Thailand Pass: What It Was and What Exists Now

Thailand Pass was abolished for foreign travellers on 1 July 2022; the current Thailand Digital Arrival Card is a different Immigration Bureau arrival form for most non-Thai nationals. If you found a 2021 or 2022 guide telling you to register, upload insurance documents and wait for a QR code, that guide describes a system that no longer exists. Many of those pages are undated, which makes it easy to mistake a retired process for a current requirement.

This article separates the retired Thailand Pass from the current Thailand Digital Arrival Card, explains the timing rule, and shows you where to verify entry requirements before you fly. For the full picture, start with our current Thailand entry checklist.

Is Thailand Pass Still Required?

No. Thailand Pass ended for foreign travellers on 1 July 2022, along with its insurance requirement. The Thailand Pass registration process, its QR code and its insurance requirement are all part of that retired system. If any article, forum post or third-party service tells you to complete Thailand Pass registration, it is describing the retired pandemic-era system.

For what applies to entry today, check the official sources in the verification section below.

What Thailand Pass Was Before 1 July 2022

Thailand Pass was a government registration system, including a QR-code application process and an insurance requirement, that foreign visitors had to complete before entering Thailand during the pandemic era. Travellers submitted personal and travel details through the official platform, met the insurance requirement, and received a QR code that officials checked on arrival. It was a temporary COVID-era entry control, not a permanent part of Thai immigration.

That history matters for one practical reason: third-party registration offers you may still find online are not the old government service. The official Thailand Pass platform was retired. Any site selling Thailand Pass registration today is selling something that is not required, because the system it claims to register you for no longer exists.

What Replaced Thailand Pass: The Thailand Digital Arrival Card

The current form is the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC), a different online arrival form from the Immigration Bureau for non-Thai nationals, and it is not a visa. TDAC is not a renamed Thailand Pass, not an updated version of it, and not a continuation of the old registration platform. It is a separate system with a separate purpose: recording arrival details that most non-Thai nationals submit to the Immigration Bureau before entering Thailand.

Because the two systems are so easily confused, keep the distinction simple. Thailand Pass was a pandemic-era entry registration with an insurance requirement, and it ended on 1 July 2022. TDAC is the current arrival card that has replaced the arrival-card function, not the entry-registration function of the old system. If your question is actually about the visa side of entering Thailand, see our guide to the tourist visa for Thailand, because a visa and an arrival card are two different requirements that can both apply to the same trip.

When Do You Submit the Thailand Digital Arrival Card?

Submit the TDAC within 3 days before arrival, counting the arrival date itself. That window is deliberate: submit earlier and you are outside the stated period, so the form should be submitted within the official window.

A quick example: if you arrive in Thailand on the 10th of the month, you can submit from the 8th onward, counting the arrival day. Set a reminder for 3 days before your arrival date in Thailand rather than trying to fill it in weeks ahead. The official form lives on the Immigration Bureau’s TDAC page, the same site referenced in the verification section below, so there is no need to use any intermediary service.

Where to Verify Current Thailand Entry Requirements

Verify current entry requirements on the Immigration Bureau’s TDAC page and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before you travel, because rules can change after any article is published. Our information here was checked on 9 September 2026, but the live official pages are always the authoritative source for the day you fly.

Be sceptical of any guide that does not carry a recent date, and treat undated pages describing Thailand Pass registration, QR codes and insurance as historical documents. For a practical summary you can work through before departure, use our current Thailand entry checklist, then confirm the details against the official pages above.

Frequently Asked Questions About Thailand Pass and TDAC

Do I still need Thailand Pass to enter Thailand?

No. Thailand Pass was removed for foreign travellers on 1 July 2022, along with its insurance requirement. There is no Thailand Pass registration, QR code or application left to complete. Any page instructing you to register for Thailand Pass is describing a retired system.

Is the Thailand Digital Arrival Card the new Thailand Pass?

No. The Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) is a different online arrival form from the Immigration Bureau for non-Thai nationals, not a renamed Thailand Pass. Thailand Pass was a pandemic-era registration system that ended on 1 July 2022. TDAC is a separate system with a separate purpose.

Is the Thailand Digital Arrival Card a visa?

No. TDAC is an arrival form, not a visa, and completing it does not grant you any right to stay in Thailand. Whether a visa applies to your trip depends on the current rules for your nationality and your reason for travelling, so check the official requirements before you fly.

For an overview of your options, read our guide to the types of visa in Thailand. If you plan to study, our ED visa guide explains that separate route.

When should I submit the Thailand Digital Arrival Card before my flight?

Submit the TDAC within 3 days before arrival, including the arrival date itself. If you arrive in Thailand on the 10th, you can submit from the 8th onward. Submitting far in advance puts you outside the stated window, so time it for the final 3 days before your arrival date in Thailand.