Southeast Asia a-arrival cards – how do they work?
We’d say the new system of Southeast Asia a-arrival cards is probably, all things considered, a good initiative, but it does take a bit of getting used to and has occasionally caused a certain amount of confusion. We can’t remember which immigration department first came up with the idea – maybe Malaysian – but predictably, if it looks like a good idea then all the neighbours will rapidly follow suit. At the time of writing Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Thailand have all introduced such schemes for foreign visitors, with, for now at least, just Vietnam keeping to the old system.
There are slight differences with regards Southeast Asian e-arrival cards, from destination to destination, (see below), but the basic idea is that an online form, completed within a certain number of days of arrival, replaces the paper arrival forms of old. Those were either to be found in a stack at immigration or airline stewards would hand them out when you boarded. (You then had to look around for a neighbour with a pen and hope that turbulence didn’t cause too many squiggles.)
You handed in the form, along with your passport, to the immigration officer. If completed correctly, the new e-arrival cards for Southeast Asia, provide you with a QR code which you can either photograph or print out and flash at said officer. (In theory, we’d have thought this was unnecessary since all the details you completed online presumably went into their computer systems but anyway…)
Before a country-by-country run down of the slightly different e-arrival cards for Southeast Asia a couple of importation points. Note that we are only repeating the information specified on the respective immigration websites, which may not always correspond to the reality on the ground, so please don’t blame us if you’ve completed an online form for nothing!
Firstly; e-arrival cards and e-visas are two completely different things. If you applied for an e-visa then you are still required to complete an e-arrival card as described below and if you are planning on obtaining a visa on arrival you also still need to complete the arrival card.
Secondly; and this also goes for e-visas and any other documents you may be required to complete, please only fill in sections designated as compulsory. Generally an asterisk * or red wording indicates a compulsory field and trying to complete anything marked as optional just complicates the process unnecessarily.
Thirdly; pay attention to the stated time-frame and if the immigration website says within 3 days, trying to complete it a week before arrival will not work. Finally, with regards the required time-frame, note that it refers to time of arrival, not time of departure.
Note; all e-arrival cards for Southeast Asia described below are free of charge.
Official Khmer forms no longer require Sanskrit Cambodia
In our opinion, the easiest of the various e-arrival cards for Southeast Asia, as it gives you a one week period prior to arrival to complete the form. There are a couple of optional fields to ignore and the whole five pages took us five minutes to complete. (It also includes a customs declaration so that’s another form that air stewards used to hand out that doesn’t exist anymore.)
Please note that, at present, Cambodian e-arrival cards are only required for arrivals at international airports and not land borders. (Cambodian digital arrival form.)
Indonesia
While the Indonesian immigration site states that e-arrival forms are compulsory for any foreign visitor, we have received reports that, in reality, staff at certain airports were noticeably less interested than others. (e.g. Kualanamu International, Medan) However, this will vary and it’s best to stick to the rules anyway. The required time-frame is within three days of arrival and the form also replaces a former health declaration.
Laos
Lao immigration also provides a limited, three-day time-frame and claims that e-arrival cards are required at all immigration points including airports and land crossings. (We’re slightly sceptical about its validity at some of the smaller, further-flung, land border posts, but that’s what it says.)
Malaysia
Ditto the above with three days to complete what they call an MDAC – Malaysian Digital Arrival Card – for both land and airport arrivals.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka also proffers an original title for their e-arrival card with the catchy sounding ETA – Electronic Travel Authorisation – however, after wasting 30 minutes scouring the web, we couldn’t find a more precise time-frame than “a few days before”. We’d suggest trying a week or five days.
Easy to overlook a one or two might stopover in Bangkok for instance Thailand
Thailand’s TDAC, (Thailand Digital Arrival Card), system has been in place since 1st May 2025 and is valid for all entry points – air and land – with Thai immigration also plumping for the popular three-day window. As with all of the above, this is not required if you are simply transitting through say Bangkok Airport, but it is an easy one to overlook if you’ve got a night or two in the Thai capital on your way to Laos or Cambodia or have opted for a Thai beach extension after Angkor or Phnom Penh.
Pros and Cons
Overall, these Southeast Asia a-arrival cards would appear to provide advantages although with our sceptical nature we can’t resist adding a few ifs and buts. We’re not sure that showing QR codes to immigration officers instead of handing over a form will significantly speed up the immigration process and either way said officials still seem to find the need to tap away a bit on their computers. (What if your phone battery went flat during the flight?) Furthermore, surely all the info you’ve filled in on your digital/electronic application only duplicated what you’ve previously written on your visa application anyway?
Filling in forms on flights or immigration desks was a bit of a hassle while said digital cards do generally also replace any previous health and/or customs declarations.
The main drawback to us is the very inflexible time-frame imposed by most of the above immigration departments. If you take off the flight time – which in the case of say north Americans – could easily be 24 hours, then you only have a two-day window to remember to complete your form. Probably worse still is if you’re already on a tour – perhaps having a busy couple of days or with only limited WiFi access – then it is very easy to forget. (You won’t be refused entry but the resulting delay of being asked to go to the back of the queue and first complete your form, quickly negates any advantages.)
As with much automation and digitalisation in the modern world, the obvious question is who does it benefit most. Is it really for the ‘convenience of customers’ or is its main purpose to save money and time for the staff concerned whether in your local supermarket, airline check-in desk or Thai immigration?
