Thailand entry requirements for U.S. citizens

What you need to enter Thailand

For a tourist trip, the answer is: No visa needed, but online registration is required¹. The registration is the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC), filled in on the official site of Thailand's Immigration Bureau, tdac.immigration.go.th⁴.

The TDAC must be filled in online within the 3 days before arriving in Thailand by air, land or sea.⁵ The official TDAC website states that no fee is required to submit the arrival card.²

Entry rules change often, and the Thai government decides who may enter. Check the official site before you travel.

How long you can stay

Visa-free tourist stays can last up to 30 days³. This rule changes from time to time, and the Thai government decides how long you may stay. Check the official source before you book your return.

Money you must carry

Visitors entering under the tourist visa exemption must carry at least 20,000 baht per person or 40,000 baht per family, or the equivalent.⁶

Plan for this before you leave home, so you are not caught short at the border.

Passport rules

The U.S. government strongly recommends a passport valid for at least six months after the arrival date to avoid being refused entry.⁷

If your passport expires soon, renew it before you go: see Renew your U.S. passport by mail.

Short on time? If you travel internationally soon, you can book an appointment at a passport agency or center once you are within 14 calendar days of your trip, or 28 days if you also need a foreign visa.⁸ Read Urgent travel: getting a passport fast.

Travel advisory

The U.S. Department of State rates Thailand at Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions⁹. Advisories can change at any time, so read the current one before you book and again before you leave.

Step by step

Checklist

Before you travel to Thailand

Print checklist

• Passport that meets the validity recommendation above
• TDAC submitted on the official site, inside the required time window
• Return date within the visa-free stay
• Required cash or its equivalent, per person or per family
• Current travel advisory read

Do and don't

Do

• Fill in the TDAC yourself on the official site, tdac.immigration.go.th⁴.
• Watch the timing: the TDAC is filed in a short window before arrival, not weeks ahead.
• Check the current length-of-stay rule before every trip.

Don't

• Don't pay anyone to file the TDAC for you. The official TDAC website states that no fee is required to submit the arrival card.²
• Don't stay past your permitted date.
• Don't assume you can stay as long as on a past trip; the rule may have changed.

Is there a fee?

A visa-free tourist stay has no visa to pay for. The official TDAC website states that no fee is required to submit the arrival card.² Passmere does not process visas or arrival cards.

Frequently asked questions