Arrival card form not working? Start here

Checked 7 November 2026 by Darius Cheung. Independent guide, not a government website.

Short answer

Most arrival card failures come down to one of five things: the wrong website, a date outside the three-day window, a character the field rejects, a session that timed out, or an email that went to spam. Check them in that order. If the form still fails, you can usually finish at the airport: Thailand has kiosks at five airports, and its embassy says the card can be completed until you reach immigration.

Check these five things, in this order

  1. Are you on the government's site? Look at the address bar. Thailand's card is on tdac.immigration.go.th, Indonesia's is on allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id, Malaysia's is on imigresen-online.imi.gov.my, Singapore's is on eservices.ica.gov.sg, Vietnam's is on prearrival.immigration.gov.vn and the Philippines' eTravel is on etravel.gov.ph. If a site is asking for a card payment for the arrival card itself, you are probably on a copy. See the guides for Thailand and Indonesia.
  2. Is your arrival date in the window? All six countries work to about three days before you land. On Thailand's form, a date further out simply can't be picked. See the TDAC date guide.
  3. Did a field reject what you typed? Forms like these check strict patterns. On the TDAC, an apostrophe in a surname or Thai script in a hotel address will fail. See the field rules for Thailand and Malaysia.
  4. Did the session expire? If you left the page open while hunting for your hotel's address, you may have to start again. Have the details ready first.
  5. Did it work after all? A missing email doesn't always mean a failed submission. Thailand's confirmation and Indonesia's QR code each have a recovery route.

How the six cards differ

Thailand (TDAC)Indonesia (All Indonesia)Malaysia (MDAC)Singapore (SGAC)Vietnam (pre-arrival form)Philippines (eTravel)
Official sitetdac.immigration.go.thallindonesia.imigrasi.go.idimigresen-online.imi.gov.myeservices.ica.gov.sgprearrival.immigration.gov.vnetravel.gov.ph
WindowUp to 72 hours before entryWithin 72 hours of arrivalWithin 3 days, including submission dayWithin 3 days, including arrival dayArrival today or in the next 2 days, Vietnam timeThe site says within 72 hours; its date picker allows today to 4 days ahead
FeeFreeFree for the arrival card (a visa on arrival is a separate, paid thing)No payment step on the official formFree, and not a visaWe found no payment step on the official formFree, and the site says so on its front page
What you showA QR code by email, or the downloaded copyA QR code by email, plus your passportGuides say a PIN comes by emailAn acknowledgement, then an e-Pass after immigrationAn acknowledgement and DE number by email, and a PDF to downloadA QR code to save, shown before boarding
ChildrenEvery traveller, added one at a timeEvery traveller has their own card; group filing is capped at 10The form holds one travellerUp to 10 in one submissionEach one added with Add Passenger, with their own fieldsFamily members saved under your account, each with their own declaration
Fixing a mistakeUpdate some details; name and passport need a new submissionThe site offers an update option before you travelWe found no official way; filing again is the practical routeUpdate SG Arrival Card on the siteUpdate with your PAI number and an emailed code; name, passport, birth date and arrival date need a new submissionEdit Declaration, until border control has processed it

Who actually runs these forms

Each form belongs to that country's immigration authority, and only they can fix a fault on their site or accept your card. No app, agent or browser extension can get a form accepted when the government's system is down. A paid "urgent" service can't make it faster either, because free submissions go through the same system.

So when a site is truly down, your job is to keep your details handy and try again later, then fall back on the airport. Indonesia's own terms say the government "does not guarantee uninterrupted access to the application", which is a fair warning not to leave it until you're in the taxi to the airport.

Leave yourself a margin

Do it the day before you fly rather than in the departure queue. Have your passport, flight number and hotel address open before you start, and note that the address needs to be in English letters. If several people are travelling, allow time for each of them, because both forms ask for every traveller's details, including babies.

Questions people ask

Will I be refused entry if the form fails?

We can't promise anything for your trip, and officers decide at the border. Thailand's embassy says the TDAC can be completed until you reach immigration, and lists kiosks at BKK, DMK, HKT, CNX and HDY. For Indonesia, carry your details and ask staff on arrival if you truly couldn't submit.

Does the arrival card replace a visa?

No. Thailand and Indonesia both say so. Whether you need a visa depends on your nationality and your trip, and is a separate check.

Can ArrivalFiller fix these errors?

It can't fix a fault on the government's site. It helps with the retyping: it remembers your answers from the first time you fill the card, then fills them in on your next trip so you can check them and submit yourself.

Going through this more than once a year? ArrivalFiller remembers each traveller's answers in your browser, so your next card takes a check rather than a retype.

Add ArrivalFiller to Chrome, free

Where this comes from

Rules change, so check the official site before you travel. Where we quote a form's message, we copied it from the form's own public code. Some messages may rarely appear, and we don't run test submissions on government forms.