Guide · ~4 min read · Updated September 2026
The arrival card for families, children and groups
A family of four is four arrival cards, not one shared entry. This is the single rule that trips up households - and it has a simple workflow to fix it.
One card per traveller
The Thailand Digital Arrival Card is individual, not household. Every foreign traveller entering the country needs their own - including children and infants. A family of four is four separate cards; a parent or guardian completes the card for a child who cannot.
The official portal does support group submissions: one person can file for up to 10 travellers in a single submission, reusing the same trip and accommodation details with the "Same as Previous Traveler" option. Each traveller still gets their own card within that group - and each child's passport details must come from the child's own document, not the parent's.
Managing a household without mistakes
- Stage the documents: lay out every passport, the shared flight confirmation, and the first-night booking. One workspace, no digging.
- File adult cards first: they follow the standard flow from the step-by-step walkthrough.
- File each child's card next: a parent enters the child's passport details exactly as printed in the child's own passport - not the parent's contact details everywhere, and not a shared card.
- Save every confirmation: one email per traveller; keep them together in one folder or thread so nothing is missing at the counter.
- Check the whole set: before departure, confirm you have one confirmation per traveller - a missing card slows the entire family at immigration.
What tour leaders should know
- Every traveller in the group files - or has filed on their behalf - their own card.
- Re-entering Thailand mid-trip (for example via a Laos side trip) means a fresh card per traveller for the new entry.
- Keep a group list of confirmation emails; border checks are individual, but organization is collective.
More on re-entries and transit in Who Needs It.