Before you go, have valid passports, complete the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card, and confirm the current stay rule on an official site. This page was checked on 20 October 2026, and rules can change, so verify each item close to your departure.
This guide belongs to our destination fit topic. For passport basics, read passport and name checks before your first honeymoon.
What is the checklist, in order?
Work through these in the week before you fly or cross the border.
- Passports valid, with spare pages, and names that match the bookings.
- Digital arrival card submitted on the official site.
- Confirmation email saved on your phone and printed.
- Return or onward ticket ready to show if asked.
- Hotel address and booking proof saved.
- Travel insurance details noted.
Immigration may ask for proof of onward travel and stay, so keep the documents together.
What is the digital arrival card?
Thailand asks foreign visitors to submit a digital arrival card before arrival. It is mandatory for all non-Thai visitors regardless of how they arrive, can be submitted from 3 days before travel, and is free through the official site 1.
Fake websites have charged fees, so use only the official address from the embassy page. The sources are listed at the end of this page.
How long can we stay without a visa?
Rules for Malaysian passport holders differ for air and land arrival, and they change. We have not quoted a figure because we could not confirm one from an official page we opened.
Check the Thai foreign ministry or the embassy in Kuala Lumpur before you travel. Count your planned days, and add a buffer for delays.
What about crossing by land?
If you cross by road or rail, such as for Hat Yai, the checklist is the same. Allow extra time at the checkpoint and keep documents within easy reach.
Read the Hat Yai weekend by road or train guide for a plan, and getting to Koh Lipe from Malaysia if your route includes a boat.
How do we avoid name mismatches?
Names on tickets, hotel bookings and passports must match. A change of surname after the wedding is a common cause of confusion. Read passport name must match: booking tips before you pay.
Decide which name you will use on every booking and keep it the same.
What should we do next?
- Check passport expiry dates tonight.
- Open the official arrival card site within the allowed window and submit.
- Confirm the stay rule on an official page and note the date you checked.
- Send us your dates. We will list what to confirm and plan around the entry steps.
Source checked on 20 October 2026: the Royal Thai Embassy page on the digital arrival card.