Brits told to log on or bog off as Thailand rolls out digital arrival card
British travellers planning a Thailand getaway next month are being told to fire up the laptop before packing their flipflops because from May 1, every foreign visitor must register online before setting foot in the Land of Smiles.
The UK government issued a fresh travel warning to Brits heading to Thailand: don’t get caught out by the country’s new Thailand Digital Entry Card (TDAC). The online-only form will replace the old-fashioned paper TM6 arrival slip, which was quietly scrapped in April last year.
Whether you’re flying in or sailing through, you’ll need to pre-register online up to three days before arrival, handing over key details like your passport number, flight info and hotel address. The site is already live, and from May Day, it’s mandatory, no card, no entry.
“It’s all part of Thailand’s big push to become a Smart Tourism Destination,” said an Immigration Bureau spokesperson. The new system promises to speed up border checks and streamline data collection, supposedly making the whole experience more efficient.
To help confused travellers, officials have launched a series of multilingual videos and brochures, walking you through the online process – though some Brits online have already branded it a “faff.”
And that’s not all. The country’s much-hyped 300 baht (£6.65) tourist tax has been put on ice again, thanks to the digital shake-up while plans for a visa-free Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system, originally set for December 2024, have also been delayed.
The flurry of changes comes as Thai tourism takes a hammering. According to the Bank of Thailand, visitor numbers plunged by 14% in February, with tourist spending also dropping nearly 10%.
To make matters worse, the country was rocked, quite literally, by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake on March 28, originating in neighbouring Myanmar. The tremor caused chaos in Bangkok, where an unfinished tower block collapsed in Chatuchak, leaving 81 construction workers missing.
Rescue teams, including Thai authorities, US Special Forces, and Turkish quake experts, are still sifting through rubble.
The earthquake triggered a wave of holiday cancellations, particularly among Chinese tourists, and has forced officials to rethink their entire tourism strategy for the latter half of 2025, The Mirror reported.
So, if you’re Bangkok-bound anytime soon, it might not be all pad Thai and poolside cocktails. With online forms, travel delays, and tremors in the mix, this holiday could be more hassle than hammock.
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