Thailand Entry Support: TDAC & Visa Exemption

• You are travelling to Thailand for the first time and want to check the entry rules in Japanese
• You are unsure whether your stay fits within the 30-day visa exemption that applies from 15 September 2026
• You are travelling with family or children and need TDAC registrations and documents for everyone
• You are coming to look around before a long stay and are also thinking about visas and housing after arrival

Thailand's entry rules have changed repeatedly over the past year or two. We ask for your travel dates and plans, then give you a list of what is needed at that time. Visa applications and renewals after arrival are handled by our Visa Services; this page covers preparation from before departure until just after you land.

These are the main conditions for Japanese nationals entering Thailand as tourists, as of September 2026. Rules can change, so please also check the latest information from the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the Embassy of Japan before you travel.

The conditions described here apply to Japanese nationals. If you hold another nationality, please check the rules for your own country.

The TDAC is an online arrival card that replaced the paper entry card. Since 1 May 2025, everyone without Thai nationality must register, whether arriving by air, land or sea. It is not needed if you only transit without passing through immigration.

1. From three days (72 hours) before arrival, open the official site (tdac.immigration.go.th). Registration is not possible earlier
2. Enter your passport details, arrival and departure flights, the address where you will stay and the countries you visited in the past two weeks
3. Family members are entered one by one. Up to ten people can be registered in one session
4. Save the QR code you receive on your phone or print it, and show it at immigration

These items most often cause problems at customs on arrival. If you exceed the allowance or need to declare something, use the declaration lane.

Going through these items one to two weeks before departure saves last-minute stress.

• Your passport has at least six months remaining on the date of entry
• A record of your return or onward ticket (save the booking confirmation on your phone)
• Your stay is 30 days or less; if not, you have a plan for an extension or a visa
• The name and address of your accommodation (needed for the TDAC and at immigration)
• TDAC registration (from three days before arrival) and the QR code saved
• About 10,000 THB per person in cash, or a way to show equivalent funds
• No e-cigarettes or heated tobacco anywhere in your luggage
• Your regular medicine with a prescription or an English document
• Travel insurance and a copy of the policy
• Transport from the airport to Pattaya, and a SIM or Wi-Fi you can use as soon as you land

If you stay somewhere other than a hotel, such as a condominium or a friend's home, the owner must notify Immigration of your stay using form TM.30. Checking after arrival that this has been done makes later visa and bank procedures easier.

What we do before you travel

• Give you a list of the entry conditions and preparation that apply to your dates and plans
• Explain the TDAC fields and how to write your accommodation address
• Arrange your airport transfer to Pattaya and a SIM or Wi-Fi
• If you will stay longer than 30 days, explain the extension and visa options and the documents early

What we do after you arrive

• Check your TM.30 and accompany you at Immigration (together with our Visa Services)
• A Japanese-language point of contact on LINE when something goes wrong

What you need to do

• Complete the TDAC yourself on the official site, as it involves your passport details
• Make sure you meet the entry conditions yourself, including passport, tickets and funds
• Answer questions yourself at immigration and customs

Whether you are admitted is decided by the Thai authorities at immigration. Our fees depend on what you need, so please enquire (our airport transfer fare table starts at 1,100 THB from Pattaya; please ask us for fares from the airport to Pattaya).

• Counting the days yourself and getting it wrong. Always check the date on your entry stamp
• Trying to register for the TDAC too early. It opens three days before arrival
• Paying an unofficial site. Registration on the official site is free
• Leaving an e-cigarette in your luggage
• Flying on a one-way ticket and being questioned at check-in or immigration
• A 300 THB entry fee for foreign tourists arriving by air has been reported, but as far as we could confirm in September 2026, no start date has been announced. If it starts, we will tell you when you enquire