Thread: From Utopia to Paradise Immi's new online TM6 for ALL entries mooted from May 1st

More sanook than a revalved TM6

Thailand Digital Arrival Card

Even a video

Look forward to see if as smooth as buttered bar steward

Is this useful in any way? Most passports are machine-readable these days, so how will a TM6 make a difference?

Then Thai Immigration still insist on all these hand stamps. If they want to save time at the desk then the Hong Kong style printed slip would work better.

Will it be down to airlines to check every Thailand bound passenger before boarding?

How about people who like to make last minute decisions, maybe they live in KL and decide to grab a couple of days in Bangkok because tomorrow's flights are cheap? Oh, but I need a QR code 3 days ago. Fook it, I'll go to Singapore.

And yet again, it is a process that disenfranchises people, particularly older people, who don't want to own a smart phone. I have a friend who has never owned a smart phone.

Originally Posted by Shutree

Is this useful in any way? Most passports are machine-readable these days, so how will a TM6 make a difference?

Then Thai Immigration still insist on all these hand stamps. If they want to save time at the desk then the Hong Kong style printed slip would work better.

Will it be down to airlines to check every Thailand bound passenger before boarding?

How about people who like to make last minute decisions, maybe they live in KL and decide to grab a couple of days in Bangkok because tomorrow's flights are cheap? Oh, but I need a QR code 3 days ago. Fook it, I'll go to Singapore.

And yet again, it is a process that disenfranchises people, particularly older people, who don't want to own a smart phone. I have a friend who has never owned a smart phone.

There's a website also.

And if older people haven't got a computer, they've probably booked through a travel agent who can handle this for them.

I am sure there will be workarounds.

The real question is why create a process that obstructs, that requires working ways around?

Why not make travellers' lives easier, rather than less easy?

The immigration entry process is a simple enough flow chart that could be handled much better by machines

Originally Posted by Shutree

Is this useful in any way? Most passports are machine-readable these days, so how will a TM6 make a difference?

Your passport does not have any info about your whereabouts in Thailand, where authorities can reach you if they need to.

Originally Posted by Shutree

I am sure there will be workarounds.

The real question is why create a process that obstructs, that requires working ways around?

Why not make travellers' lives easier, rather than less easy?

The immigration entry process is a simple enough flow chart that could be handled much better by machines

You mean why do what an increasing number of other countries are doing to collect some measure of data on travellers?

Oh, I don't know, maybe it will speed up the actual airport process or, more importantly, give them time to weed out undesirables before they arrive?

Originally Posted by Molle

Your passport does not have any info about your whereabouts in Thailand, where authorities can reach you if they need to.

Because every backpacker lists all addresses where they wil be staying. With dates. It's BS.

The QR code will do nothing to change that.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

You mean why do what an increasing number of other countries are doing to collect some measure of data on travellers?

Oh, I don't know, maybe it will speed up the actual airport process or, more importantly, give them time to weed out undesirables before they arrive?

My contention is that it will have the opposite effect.

At checkin, the airline will presumably want to know you have the QR code, because they won't want to fly you back for free. So will they all have the ability to read the QR code? AirAsia wants you to check in online, and then they have to check the passport, and then they have to check the QR code. Whatever they will do, it adds bureaucracy to an already tedious process.

On arrival these days, you currently show your passport. The machine reads it and off you go. Now, you will have to show a QR code and your passport. The machine reads one, then the other. So twice as long. Unless the arrival's phone is out of battery. While the IO sits there trying to look intelligent and the queue behind grows ever longer.

Yes there is a possible advantage when people on the stop list want to get in. Presumably they will not be able to get a QR code before flying. And we all know that systems are imperfect, poor old Chan Fat might not get a QR code because he shares a name and a date of birth with 100 other Chan Fats. None of which stops Chinese and Indian people who all look alike to the IO using A. N. Other's passport, because there are no biometrics.

I rail against bureaucracy and this one desrves a good rail.

Originally Posted by Shutree

How about people who like to make last minute decisions

My work flights are often issued the day before flying, I won't get the 3 days notice.

The longer I live here the stupider the Thais seem to be.

Originally Posted by Mendip

My work flights are often issued the day before flying, I won't get the 3 days notice.

The longer I live here the stupider the Thais seem to be.

Sorry sir, you are totally screwed.

At least you have an agent to deal with all this stuff, so for no extra money they'll need to find a way to make it work.

Either that, or you'll need to spend a few days in Norway waiting for the magic QR code. You see how much easier your life will become? And your employers will love it too, right? Just what they need, a bit more cost.

I think like all the other nonsense we seem to get bombarded with in this ridiculous country, it just won't happen. Even the Thais will see how stupid this is...

Originally Posted by Mendip

The longer I live here the stupider the Thais seem to be.

It is all entirely straightforward. The government sets out a strategy, like more tourists or more native speaker teachers. Then the Labour Department and the Immigration Department compete to see who can be first to make the policy fail. They don't need to train for it, it's a natural talent.

Originally Posted by Mendip

My work flights are often issued the day before flying, I won't get the 3 days notice.

The longer I live here the stupider the Thais seem to be.

how many days notice will you get before flying back in? The TM6 isnt for leaving.

Originally Posted by malmomike77

how many days notice will you get before flying back in? The TM6 isnt for leaving.

It all depends on operations. Usually have flights issued on a Friday the week before (no problem I guess) or the Monday for Wednesday flights, sometimes the day before or the morning of the flights. They can change last minute if the port of crew change, changes, etc.

I'm sure there will be a service to accomodate this... maybe.

Thailands Upcoming Mandatory Digital Arrival Card Faces Online Backlash

As Thailand prepares to roll out its Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) on May 1, 2025, replacing the paper-based TM6 form, the initiative is meeting with a wave of criticism online.

Intended to modernize immigration and streamline tourist entry, the TDAC requires all foreign travelers to submit personal and travel details digitally before arrival. However, instead of enthusiasm, the response from netizens has been largely negative, with frustration and confusion dominating the conversation.

Travelers have taken to platforms like X and Facebook to voice their concerns. Many argue that the shift to a digital system adds unnecessary complexity to an already straightforward process. One user lamented that scrapping the TM6 was a smart move, only for this “hot mess” of a replacement to undo that progress, calling it an annoyance that fails to enhance security or efficiency.


Others have pointed out practical issues, such as the lack of clarity around the application process, with reports of a glitchy website and an unhelpful video tutorial fueling the discontent. For those less tech-savvy, like elderly travelers or those with potential language barriers, the absence of a clear backup plan has sparked worries about accessibility.


Foreign residents of Thailand have added their own grievances to the mix, particularly over a glaring apparent oversight in the TDAC application: It currently doesn’t allow users to select Thailand as their place of residence. Expats and long-term visa holders have flooded online forums and social media with complaints, arguing that the system seems designed solely for tourists, leaving them in a bureaucratic limbo. One X user, a retiree living in Chiang Mai, vented that after years of calling Thailand home, they’re now forced to misrepresent their status or risk rejection at the border. This flaw has intensified perceptions that the rollout was poorly thought out, alienating a key group of Thailand’s international community.


Social media posts also highlight fears of delays and technical hiccups. Commenters have questioned what happens if a QR code—meant to be presented at immigration—fails to generate, leaving travelers stranded after expensive flights. The integration with systems like e-Visa and tourist fee collection has some wondering if this is less about convenience and more about data harvesting or future fees, further souring perceptions.

While Thai officials tout the TDAC as a step toward efficiency and safety, the online reaction suggests a rocky road ahead, despite officials also saying there will be ample backup options to help people through Immigration who struggled with the form. With the launch date looming, the chorus of skepticism could pressure authorities to address these concerns—or risk alienating the very tourists and residents they aim to accommodate.

Thailands Upcoming Mandatory Digital Arrival Card Faces Online Backlash - The Pattaya News

It’s not so difficult to do. Japan had it when I went in and out several times in ‘22 and ‘23. They had a place for you to sit and piddle with your phone to sign up as well as people to help those who were technologically challenged. All went smoothly. However, TiT where the default mode is chaos and you can expect things to go that way because they haven’t thought things out properly.

Originally Posted by david44

Look forward to see if as smooth as buttered bar steward

Yes, of course.
And then add Thainess to the mix.

I think they might be better to offer a back up, be it a digital option via screens in arrivals with bad actors unwanted made to wait at IDC until somone pays for flight out.

I think de caprio prefers the maldives anyway.

Originally Posted by taxexile

I think de caprio prefers the maldives anyway.

You are on top form today , I'm still on my elevenses, see I'm going to need a bigger Thesaurus to equal your eloquence,very drole, ava Bar Nana

Originally Posted by misskit

The integration with systems like e-Visa and tourist fee collection has some wondering if this is less about convenience and more about data harvesting or future fees, further souring perceptions.

And just like that, the veil is lifted. The electronic TM6 makes no sense at all, it adds no value, only a roadblock. Until you remember that TAT have been whining for years that tourists don't get sufficiently ripped off, they need to pay an arrival tax, but the problem they couldn't solve was how to collect the dosh. Et voilà! Get this pre-arrival registration working, iron out the bugs and then charge USD10 for the service. It's all about money.

Originally Posted by Molle

Your passport does not have any info about your whereabouts in Thailand, where authorities can reach you if they need to.

for us pseudo-residents, Immigration already has our address and hotels will submit a TM30 for tourists every time they check in...won't they?