What is an arrival card and do I still need to fill one out?
An arrival card declares who you are and where you are staying. Paper cards are being replaced by digital ones in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and beyond.
Updated
What an arrival card is
An arrival card is the immigration form that tells the country who is coming in and why. You may also see it called a disembarkation card, a landing card or an immigration card, and they all do the same job.
It asks for your name and passport details, your flight number, the address where you are staying, how long you intend to stay and the purpose of your visit. Many countries fold a customs or health declaration into the same form.
The shift to digital arrival cards
The paper slip handed out by cabin crew is on its way out. Here is where several major destinations stood as of August 2026, though rules change often, so check the destination's official immigration site before you fly.
- Thailand uses the Thailand Digital Arrival Card, or TDAC, which became mandatory on 1 May 2025 for all foreign arrivals by air, land and sea. It replaced the old paper TM6 and you submit it within 72 hours before you arrive.
- South Korea made its e-Arrival Card mandatory on 1 January 2026, replacing the paper disembarkation card. Travellers holding a valid K-ETA are exempt from filling it in.
- Singapore uses the SG Arrival Card, submitted online in the days before arrival and combined with a health declaration.
- Malaysia uses the Malaysia Digital Arrival Card, or MDAC, completed online before you travel.
- Japan uses Visit Japan Web, where you register immigration and customs details in advance and show QR codes on arrival instead of the old paper slips.
- New Zealand uses the New Zealand Traveller Declaration, completed digitally before departure.
- Australia is mid-transition. A digital travel declaration is being trialled and expanded through 2026 and 2027, while the paper Incoming Passenger Card is still in use.
When there is no arrival card at all
Some countries have dropped the card and capture what they need electronically instead. The EU's Entry/Exit System, live since it was phased in from 12 October 2025 and fully operational on 10 April 2026, registers your face and fingerprints at Schengen external borders and counts your days automatically.
That still is not nothing to do. You may be asked at the kiosk or the desk where you are staying, so keep the address to hand even where no form exists.
How to fill one in without stress
- Type your name exactly as it is printed on your passport photo page, surname first where the form asks for it that way
- Copy your passport number and expiry date straight from the document, not from memory
- Give the full street address of your first night's accommodation, taken from your trip1 booking confirmation, rather than just the city
- Have your flight number and arrival date ready, since most forms ask for both
- Declare cash above the country's limit and any restricted food, plants or medicines, because the customs section is not optional
Save the QR code or confirmation as a screenshot so it opens without a signal. Airport wifi in an arrivals hall is exactly where you do not want to be hunting for an email.
Watch out for paid copycat sites
Official arrival cards are free. Thailand's TDAC, Singapore's SG Arrival Card and Malaysia's MDAC all cost nothing, so a site asking for a processing fee is a third party charging you to type a form you could fill in yourself.
Important: Where a digital arrival card is mandatory, arriving without one can hold you up at the border, and some airlines check for it before they let you board. Submit it as soon as the window opens rather than at the gate.
Arrival cards - FAQ
In many countries, no - the card has moved online. Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and South Korea all use a digital arrival card you submit before you travel.
It is the same declaration as the old paper card, filled in online before you fly. You normally receive a QR code or confirmation to show at immigration.
The official arrival cards are free. Thailand's TDAC, Singapore's SGAC and Malaysia's MDAC all cost nothing, so any site charging you a fee is a third party, not the government.
The full address of where you sleep on your first night, usually your hotel. Copy it from your booking confirmation instead of typing only the city name.
Most open a short window before arrival, commonly 72 hours, as with Thailand and South Korea. Submit as soon as the window opens so a problem does not surface at the airport.