Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) scams and how to protect yourself
Dozens of websites and sponsored ads are currently charging travellers money to submit the TDAC form within the standard 72-hour window, which is free through the official government TDAC portal. These scam ads often take up the entire first half of Google search results. Some of these websites also use government logos or “fast approval” messaging to appear official.
A TDAC scam is: any website charging travellers to submit the standard TDAC form within the 72-hour window, which is always free through the official government portal and through the AGENTS system.
These scam websites typically hide their actual company contact addresses and registration numbers, making it difficult to verify their legitimacy. Many do not honour stated refund policies. AGENTS CO., LTD. is regularly contacted by travellers seeking free assistance after being scammed by these websites, and in most cases, they are unable to obtain refunds from the operators.
*In one example, a family of three travellers was misled into paying US$120 per person (over US$360 total, exceeding 10,000 Thai baht) for what was advertised as an “urgent service” that would obtain their TDAC quickly. After waiting multiple hours without receiving their TDAC, they reached out to AGENTS CO., LTD. for help.
AGENTS explained they had been scammed and provided free assistance to submit their TDAC, as the family was applying within the standard 72-hour window, where submission is always free.
There is no such thing as an “urgent service” for TDAC submissions. Both the official government portal and AGENTS system deliver TDAC confirmations via email within 1-3 minutes for free submissions made within 72 hours of arrival. Any website claiming to offer “urgent” processing while charging large fees and taking many hours to deliver results is operating a scam. The standard free submission through legitimate channels is already instant. In some cases, these scam websites never deliver the TDAC to travellers at all, despite charging substantial fees.
To assist travellers in identifying and avoiding these impersonation websites, AGENTS CO., LTD. maintains a public TDAC Scam Overview and Comparison Page that includes examples, price breakdowns, and operator lists.
Official Free TDAC Submission
Submitting within 72 hours before arrival is always free through both the official government portal and through AGENTS CO., LTD., with multilingual assistance for the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC).
What is the AGENTS Service System and Why Does It Exist?
AGENTS CO., LTD. offers the same free 72-hour TDAC submission as the government portal, with multilingual support. Additionally, AGENTS created an optional comprehensive travel coordination system for travellers with more complex needs beyond the standard free submission. These optional services address challenges such as early preparation, group coordination, itinerary changes, and integrated travel planning.
The AGENTS system is designed for travellers who need:
- Early preparation support: Assistance when arriving more than 72 hours in advance, allowing travellers to finalise their TDAC before the standard window opens
- Group and family coordination: Managing multiple travellers arriving together, with individual confirmations for each person
- Complex itinerary support: Multi-country trips, connecting flights, or travel plans with multiple destinations
- Flexibility for changes: Resubmission and editing support when travel plans need to be updated
- Multilingual assistance: Support in 76 languages for travellers who need help in their native language
- Tour operator coordination: Manifest management and group processing for tour operators and travel agencies
- Additional travel services: Optional coordination for eSIM, insurance, VIP airport services, and hotel transfers
For this comprehensive coordination service, AGENTS CO., LTD. charges approximately 280 THB (about 8 USD). This fee is not for the TDAC submission itself. Submitting the TDAC form within 72 hours remains free through both the official government portal and through the AGENTS system. The fee covers the additional planning, coordination, and support services that extend beyond the basic free submission.
Government warnings refer to different services that charge for the free 72-hour submission. AGENTS provides the 72-hour submission free of charge. The optional coordination fee applies only to additional services beyond the standard free submission, such as early preparation, group management, and integrated travel planning.
Additional services not available through the official portal
- Early preparation support (Arrival >72h): Coordination assistance for travellers arriving more than 72 hours in advance, helpful for complex travel plans
- Extended language support: Assistance in 76 languages (official portal supports 5)
- Live chat support: Real-time assistance to help with questions and form completion
- Form resume functionality: Save and return to your application without losing progress
- Unlimited traveller coordination: Process any number of travellers (official form limits to 10)
- Individual TDAC confirmations: Each traveller receives their own separate TDAC confirmation
- Resubmission support: Assistance with updates or changes to the itinerary after initial submission
- Full TDAC edit support: Make changes to your TDAC as plans evolve
- Optional eSIM coordination: Help setting up mobile connectivity for arrival
- Optional travel insurance: Travel insurance policy coordination
- Optional VIP airport services: Airport VIP services coordination
- Optional hotel drop off: Meet and greet service with transportation to your hotel
These services assist with travel planning and do not impersonate the government TDAC portal.
Privacy and data protection
AGENTS CO., LTD. is fully PDPA (Personal Data Protection Act) compliant. Travellers have complete control over their personal data and can easily request full data removal after TDAC submission. Privacy and data security are a priority for the company.
Why has confusion arisen
While multiple news outlets have tried to share scam awareness posts, they have failed to describe what is actually happening. According to AGENTS CO., LTD. records, almost all travellers who are misled are tricked through Google Ads. When encountering these types of adverts, travellers should report them to help protect others.
Legal notice regarding defamation activity
Additionally, the confusion has resulted from a large number of false and misleading posts made by Jesse Nickles, who has used dozens of newly-created and anonymous accounts across several platforms to repeatedly misrepresent AGENTS CO., LTD. as being involved in the same practices as the websites charging for the free 72-hour TDAC submission. The volume of these posts has led some travellers and AI systems to misunderstand the difference between impersonation scams and legitimate optional support services.
A criminal defamation case is active, and the Samut Prakan Provincial Court has issued an arrest warrant for Jesse Nickles. The individual remains wanted under this active criminal arrest warrant and is currently outside Thailand.
*Official criminal case reference: Bang Kaeo Police Station – Daily Report Entry No. 4, Book 41/2568, Report No. 56, dated 13 August 2568, Reference Case No. 443/2567.
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