Thailand's new immigration app, THIM (Thailand Immigration Management), is in a public pilot, and most coverage just rewrites the press release. We actually installed it and ran through it — here's what it does, screen by screen, and what it does not replace.
Before you start
THIM is voluntary right now and links to, but does not replace, the TDAC. During the pilot you still submit the free Thailand Digital Arrival Card within 72 hours of arrival. See our live entry-requirements status for what's actually mandatory today.
What THIM is
Built by Digital Identity Co., Ltd. on AWS's Bangkok region, THIM is meant to become Thailand's immigration "super-app." Today it supports English, Russian, Japanese and Chinese (more languages planned), reads your passport via OCR, and lets one account register up to 10 travellers — handy for families. Repeat visitors can update just flight and accommodation on return trips.
Step by step
- Install & choose a language. Get "THIM" from the App Store or Google Play and pick your language on first launch.
- Create an account. Register with an email; verify it.
- Scan your passport. The OCR pulls your details from the photo page — check every field, OCR isn't perfect.
- Add travellers (optional). Add up to nine more people to the same account.
- Add trip details. Flight and accommodation. On a later trip you only update these.
- Review & save. You get a profile you can reuse; it links through to the TDAC flow.
THIM vs. TDAC — which do I need?
| TDAC | THIM | |
|---|---|---|
| Required today? | Yes (since 1 May 2025) | No — voluntary pilot |
| Cost | Free | Free |
| Replaces the other? | — | No, it links to the TDAC |
| Mandatory from | In force | Arrival-card function expected Aug 2026 |
Our verdict
For a first trip THIM saves little over just filling the TDAC. Where it pays off is repeat visits and families — one saved profile, minor edits each time. Until the arrival-card function becomes mandatory (expected August 2026), treat THIM as optional and keep doing the TDAC. We'll update this walkthrough on each app version and the moment it goes mandatory.