Thailand's New THIM App Replaces Paper Arrival Cards

Foreign visitors flying into Thailand to spend time on Hua Hin’s beaches or checking into a guesthouse off Soi 51 will soon skip the paper arrival card entirely. Thailand’s Immigration Bureau has launched a trial of THIM (Thailand Immigration Management), a mobile app designed to handle entry registration for all foreign nationals, with a full national rollout scheduled for August 2026.

The app was announced on Saturday, 6 June, with the Immigration Bureau commissioner leading its development. It is already available to download on both iOS and Android. For the hundreds of thousands of tourists who pass through Thailand each year en route to Hua Hin, this is a practical change to know about before you land.

How it works

The process is straightforward. You open the app, photograph your passport, and the system reads and records your data automatically. You then fill in your place of stay, travel details, and the purpose of your visit to complete what the bureau calls the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC). According to the bureau, the full process takes under three minutes.

Group travellers get a useful shortcut: entry information for up to 10 people can be submitted at the same time, with the bureau saying this still averages around three minutes per person. At peak periods, that kind of speed matters. Right now, arrivals must enter their details through a website, which the bureau acknowledges is slower.

All data collected by the app will be stored in an immigration information system built in partnership with a private technology company. The bureau said the company was selected on the basis of its global credibility in system security.

What’s planned beyond arrival

The bureau has framed THIM as a foundation, not a finished product. The longer-term plan is to build it into a single platform serving short-stay tourists, long-term residents, and permanent residents alike.

Planned features include the ability to request identity certification documents, submit required paperwork to immigration officers without travelling to an office, and book in-person appointments in advance. Officers would be able to review applications through the app without requiring applicants to appear. The bureau says this would reduce congestion at immigration offices while keeping the standard of checks unchanged.

That last point has real relevance for Hua Hin. The local immigration office on Phetkasem Road regularly sees queues of expats and long-stay visitors managing 90-day reports, visa extensions, and re-entry permits. If those processes migrate fully into the app, it could change the rhythm of a very familiar errand for a lot of people here.

Foreign nationals registered on the app would also be able to request emergency assistance through a direct link to the Tourist Police hotline, available around the clock.

Language support

The current trial version supports English, Russian, Japanese, and Chinese. The developer has said it plans to expand to at least 15 additional languages in the near future. Given the range of nationalities that call Hua Hin home or visit regularly, broader language coverage will matter.

Bigger picture

The Immigration Bureau said the app was developed in line with a government policy focused on caring for foreign nationals visiting or living in Thailand. The bureau also cited the need to address airport congestion and difficulties in reaching immigration officers, issues that have affected Thailand’s tourism image. Thailand’s immigration system currently handles around 30 million foreign tourists per year, and that number is expected to grow.

The bureau said Thailand’s goal is to position itself as a leader in digital immigration systems across Southeast Asia.

For now, THIM is in trial. August 2026 is the target for full rollout. Worth downloading early and having it ready before your next arrival, because standing in line to fill out a paper card may soon be a thing of the past.