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Flag of China — Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) for Chinese citizens: visa, immigration and entry requirements
For Passport Holders: China 🇨🇳

Chinese in Thailand 2026:30 Days, 90/180 Cap & TDAC Address

Visa rules, TDAC arrival card, customs, currency, vaccines and embassy contacts for Chinese travellers heading to Thailand in 2026.

Visa Status: Visa Exempt (30 Days)

Entry Requirements

If you hold a passport from China, you must submit a Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) before entering the Kingdom of Thailand. The TDAC replaced the paper-based TM6 form and is now required for all international arrivals — regardless of your visa status or purpose of travel.

As a Chinese citizen, you are eligible for visa exempt (30 days) entry. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months from your date of entry. The TDAC collects your personal details, travel information, and accommodation address in Thailand.

⚠️ Common Issue for Chinese Passport Holders

Translating address to English — this is the most common reason for TDAC rejections from Chinese travelers. Our system automatically detects and corrects these issues before submission, ensuring your arrival card is accepted without delays at immigration.

How to Apply

  1. 1Have your China passport ready with at least 6 months validity from your planned entry date.
  2. 2Complete the online form on TDAC.info with your personal details, travel itinerary, and accommodation address in Thailand.
  3. 3Our team reviews your submission for errors and you receive your approved QR code via email before your departure.
  4. 4Present your QR code at Thai immigration upon arrival — no paper forms needed, skip the queues.

Visa Status

Chinese citizens: Visa Exempt (30 Days). No visa application required for tourist stays within the allowed period.

Visa Duration for Chinese Citizens

Chinese passport holders can stay in Thailand for 30 days under the bilateral agreement, max 90 days per 180-day period — unchanged by the 15 Sep 2026 reform under the current visa exemption. Extensions are available at local Immigration offices.

Flights to Thailand from China

  • Beijing (PEK) → Bangkok
  • Shanghai (PVG) → Bangkok
  • Guangzhou (CAN) → Bangkok

Common TDAC Mistakes by Chinese Travelers

  • Chinese names must be romanized exactly as in passport MRZ
  • Address in China must be written in English/Latin characters
  • Chinese passport numbers start with 'E' or 'G'
Announced 17 August 2026 - phased rollout, not yet live

Auto Gates at Suvarnabhumi: China Is Not on the Announced List

On 17 August 2026 Thailand approved in principle the addition of 31 more passports to the automated arrival gates at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport, joining Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong. China is not among them, so arrival is at a manned immigration counter as before. The Thailand Digital Arrival Card remains mandatory either way and has to be filed before you travel.

Read the full breakdown of the auto gate rollout →

Royal Thai Embassy in Beijing

For visa enquiries beyond the visa exemption period, contact the Royal Thai Embassy in Beijing.

Visit Embassy Website

The 90-Second Version

Chinese travellers are Thailand's largest source market and the one the 2024 mutual visa-exemption agreement was written for: 30 days visa-free from 15 September 2026, with a cumulative cap of 90 days in any 180. Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Kunming and a dozen other cities have non-stop flights of 3–5 hours to Bangkok, and Phuket has its own direct services from the big cities. Visa-free days for Chinese passports: 30 days, tourism and short business visits. Cap: 90 days in any 180-day period — counted at the border. Flight time: about 5 hours non-stop from China. Where you land: Suvarnabhumi (BKK), with HKT direct for Phuket holidays.

What Immigration Checks on Chinese Passports

  • The 90-in-180 count. Immigration checks cumulative days on the visa-exempt scheme. Frequent visitors — business travellers, people with Thai family — can hit the cap without noticing; count your days from earlier trips before booking.
  • Hotel booking and return ticket. Both are asked of Chinese arrivals more consistently than of most nationalities, especially for independent travellers outside tour groups. Keep the booking confirmation and the return ticket on your phone.
  • Passport validity. Six months from entry. Chinese ordinary passports are ten-year documents for adults, five for children under 16 — check the children's first.
  • Funds. 10,000 THB per person (20,000 per family) may be requested; a bank-app screenshot or WeChat/Alipay balance is generally accepted.

Your Name on the TDAC

Use the pinyin exactly as the MRZ prints it: family name first in the surname field, the given name as one unbroken word in the given-names field — ZHANG<<WEIMING, not ZHANG WEI MING and not Wei-Ming. Do not add an English name that is not in the passport. The passport number is one letter followed by eight digits (E or G series for ordinary passports). The home-address field needs a romanised address: write it pinyin-style from small to large — room, building, street, district, city, province — with the postcode, because the form will not accept Chinese characters.

Staying Longer Than 30 days

The cap is the constraint, not the 60 days: one 30-day extension is available at any Immigration office for 1,900 THB, but extended days still count toward the 90-in-180 total. Anyone planning more than three months in half a year needs a Tourist Visa or a Non-Immigrant visa from the Royal Thai Embassy in Beijing or the consulates in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Kunming and Xi'an.

Practical Notes for Chinese Travellers

  • Payments. Alipay and WeChat Pay are accepted at most Bangkok malls, 7-Eleven, Big C and many tourist restaurants, and UnionPay cards work in most ATMs; still carry cash for taxis, markets and the islands. Every Thai ATM charges a flat 220 THB per withdrawal.
  • Safety checks. Thai immigration has tightened questioning of Chinese arrivals since the 2025 border-region trafficking cases; independent travellers should be able to state a hotel, itinerary and return date clearly.
  • Time zone. Thailand is one hour behind China.
  • Help in Thailand. The Chinese Embassy is on Ratchadaphisek Road in Bangkok, with consulates-general in Chiang Mai, Songkhla and Khon Kaen.

Visa Rules for Chinese Citizens in 2026

China passport holders get the standard exemption, but it is capped at a cumulative 90 days within any 180-day period. If you are close to that limit from earlier trips, immigration may refuse visa-exempt re-entry; apply for a Tourist Visa at a Royal Thai Embassy instead.

Recent Changes Affecting Chinese Travellers

2025: Thailand introduced the 90-days-in-180 cumulative cap for several visa-exempt nationalities, including China, to curb visa-run abuse.

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Guide

Free field-by-field guide to the Thailand Digital Arrival Card: passport name, address in Thailand, occupation for children, dates and QR timing.

FAQ

Do children need a TDAC? Is it a visa? When do you file? 25 answers on the Thailand Digital Arrival Card, checked against the September 2026 rules.