You booked the flights, sorted out your visa, and you are ready for a summer or fall trip to Asia. There is now one more step to handle before you go, and it is the kind of thing that is easy to miss until you are standing at the gate. Several of the region’s most popular destinations have made a free online arrival form mandatory in 2026, and skipping it can mean a slow crawl through immigration or, in the worst case, trouble boarding your flight.
India and Vietnam both switched on new digital arrival cards this spring, joining Thailand, which has required one since last year. The forms take a few minutes and cost nothing, but each country runs its own system on its own website with its own timing rules. Here is what changed, who has to file, and how to do it without handing money to the wrong site.
- Where it applies: India, Vietnam, and Thailand now require a digital arrival card, and China has rolled out its own version.
- Cost: free on every official government site. Nobody should charge you for the form itself.
- Timing: all three big systems open a 72 hour window before arrival, so you file in the three days before you land.
- It is not a visa: the card is a separate step. You still need your visa or your visa free entry on top of it.
- The risk: arriving without it can slow you at immigration and, with some airlines, hold up boarding.
What a digital arrival card actually is
A digital arrival card is the online version of the paper landing slip you used to scribble on the plane. You enter your passport details, your flight number, where you are staying on the first night, and the purpose of your trip. The system stores it, and the officer at the border pulls it up or scans a code instead of taking a paper form. That is the whole idea: move the disembarkation card online and clear the desk faster.
The important part is what it is not. It is not a visa, and it does not decide whether you are allowed into the country. You still need a valid passport and either a visa or qualifying visa free status, and you should confirm your passport has enough validity left before you travel, since many countries want at least six months. If you are still sorting that out, our guide to US passport processing times this summer covers how long a renewal is taking right now. The arrival card sits on top of all of that as a quick, mandatory formality.
India is the biggest change for 2026
The headline shift this year is India. Since April 1, 2026, every foreign national arriving in India has to submit an online e-Arrival Card, and the old paper disembarkation form has been retired. The requirement also covers Overseas Citizen of India cardholders. Indian citizens and passengers staying airside on a transit connection are the main exceptions.
You file it within 72 hours of your arrival on India’s official e-Arrival Card portal or through the government’s Su-Swagatam app, and it is free. As immigration advisers at Envoy Global have flagged to corporate travelers, the card is strictly an arrival declaration and does not replace your visa or e-Visa, so a valid Indian visa is still required to board. India is a heavy destination for travelers visiting family, and many of those trips run through smaller airports where a missing form is a slow problem, so this is the one to put on your checklist first.
| Country | In effect since | Who must file |
|---|---|---|
| India | April 1, 2026 | All foreign nationals plus OCI cardholders |
| Vietnam | April 15, 2026 | Foreign arrivals, Ho Chi Minh City first |
| Thailand | May 1, 2025 | Every foreign visitor, every entry |
Vietnam now wants a card before you land
Vietnam turned on its own digital arrival card on April 15, 2026. You complete an online declaration with your passport, flight, and accommodation details, and the system emails back a QR code that immigration scans when you arrive. It is free and lives on the official pre-arrival portal, with the same 72 hour window before your flight lands.
One wrinkle matters for planning. The requirement started at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, the country’s busiest gateway, and has not yet been switched on at every airport, so travelers landing in Hanoi or Da Nang may not be asked for it yet. Because the rollout is expanding and the form is free, the safe move is to file it for any Vietnam arrival rather than guess which airport is live. As with India, the card is separate from the Vietnamese e-visa, and most visitors need both.
Thailand started the trend, and China is following
Thailand has been here the longest. Its Thailand Digital Arrival Card, the TDAC, has been mandatory since May 1, 2025 for every foreign visitor, regardless of nationality, visa type, or how short the stay is. It is free on the official TDAC portal, takes about five minutes, and has to be filed fresh for every single entry, so a quick hop to a neighboring country and back means doing it again. Thai officers can also ask arriving tourists to show proof of funds, so it is worth being ready for that on top of the form. If you are weighing whether you even need a visa for a short visit, our explainer on Thailand’s 30 day visa free entry breaks down who qualifies.
China rounds out the picture. Authorities introduced an online arrival card in late 2025 that foreign visitors can complete in advance or on arrival, and it applies whether you come in by air, land, or sea. It pairs with the broader opening covered in our look at China’s visa free transit of up to 10 days. Put the four together and a pattern is obvious: across Asia, filing a form before you fly is quietly becoming the standard, not the exception.
- Scam sites: the official portals are free. Sites that charge a service fee are third party operators selling you a form you can complete yourself in minutes.
- One per traveler: every person needs their own card, children included. A family of four files four forms.
- Vietnam by airport: the rule is live in Ho Chi Minh City and spreading, so file it even for a Hanoi or Da Nang arrival to stay ahead of the rollout.
- Do it before the airport: the window is only 72 hours and airport WiFi is unreliable, so finish it at your hotel or before you leave home.
- Keep the confirmation: save the QR code or reference number to your phone and take a screenshot, since email can be slow on the road.
How to file the right way
The process is short once you know the order. First, confirm your visa or visa free status, because the arrival card assumes you already have the right to enter. Second, gather the three things every form wants: your passport, your flight number, and the address of your first night’s stay. Third, go to the official government site for that country inside the 72 hour window and submit. Fourth, save the confirmation, whether that is a QR code, a reference number, or a printout. Finally, if your trip touches more than one of these countries, repeat the process for each one, since there is no shared regional system and each border checks its own records.
None of this is hard, and none of it costs anything on the official sites. The trap is simply not knowing the step exists, booking everything else, and then losing time at the border or at the gate over a free form you could have finished at breakfast. Build it into your pre-trip routine the same way you check your passport, and these new cards become a non-event.
Is a digital arrival card the same as a visa?
No. It is a separate arrival declaration that replaces the old paper landing card. You still need a valid passport and either a visa or qualifying visa free entry to be allowed in.
How much does it cost?
Nothing on the official government portals for India, Vietnam, Thailand, and China. If a website asks for a fee to file the arrival card itself, it is a third party service, not the government.
When should I fill it out?
India, Vietnam, and Thailand all use a 72 hour window before arrival, so the best time is the day before you fly, once your details are final. Doing it too early can put you outside the window.
What happens if I forget?
Expect delays at immigration, and be aware that some airlines now check for the form before boarding. Several airports offer kiosks to complete it on arrival, but that adds time and is not guaranteed, so filing ahead is the safer choice.
Featured image: immigration arrival hall at I Gusti Ngurah Rai (Bali) International Airport. Photo by Pinterpandai.com, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
For broader planning, compare this update with Deep Arrival’s airline planning guides.
