign traveller entering Thailand, it is free, and you file it online within the 72 hours before you arrive at tdac.immigration.go.th . It replaced the paper TM6 card in May 2025 and applies on every entry, including repeat visits. It is a declaration, not a visa.
This guide is maintained by Zurich Kotak General Insurance, an IRDAI-registered general insurer in India and part of the Zurich Insurance Group.
How Zurich Kotak fits in: Filing the TDAC asks nothing of an insurer, but it lands in the last 72 hours before a trip that is already paid for, which is exactly when cover matters. Zurich Kotak’s Smart Travel plans run on the Asia geography Thailand sits in, with two tiers, Excel at sum insured up to USD 100,000 and Prime up to USD 500,000, covering emergency medical treatment, medical evacuation, baggage loss or delay and trip delay up to the limits of the plan you buy, and are issued online once your dates are fixed. Cashless treatment is available at partner hospitals including Bumrungrad International in Bangkok, subject to change, and a cashless claim is intimated within 24 hours of admission.
Last verified: 2026-08-27.
Is the THIM app now compulsory? No
You may have read that Thailand’s new THIM app became mandatory in August 2026. According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, it did not.
The Thai Immigration Bureau has launched THIM (Thailand Immigration Management), a mobile app that scans your passport and submits the TDAC for you. A great many articles state that THIM became compulsory at all Thai entry checkpoints from August 2026.
TAT’s guidance, current as of 2026-08-05, says otherwise: during the pilot phase THIM is an optional app that travellers may use to access TDAC-linked registration, or they may continue completing the TDAC through the existing official channel. TAT states plainly that THIM is not an additional mandatory entry requirement for tourists, and that it does not replace the TDAC.
So: complete your TDAC. Use the app if you prefer it, or the website if you do not. Either is fine. This is a live situation and the pilot is expected to end, so check before you travel, but as things stand nobody is going to stop you at the border for not having installed an app.
The official portal, and only the official portal
File at tdac.immigration.go.th . It is the Thai Immigration Bureau’s own site and the TDAC is free there.
Type the domain rather than following an advert. Search results for TDAC are crowded with third-party services that charge a fee to submit a free government form, and several of them rank above the official portal on some searches. They cannot process your card faster, because there is nothing to process. You fill in a form and receive a QR code.
If a site asks for a payment to file a Thailand arrival card, close it.
This is not a visa
The TDAC is a declaration of who you are and where you are staying. It says nothing about whether you are allowed into Thailand.
Whether you need a visa, and which one, is a separate question with its own answer. Thailand’s entry position for Indian passport holders has changed more than once recently, so check it rather than relying on what was true on your last trip: Thailand visa for Indians covers the routes, and is Thailand visa-free for Indians answers the specific question directly.
Filing the TDAC does not grant entry, extend a stay, or substitute for a visa or exemption.
Travelling to Thailand? Get covered before you fly. By the time you are filing your TDAC you are inside 72 hours of departure and everything else is paid for. Travel insurance for Thailand is the last item on the list.
Who has to file it
Every foreign national entering Thailand, by air, land or sea, on every single entry.
There is no exemption for short trips, for repeat visitors, or for travellers arriving overland from a neighbouring country. If you left Thailand and came back a week later, you file it again.
Thai nationals are outside the scope. Everyone else, including Indian passport holders and including children, files their own.
The 72-hour window
Submit within the three days before you arrive, counting the arrival day itself. Earlier submissions fall outside the valid window.
This is the most common practical failure with the TDAC, and it catches careful travellers rather than careless ones, because the instinct is to complete travel paperwork well in advance. The window opens 72 hours out. Filing on the day the window opens is the safest approach: it is done, and there is still time to correct an error.
How to file the TDAC
Gather four things before you open the form and it takes a few minutes.
Have ready:
1. Your passport, for the number, exact name spelling and expiry date.
2. Your flight number and arrival date.
3. The address of your first night’s accommodation in Thailand, as it appears on the booking.
4. Your visa or exemption details, if applicable.
Then:
1. Go to tdac.immigration.go.th , typing the address rather than following a search advert.
2. Enter your personal and passport details, matching the passport exactly.
3. Enter your travel details: flight, arrival date, port of entry.
4. Enter your accommodation address in Thailand.
5. Submit and save the QR code.
6. Keep the QR code offline, as a screenshot and on paper.
Enter your name exactly as the passport prints it. Not the version you use on forms at home, not an initial in place of a middle name. Mismatches are the thing that turns a two-minute formality into a queue.
What it costs: nothing
The TDAC is free.
There is no government charge, no fast-track tier and no premium option. Every rupee anyone asks for is a service fee for filling in a form you can complete yourself in the time it takes to find your booking confirmation.
Thailand is not the only country in the region asking for a pre-arrival declaration, and the rules differ on every one: which countries require a digital arrival card sets out what each country wants, when it is due and what it costs.
Common mistakes
Mistake | What happens | How to avoid it |
Assuming the THIM app is compulsory | Unnecessary worry, and sometimes a paid “assisted” download | Per TAT as of 2026-08-05 it is optional; the TDAC itself is what matters |
Treating the TDAC as a visa | Arriving without the entry permission you actually needed | Check your visa route separately |
Filing more than 72 hours ahead | Outside the valid window | Wait for the window, then file immediately |
Paying a third-party site | Money spent for nothing | tdac.immigration.go.th , typed directly |
Skipping it on a repeat entry | Delays at the counter | Every entry needs its own TDAC |
One filing for a family | Travellers without a declaration | One per person, children included |
QR code stored online only | No signal at the airport | Screenshot plus a printout |
Travel insurance and the pre-departure checklist
The TDAC does not ask for proof of travel insurance, and we will not pretend it does. Filing it has no insurance requirement attached.
The reason it appears on this page is timing. You are filing this document inside the last three days before departure, when the flights, the accommodation and any visa fee are already spent and mostly non-refundable. It is the natural moment to check that what you have already committed is covered.
Zurich Kotak’s Smart Travel plans cover Thailand under the Asia geography, on the Excel and Prime tiers, with sum insured up to USD 500,000 on Prime and a maximum entry age of 70. There is no Senior Citizen plan on the Asia geography, so travellers aged 71 and over need a different route.
On medical cover specifically, ZK’s cashless network in Thailand includes Bumrungrad International in Bangkok. Hospital lists are subject to change, so verify before you rely on one.
Frequently asked questions
Is the TDAC mandatory for Indians? Yes. Every foreign national entering Thailand must file the Thailand Digital Arrival Card, on every entry, whether arriving by air, land or sea. Indian passport holders are included.
Is the TDAC free? Yes, it is free at the official portal tdac.immigration.go.th . Third-party sites that charge to submit it are selling a service you do not need.
Is the THIM app mandatory now? No. Per the Tourism Authority of Thailand, as of 2026-08-05 THIM is an optional app in a pilot phase, and it does not replace the TDAC. Many articles claim it became compulsory in August 2026; that is not TAT’s position.
When should I fill in the TDAC? Within the 72 hours before you arrive, including the arrival day. Submissions made earlier than that fall outside the valid window.
Does the TDAC replace my Thailand visa? No. The TDAC is an arrival declaration. Whether you need a visa or qualify for an exemption is a separate question and the answer for Indian passport holders has changed recently, so check it before you travel.
Do I need a new TDAC every time I enter Thailand? Yes. It is per entry, not per traveller per year. A repeat visit a week later needs a fresh one.
