TDAC, MDAC, SG Arrival Card, All Indonesia, eTravel, Visit Japan Web and Korea's e-Arrival Card: who files, when, where, and why the official forms are free.
Cover image: The arrivals immigration hall at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (2019 file photo) — photo by Exec8, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) is the online form that replaced the paper TM.6 card. Non-Thai nationals entering Thailand by air, land or sea must file it at tdac.immigration.go.th, starting no earlier than three days before arrival. Six other Asian countries now run comparable systems, from Malaysia's MDAC to South Korea's e-Arrival Card, and none of the seven official forms charges a fee.
That matters because look-alike websites sell the same forms for a "processing fee", and authorities in all seven countries have warned about them. The risk for the trade is practical: some airlines check for the card before boarding, and a traveller who paid an unofficial site may arrive with no record in the system.
Last checked: 1 November 2026.
Who has to file the Thailand digital arrival card TDAC?
All foreigners entering Thailand must file it, with two exceptions, according to the Royal Thai Embassy in Athens: passengers transiting or transferring without going through immigration control, and foreigners entering on a Border Pass. The Immigration Bureau's own FAQ adds that crew are exempt and that each card covers one entry only. The card has been compulsory since 1 May 2025. It is not a visa.
The window is three days, counting the arrival date. The form asks for passport, travel, accommodation and health details, and one submission can cover up to 10 people, the embassy in Bucharest says. A confirmation and personal QR code arrive by email.
Four details cannot be edited after submission: full name, passport number, nationality and date of birth. A mistake in any of them means a new registration. Five airports (Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Hat Yai) have TDAC kiosks for travellers who forget, the bureau says, but the Bucharest embassy warns of extra delay and queues.
Thailand's Ministry of Tourism and Sports calls registration "completely free of charge" and says it can only be done on the Immigration Bureau's site.
Which other Asian countries require a digital arrival card in 2026?
Malaysia's Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) has been compulsory for foreign citizens since 1 January 2024 and must be submitted within three days before arrival, for every visit. The Immigration Department exempts Singapore citizens, diplomatic and official passport holders, Malaysian permanent residents and long-term pass holders, and holders of certain Brunei, Thai and Indonesian travel and border documents. Visitors from 10 countries, including Australia, Japan, the UK and the US, can then use KLIA's autogates after a first-visit enrolment at a manual counter. Visa rules are in our Malaysia entry guide.
Singapore's SG Arrival Card (SGAC), which includes an electronic health declaration, is required of all travellers except those transiting without clearing immigration and residents crossing at the Woodlands and Tuas land checkpoints. The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) counts three days including arrival day: someone landing on 30 June can file from 28 June. One submission can cover up to three trips within the window.
Indonesia's All Indonesia card combines immigration, customs, health and quarantine declarations in one application. It became mandatory for arriving passengers, Indonesian citizens as well as foreigners, on 1 October 2025, DDTCNews reported, and can be filed from three days before arrival.
The Philippines' eTravel covers arriving passengers and crew of any nationality, plus departing Filipinos; foreign diplomats, 9(e) visa holders and diplomatic or official passport holders are exempt. It opens 72 hours ahead. A green QR code means straight to immigration; a red one means extra checks by the Bureau of Quarantine.
Japan works differently. The Immigration Services Agency requires a disembarkation (ED) card from every foreign national making a new entry and recommends filing it through Visit Japan Web, where one QR code also covers the customs declaration. There is no three-day limit: trips can be registered up to 31 December of the following year, according to the Visit Japan Web manual, and the agency asks visitors to finish before they reach the immigration hall. Each family member needs a separate code.
South Korea's e-Arrival Card is an online alternative to the paper arrival card, which remains available. It opens three days before arrival on Korea Standard Time and lapses 72 hours after submission or once you clear immigration. Visa holders, citizens of countries temporarily exempt from K-ETA, and K-ETA-eligible travellers under 17 or over 65 must file; K-ETA holders do not, unless they enter on a visa. Whether the temporary exemption runs into 2027 is tracked in our K-ETA exemption guide.
Vietnam is the one to watch. Since 15 April 2026 it has encouraged foreign arrivals at Ho Chi Minh City's Tan Son Nhat airport to file a digital arrival card in advance. The UK Foreign Office says it is not currently mandatory, but that this may change or be rolled out to other airports with limited notice; our Vietnam e-visa guide has the background.
Asia's arrival cards compared: official sites, windows and cost
Status as of 1 November 2026.
| Country | Form | Official site | When to file | Online filing required? | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thailand | TDAC | tdac.immigration.go.th | Within 3 days before arrival, incl. arrival day | Yes (airport kiosks as backup) | Free |
| Malaysia | MDAC | imigresen-online.imi.gov.my/mdac/main | Within 3 days before arrival | Yes | Free |
| Singapore | SG Arrival Card | eservices.ica.gov.sg/sgarrivalcard | Within 3 days before arrival, incl. arrival day | Yes | Free |
| Indonesia | All Indonesia | allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id | From 3 days before arrival | Yes | Free |
| Philippines | eTravel | etravel.gov.ph | Within 72 hours before arrival or departure | Yes | Free |
| Japan | Visit Japan Web | vjw.digital.go.jp | No three-day limit; finish before reaching immigration | ED card required; online filing recommended | Free |
| South Korea | e-Arrival Card | e-arrivalcard.go.kr | From 3 days before arrival (KST); lapses after 72 hours | No; paper card still available | Free |
How do you spot a fake arrival card website?
Check the domain before typing anything. Every official form above sits on a government domain ending .go.th, .gov.my, .gov.sg, .go.id, .gov.ph, .go.jp or .go.kr, and Singapore's ICA says its official addresses "will always contain '.ica.gov.sg'". None asks for payment.
The warnings are specific. Thailand's tourism ministry said on 17 October 2025 that sites requesting payment "are not official Thai government sites, but scams". In Malaysia, KLIA immigration director Ibrahim Mohd Yusof said in November 2024 that some sites charged up to RM300 to register an MDAC, which costs nothing, and that some tourists who believed they had filed could not be found in the system, Utusan Malaysia reported.
Singapore's ICA has had reports of people charged a processing fee by sites they mistook for its e-Service. Indonesia's customs directorate flagged a fake All Indonesia site in October 2025 and warned again in February 2026. Japan's Digital Agency said on 5 June 2025 that it never charges Visit Japan Web users, after finding a site that did. Korea warns of "websites with similar names" that may ask for payment, and eTravel says it "does not collect or require any form of online payment".
A paid agent is not a shortcut. The traveller still needs the official confirmation.
How should travellers and tour operators time cards on a multi-country trip?
Because most windows are three days, cards for stops more than three days into a trip cannot be filed before leaving home. Take a traveller who lands in Singapore on Tuesday 10 November, crosses by road to Johor Bahru on Friday 13 November and flies to Bangkok on Monday 16 November:
- SG Arrival Card: can be filed from Sunday 8 November, before departure.
- MDAC: file in Singapore on 11 or 12 November, inside the three-day window.
- TDAC: file in Malaysia on 14 or 15 November.
Keep each confirmation on the phone: the Philippines asks travellers to show eTravel proof before boarding, and the UK Foreign Office says airlines may ask for the MDAC at check-in.
Group tools vary. TDAC takes up to 10 people per submission; Korea's e-Arrival Card takes up to 1,000 on a PC but only nine on a phone; Visit Japan Web needs a separate QR code for each family member. Korea warns that false information filed on a traveller's behalf can still bring penalties or entry restrictions.
Frequently asked questions
Does the TDAC cost anything?
No. Thailand's Ministry of Tourism and Sports says TDAC registration is completely free of charge and can only be done at tdac.immigration.go.th. Websites that request payment are not official Thai government sites, the ministry says, and it asks the public to report them, for example to the Cyber Police Hotline on 1441.
How early can I fill in an Asian arrival card?
Usually no more than three days ahead. Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia open their windows three days before arrival, and the Philippines' eTravel opens 72 hours ahead. South Korea's opens three days ahead on Korea Standard Time. Japan sets no window for Visit Japan Web but asks visitors to finish before reaching immigration.
Do transit passengers need an arrival card?
Not if they stay airside. Thailand exempts passengers who transit or transfer without going through immigration control, Singapore exempts travellers transiting without clearing immigration, and the UK Foreign Office says the same applies in Malaysia. Anyone who passes through immigration, for example on a self-transfer, needs the card.
Do I still need a visa if I have filed an arrival card?
Yes, if your nationality needs one. An arrival card is not a visa: Thai embassies and Singapore's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority both say so explicitly, and South Korea runs its e-Arrival Card as a separate system from the K-ETA travel authorisation. Sort out the visa or authorisation first, then file the card inside its window.
Sources
- Royal Thai Embassy Athens, TDAC notice; Bucharest embassy notice; Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports, fake TDAC sites; Immigration Bureau, TDAC FAQ
- Immigration Department of Malaysia, MDAC portal; Utusan Malaysia, fake MDAC sites (Malay)
- ICA Singapore, SG Arrival Card; ICA Singapore, misleading websites advisory
- DDTCNews, fake All Indonesia site (Indonesian); Ortax, customs fraud warning (Indonesian)
- eTravel Philippines, FAQs
- Immigration Services Agency of Japan, ED card (Japanese); Digital Agency, Visit Japan Web fee notice; Visit Japan Web instruction manual
- Korea e-Arrival Card guide; who must declare; free-of-charge notice
- UK Foreign Office, Malaysia; South Korea; Vietnam entry requirements
