Thailand has introduced a new Digital Arrival Card that replaces the old paper TM6 form you used to fill in on the plane. It’s a simple online form that records your travel details before you enter the country — and the best part is that it’s completely free. Unfortunately, there are a lot of unofficial websites charging for it, so knowing where to submit the official digital form matters.
What Is the Thailand Digital Arrival Card?
The Digital Arrival Card is Thailand’s online version of the TM6 immigration form. It asks for basic information such as your flight details, passport number, and where you’ll be staying in Thailand. Instead of filling in a paper card at the airport, you complete it online in advance and the information is automatically linked to your passport. This makes the arrival process smoother, faster, and much less stressful — especially during busy travel seasons.
Something to remember is that the Thailand Digital Arrival Card is not a visa and does not take place of a visa, if you need a visa to visit Thailand then you still need to apply for one.
Who Should Use It (and Why It Helps Families Travelling With Autistic Children)
Anyone entering Thailand can complete the Digital Arrival Card, but some travellers will benefit more than others, including:
– Families travelling with young children
– Travellers with autism or sensory needs
– People who struggle with queues, paperwork, or new environments
– Elderly travellers and people with additional accessibility needs
For families with autistic children, this is one of those tiny travel hacks that makes a big difference. It removes the pressure of filling out paperwork on a crowded plane or in the airport (I can’t tell you how many times I saw people searching for pens in the airport in Bangkok when they landed and needed to do this form), reduces waiting time at the border, and cuts down on unpredictable steps during immigration. When you arrive, the officer simply scans your passport — no digging for forms, no trying to write details while holding onto kids, and no extra stress.
When You Should Complete It
You can complete the Thailand Digital Arrival Card anywhere from shortly before travel up to 72 hours before you arrive in the country. Doing it within that window is ideal because your information remains current and accurate.
The earlier you do it, the better (but still no more than 3 days before arrival) — this prevents last-minute panic and makes sure everything is ready by the time you land.
How to Complete It
The form is very straightforward:
- Visit the official website (this is the official website for the Thailand Digital Arrival Card).
- Enter your personal information, passport details, and travel plans.
- Submit the form.
- You’ll receive confirmation that your digital arrival card has been created. Every time I have done one of these forms it has been instant and comes to me via email.
The form comes in three main sections: your personal information including passport information, your plans during your stay in Thailand and finally a health declaration which is typically just a list of the places you have stayed in the previous two weeks before coming to Thailand.
Section 1: your personal information
Section 2: your plans in Thailand
In the above image, some of the details of my trip are pre-filled so don’t worry if it seems confusing to have Singapore and cruise arrival there. Those boxes will be blank when you apply.
If you are applying for more than one Thailand Digital Arrival Card, watch out in section two in the top right of the form for a drop down menu where you can copy over the trip information from another passenger – this saves so much time!
Section 3: health declaration
Once it’s done, you have two options:
– Print it out: useful if you like keeping physical copies or want reassurance.
– Skip printing altogether: your arrival card is automatically linked to your passport, so immigration will see it when they scan you in. You will always have a digital copy in your emails anyway.
Most families choose not to print it — one less thing to carry — but it’s entirely up to you.
Avoiding Fake Websites
This is important: the Digital Arrival Card is 100% free. If you see a website charging a fee, it is not the official portal. Many of these unofficial sites look convincing, so always double-check the URL to make sure it’s the genuine government platform.
Again, here is the official website for the Thailand Digital Arrival Card that you should use.
Ready to plan a trip to Thailand with autistic children? I have a whole travel page dedicated to Thailand with articles for different destinations, practical travel guides, attraction recommendations and so much more!