THIM: Thailand Launches Its Immigration App — and Expats Are Concerned Too

Thailand's Immigration Bureau announced on June 6, 2026 the trial launch of THIM (Thailand Immigration Management), a mobile app aimed at all foreigners entering or staying in the kingdom. Official launch is scheduled for August 2026. Many expats will file this one under "tourist stuff" — that would be a mistake.

What THIM does today

In its current version, THIM lets you pre-register your arrival in Thailand: passport details, travel plans and accommodation are submitted before your flight to generate the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC), the digital arrival card that replaced the paper TM6 form.

• Registration in under 3 minutes, with automatic passport scanning by photo;
• Group registration for up to 10 people — handy for families;
• Available on iOS and Android;
• Interface in English, Russian, Japanese and Chinese, with expansion planned to 15+ languages.

Development is led by Pol Maj Gen Pratchaya Prasansuk, deputy commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, assigned by commissioner Pol Lt Gen Panumas Boonyalug. The stated goal: "improving the experience of travellers at immigration checkpoints" and making Thailand "a leader in the transition to digital immigration systems in Southeast Asia".

Why expats are directly concerned

From the August launch, THIM will apply to all foreigners entering Thailand, regardless of visa type — tourists, but also holders of long-stay, retirement, work or DTV visas.

More importantly, the Immigration Bureau is explicit about the roadmap: THIM is set to become a single "Super App" for foreigners, covering short-stay tourists, long-term residents and those settled in the kingdom. On the menu for future versions:

• requesting official documents certifying or confirming identity;
• submitting documents directly through the app;
• booking appointments with immigration offices;
• 24/7 access to the Tourist Police hotline.

In other words: the queues at Chaengwattana or your provincial immigration office could eventually be partly replaced by in-app procedures. If you do 90-day reports, residence certificates or visa extensions, this is the app to watch.

The context: tighter supervision of stays

The announcement is part of a stated government policy: strengthening the authorities' capacity to supervise foreigners' stays, to prevent people from blending in and causing problems — or from being victimised, a reference to recent high-profile cases. The Bureau also cites airport congestion and the difficulty of reaching officers among the issues to fix.

For the expat community, the message cuts both ways: more administrative convenience on one side, more traceability on the other. Staying "under the radar" — repeated visa runs, undeclared addresses — is likely to get significantly harder as the system goes digital.

What to do now

• Nothing urgent: the current phase is a trial, and the TDAC remains available via the official website;
• If you travel after August 2026, plan to install THIM before returning to Thailand;
• Beware of fake apps: download only from the App Store or Play Store, and never pay — the TDAC is free;
• Follow Immigration Bureau announcements: "resident" features (documents, appointments) will roll out gradually.

Sekaijin will keep tracking THIM's rollout and what it means in practice for French expats' paperwork in Thailand.