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Flag of Hong Kong — Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) for Hong Kong citizens: visa, immigration and entry requirements
For Passport Holders: Hong Kong 🇭🇰

Hong Kong Passport to Thailand 2026:30 Days, 90/180 Cap & TDAC

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

Visa Status: Visa Exempt (30 Days)

Entry Requirements

If you hold a passport from Hong Kong, 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 Hong Kong 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 Hong Kong Passport Holders

Name order (Surname first/last) — this is the most common reason for TDAC rejections from Hong Kong 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 Hong Kong 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

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

Visa Duration for Hong Kong Citizens

Hong Kong passport holders can stay in Thailand for 30 days under the bilateral agreement — unchanged by the 15 Sep 2026 reform under the current visa exemption. Extensions are available at local Immigration offices.

Flights to Thailand from Hong Kong

  • Hong Kong (HKG) → Bangkok (direct)
  • Hong Kong (HKG) → Phuket

Common TDAC Mistakes by Hong Kong Travelers

  • Name order: surname first as in passport
  • HKSAR passport vs BNO passport — use whichever you'll present
  • Hong Kong ID card is NOT valid for Thailand entry
Confirmed 30 October 2026 - 33 countries and territories

Auto Gates at Suvarnabhumi: Hong Kong Passports Can Use the Arrival Gates

The arrival auto gates at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport now serve 33 countries and territories, up from two (Singapore and Hong Kong), and Hong Kong is one of them. The Ministry of Tourism and Sports confirmed this on 30 October 2026. The rollout is phased, so an eligible passport does not guarantee an open gate on every flight: if no gate is open for you, use a staffed counter.

When the arrival gate will take you

  • You enter visa-free. The gates are for travellers under the visa exemption. If you hold a visa, you still clear immigration at a staffed counter.
  • You have visited Thailand before. The gate matches a face scan against biometrics already on file, so first-time visitors give their biometrics at a staffed counter.
  • You filed your TDAC before landing. The gates do not replace the Thailand Digital Arrival Card. Since 15 October 2026 the TDAC confirmation email shows ELIGIBLE or MANUAL PROCESSING for the gate.
  • Your TDAC matches your passport. The gate reads the passport chip and checks it against your arrival record, so a different name spelling, passport number or date of birth sends you to a staffed counter.

Leaving Thailand is a separate system: the departure Auto Channel at Suvarnabhumi is open to e-passport holders of all nationalities. Arrival gates at Don Mueang and Phuket are planned but not yet confirmed as open.

Royal Thai Embassy in Hong Kong

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

Visit Embassy Website

The 90-Second Version

Hong Kong residents are among Thailand's most frequent repeat visitors — the flight is under three hours, and Bangkok weekend trips, Phuket and Samui breaks and Chiang Mai escapes are routine. HKSAR passport holders get 60 visa-free days, with a cumulative cap of 90 days in any 180 that frequent flyers can hit. Visa-free days for Hong Kong passports: 30 days, tourism and short business visits. Cap: 90 days in any 180-day period — counted at the border. Flight time: about 3 hours non-stop from Hong Kong. Where you land: Suvarnabhumi (BKK), with HKT direct for Phuket holidays.

What Immigration Checks on Hong Kong Passports

  • The 90-in-180 count. Immigration counts cumulative visa-exempt days; someone doing monthly long weekends plus a two-week holiday can reach the cap. Count earlier trips before booking.
  • Return ticket. Usually in hand; keep it on your phone for the desk.
  • Passport validity. Six months from entry; HKSAR passports are ten-year documents for adults, five for children.

Your Name on the TDAC

HKSAR passports print the name in the Hong Kong romanisation with the family name first, and the MRZ follows: CHAN<<TAI<MAN. On the TDAC the surname is CHAN and the given names TAI MAN — keep the space between the two syllables as the MRZ shows, do not hyphenate, and do not substitute an English name unless it is printed in the passport (in which case it follows the Chinese given name, as in the MRZ). The passport number is one letter followed by eight digits or two letters and seven. BNO passport holders: fly, file the TDAC and clear immigration on the same document.

Practical Notes for Hong Kong Travellers

  • Payments. Octopus does not work in Thailand; Hong Kong Visa/Mastercard and UnionPay cards do, and Alipay HK is accepted at many Bangkok malls and 7-Eleven. Every Thai ATM charges a flat 220 THB per withdrawal.
  • Time zone. Thailand is one hour behind Hong Kong.
  • Help in Thailand. The Chinese Embassy on Ratchadaphisek Road in Bangkok handles HKSAR passport holders.

Visa Rules for Hong Kong Citizens in 2026

Hong Kong 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 Hong Kong Travellers

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

Sources

The facts on this page were checked against these primary sources. Each link opens the publisher's own website.

  1. Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) portal, Immigration Bureau — tdac.immigration.go.th
  2. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand — mfa.go.th
  3. Royal Thai Government Gazette (Ratchakitcha) — ratchakitcha.soc.go.th
  4. Thai Customs Department — customs.go.th
  5. World Health Organization (WHO): international travel advice — who.int

Links checked on 8 October 2026.

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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.