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 launched its e-Arrival Card on 24 February 2025. The electronic and paper cards have the same legal effect, and paper cards are still available. 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
It is the immigration form that tells a country who is coming in and why. It asks for your name and passport details, flight number, the address where you are staying, how long you will stay and the purpose of your visit. It is also called a landing, disembarkation or immigration card, and many now fold in customs or health questions.
Several popular destinations require one from all foreign visitors, whatever their passport. Thailand (TDAC), Singapore (SG Arrival Card) and Malaysia (MDAC) use online forms submitted before you arrive, and New Zealand requires its Traveller Declaration from everyone arriving. Australia still uses the paper Incoming Passenger Card, with an optional digital version on some flights. Rules change often, so check before you fly.
It depends on the country. Thailand's TDAC has been mandatory for all non-Thai nationals since 1 May 2025, and Singapore and Malaysia also require their digital cards. South Korea's e-Arrival Card is an alternative to the paper card, and K-ETA holders are exempt. Japan's Visit Japan Web is optional, as paper forms can still be used.
No. Visitors flying or sailing into the United States do not fill in an arrival card, because the I-94 arrival record is created electronically from airline and passenger data. You still make a customs declaration, either on the paper CBP Form 6059B or in CBP's Mobile Passport Control app where eligible.
Where the card is mandatory, arriving without one can hold you up at the border while you complete it, and some airlines check for it before letting you board. Official arrival cards are free, so submit yours as soon as the window opens rather than at the gate, and use only the government site.
Inside the window the country sets. Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia all accept the card within three days before you arrive, while New Zealand's declaration opens 24 hours before your journey starts. Have your passport, flight number and the full address of your first night's stay from your booking confirmation ready, then save the QR code as a screenshot.