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Arrival cards and pre-arrival forms by country: which ones airlines check before boarding

Updated 19 Oct 2026

Last checked: 19 October 2026

Most arrival cards and pre-arrival forms are checked by the destination's border, health or customs officers when the passenger lands. The airline is not the checker. Two forms in our table are different. The Philippines asks passengers to show their eTravel QR code to an airline representative before boarding, and Maldives Immigration makes the operating airline responsible for making sure every passenger has submitted the Traveller Declaration before boarding. Separately, the UK ETA and the EES Carrier Interface are carrier checks by law, but they are travel authorisations, not arrival cards.

This page is information for travel businesses, not legal advice. Carriers remain responsible for their boarding decisions.

Arrival cards and pre-arrival forms at a glance

The table lists 19 forms in 17 countries. Every row links to a government website, and every form is free on that website.

Form Official URL When it's mandatory Who checks it Airline check at boarding Our guide
Thailand Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC), also in the THIM app tdac.immigration.go.th All non-Thai nationals arriving by land, air or sea. Submit within 3 days before arrival, arrival day included. Not needed for technical landings or transit without immigration. Crew exempt. Free. Immigration Bureau N. TDAC FAQ: "No penalty for airlines." Thailand THIM and TDAC
Vietnam Pre-Arrival Information (PAI) prearrival.immigration.gov.vn All international passengers without a Vietnamese passport, at all airports, per the U.S. Embassy notice of 17 Jun 2026. Up to 3 days before arrival, or on arrival by QR code or paper form. Free. Immigration Department, Ministry of Public Security N. It can be completed on arrival, so it is not a boarding document. Vietnam PAI
Singapore SG Arrival Card (SGAC) with electronic health declaration ica.gov.sg All travellers, except those transiting without immigration clearance and residents at Woodlands or Tuas. Within 3 days before arrival, arrival day included. Free. False health declarations can be prosecuted. ICA N. The ICA page puts no duty on carriers.
Malaysia Malaysia Digital Arrival Card (MDAC) imigresen-online.imi.gov.my Foreign visitors, up to 3 days before arrival. Exempt: Singapore passport holders, diplomatic and official passports, permanent residents, Long-Term Visit Pass holders, on-duty crew. "Highly recommended" for transit at KLIA without immigration. Immigration Department N. MDAC FAQ.
Indonesia All Indonesia arrival declaration (immigration, customs, health and quarantine in one system) allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id Every passenger arriving from abroad, Indonesian or foreign, at all airports and seaports, since 1 Oct 2025, per Ditjen Imigrasi. From 3 days before arrival. The QR code is the proof of submission. Without it, officers check the passenger manually at the counter, which takes longer. The Embassy of Japan notice adds that the arrival day counts in the 3 days, that it can be done at the airport, that it is free, and that it is separate from the e-VOA and e-Visa. Immigration, customs, health, quarantine N. No official text puts a duty on carriers.
Philippines eTravel etravel.gov.ph Arriving passengers and crew, Filipino and foreign, and departing Filipinos. Within 72 hours before arrival or departure. Free. Exempt: foreign diplomats and dependants, 9(e) visa holders, diplomatic and official passports. Bureau of Immigration, Bureau of Quarantine Y. eTravel FAQ: passengers must show the QR code "to an airline representative prior to boarding your flight."
India e-Arrival Card indianvisaonline.gov.in/earrival All foreigners, including OCI cardholders, since 1 Oct 2025. Within 72 hours before arrival. Not a visa. Bureau of Immigration N. BoI advisory. Paid intermediaries are not authorised.
India Air Suvidha 2.0 self-declaration form (health) airsuvidha.civilaviation.gov.in All international air arrivals, including Indian nationals and crew. Passengers are asked to complete it before boarding or at web check-in. Window: up to 72 hours before arrival per the portal; the 25 Jun 2026 press note said 24 hours. Airport Health Officer, Bureau of Immigration N. Passengers are asked to file before boarding, but no carrier duty is stated.
South Korea e-Arrival Card e-arrivalcard.go.kr Visa holders and K-ETA-exempt nationals, among others. K-ETA holders are excluded. Up to 3 days before arrival. Free. Group channel for up to 1,000 people. Korea Immigration Service N
Taiwan Taiwan Arrival Card (TWAC) twac.immigration.gov.tw Foreign visitors. Up to 7 days before arrival since the NIA notice of 15 Jul 2026, previously 3 days. QR code at the airport if missed. Nothing to show at the counter. National Immigration Agency N. NIA news, 15 Jul 2026.
China Online Arrival Card s.nia.gov.cn Foreigners entering China. Online since 20 Nov 2025. Free. Paper cards and airport devices are still available, so filing online is optional. National Immigration Administration N. NIA notice, 5 Dec 2025.
New Zealand New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD) travellerdeclaration.govt.nz Everyone, including New Zealand passport holders. By air, from 24 hours before the trip starts and by passport control at the latest. Visa and NZeTA holders still file. Free. NZ Customs, MPI, Immigration New Zealand N. Checked at the eGate or by a border officer.
Maldives Traveller Declaration (IMUGA) imuga.immigration.gov.mv All passengers and crew except Maldivian citizens, arriving and departing. Within 96 hours before arrival or departure. As of 19 Oct 2026, the IMUGA portal still describes the declaration as mandatory. Maldives Immigration Y. Immigration circular 94-CBS/CIR/2023/1: the operating airline must ensure submission before boarding, with penalties under Immigration Act 1/2007.
Haiti iKat electronic entry and exit form delidoc.gouv.ht/ikat (form), immigration.mict.gouv.ht (information) All travellers, Haitian and foreign, entering or leaving Haiti at airports, seaports and land border posts, per the DIE page. Reported mandatory from 1 Oct 2026 by Le Nouvelliste, citing MICT. The DIE page says 72 hours before arrival or departure, and also that passengers are told to fill it in 48 hours in advance. One form per person per trip, children included. Health and customs officers at control points N. The QR code is asked for by health and customs officers. No carrier duty found. Haiti iKat
Kenya Health declaration under the Public Health (Ebola Disease) Rules, 2026 Legal Notices 203 and 204 (PDF). No official online form verified. Anyone entering or leaving Kenya, from 12 Oct 2026. Paper or electronic, at the point of entry. The rules lapse after 12 months unless revoked. Port health officers N. Rule 8(2). Carriers must report and keep records under rule 11, which is not a boarding check. Kenya Ebola rules
Kenya Electronic Traveler Surveillance Form KCAA AIC 07/26 (PDF) Travellers originating from the DRC or Uganda, before disembarking in Kenya, since 21 May 2026. Port health N. Operators flying from or via the DRC or Uganda must give passengers the link before the journey (AIC 07/26). Kenya Ebola rules
Sierra Leone Health Declaration and Travel Information Form (Health Travel Portal) poep.npha.gov.sl All travellers arriving or departing, including citizens, since 18 Jun 2026. Within 72 hours before travel. Update the seat number. NPHA point-of-entry health N. NPHA advisory: present the QR code "when requested."
Dominican Republic E-Ticket (entry and exit) eticket.migracion.gob.do All passengers, Dominican or foreign, entering or leaving. Free. Migration (DGM) and Customs N. No carrier duty in the DGM text.
South Africa SARS Traveller Declaration sars.gov.za Everyone entering or leaving, since 1 Jul 2026. No more than 24 hours before departure; for arrivals, the last leg into South Africa. Airside transit excluded. SARS Customs N. SARS FAQ: nobody is denied entry or departure solely for not filing in advance.

Airline check = Y only where an official government or civil-aviation text puts the duty on the carrier before boarding.

Is an arrival card a visa?

No. An arrival card is a data declaration. It does not give anyone permission to travel or enter, and the official sources say so directly. ICA Singapore states that "the SG Arrival Card is not a visa." India's Bureau of Immigration describes the e-Arrival Card as being for arrival information, not a visa. Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security says PAI does not receive or decide visa applications.

Arrival card vs eVisa vs ETA

A visa, eVisa or ETA is a permission. The destination decides whether the passenger may travel or enter. An arrival card, health declaration or customs form is a declaration. The passenger reports who they are, where they are staying and what they carry. A passenger can need both, one or neither, so a booking flow has to check them separately. Our guide to the 5 key differences between electronic visas and ETAs covers the permission side.

Which forms do airlines have to check before boarding?

Only a few, and each one has a published legal basis. In our table, two arrival forms are carrier checks. Outside the table, two travel authorisations are carrier checks by law.

Philippines eTravel

The official eTravel FAQ tells passengers: "You will be required to show said QR code to an airline representative prior to boarding your flight." It also says travellers "are enjoined to present their proof of eTravel registration prior to boarding." Arriving passengers and crew must register, and so must departing Filipinos.

Maldives Traveller Declaration (IMUGA)

Maldives Immigration circular 94-CBS/CIR/2023/1 says it is "the responsibility of the Operating Airline" to ensure that all passengers and crew, except Maldivian citizens, have submitted the Traveller Declaration on IMUGA before boarding. Airlines that fail to comply are penalised under Immigration Act 1/2007. The Maldives Civil Aviation Authority sent the circular to carriers in Air Transport Circular ATO 1/2010 Issue 02, dated 8 January 2024. The same circular asks airlines to make an inflight announcement about the 96-hour window. The IMUGA portal still described the declaration as mandatory on 19 October 2026.

Carrier-checked authorisations that are not arrival cards

  • UK ETA and eVisa. GOV.UK said on 24 February 2026 that "airlines will prevent passengers from boarding if they do not have an ETA, eVisa" or other valid permission. The Home Office guide for carriers sets a charge of £2,000 per passenger. See UK carrier eVisa and share code checks.
  • EES Carrier Interface. For single- and double-entry Schengen visas, carriers must query the eu-LISA Carrier Interface before boarding, mandatory from 10 April 2026. Stamp checks ended after 6 October 2026. See EES stamp checks end and the eu-LISA Carrier Interface.
  • Kenya visitor health insurance. Kenya's eCitizen insurance portal states that non-Kenyan visitors need inbound travel health insurance to enter. A KCAA circular, AIC 11/26 of 9 October 2026, reportedly asks airlines to check proof at check-in, but the only copy we found is hosted on an airline website, not on a Kenyan government domain. We do not mark it as a carrier check until we can cite a government copy. See Kenya eTA portal travel insurance.

Forms airlines often remind passengers about but do not check

Singapore SGAC, Vietnam PAI, Thailand TDAC and India Air Suvidha appear in many airline reminders, but the official texts put no checking duty on carriers. The TDAC FAQ is explicit: "No penalty for airlines." Other forms can be completed after landing. Vietnam's PAI can be filed on arrival, according to the U.S. Embassy notice, and Taiwan, China and Thailand offer airport kiosks or QR codes. Some carriers still ask for these forms at check-in as their own policy. That is a carrier choice, not a government rule.

When can passengers submit?

Most windows open 3 days or 72 hours before arrival. The exceptions matter for any reminder an OTA or airline sends:

  • Taiwan: up to 7 days before arrival, since 15 July 2026.
  • Maldives: within 96 hours before arrival or departure.
  • New Zealand: from 24 hours before the trip starts.
  • South Africa (SARS): no more than 24 hours before the last leg into South Africa departs.
  • India Air Suvidha: up to 72 hours per the portal. India's 25 June 2026 press note said 24 hours. We show both because the official sources differ.
  • Haiti iKat: the DIE page gives 72 hours and also says passengers are told to file 48 hours in advance.

Arrival-based vs departure-based windows

Most windows count back from arrival, not departure. A reminder sent 72 hours before a long-haul departure can open before the form does. Vietnam PAI works from arrival time, which our PAI guide explains. South Africa's window is the opposite case: it counts back from the departure of the last leg.

Forms needed on exit too

Haiti iKat, Philippines eTravel for departing Filipinos, the Maldives Traveller Declaration, Sierra Leone's health form, South Africa's SARS declaration and the Dominican Republic E-Ticket all apply on departure. Kenya's Ebola Rules also require a health declaration from anyone leaving Kenya. Build the return leg into any reminder logic.

Health declarations added in 2026

Since WHO declared the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on 17 May 2026, as cited in India's 25 June press note, several countries have added health declarations:

  • Kenya: the Public Health (Ebola Disease) Rules, in force from 12 October 2026, plus the KCAA AIC 07/26 surveillance form for travellers from the DRC and Uganda.
  • India: Air Suvidha 2.0, June 2026.
  • Sierra Leone: the NPHA Health Travel Portal, 18 June 2026.

Singapore's SGAC already includes an electronic health declaration.

What carriers must do in Kenya

Under rule 11 of Legal Notice 204, carriers report suspected cases before arrival where practicable and keep passenger and crew records. Under AIC 07/26, operators flying from or via the DRC or Uganda give passengers the surveillance-form link before the journey and hand over manifests and health declarations on request. Neither rule makes the health declaration a boarding check. We have not verified an official online form for the Kenya health declaration, so we do not link one. Our Kenya Ebola rules guide has the detail.

Where submissions fail: data mismatches that look like border problems

Many failed submissions are data problems, not entry refusals:

  • Flight code vs PNR. Passengers enter a booking reference where the form asks for a flight number. Our PAI guide covers what Vietnam's pilot data showed.
  • Codeshares. Forms want the operating flight number, not the marketing one.
  • Name and passport changes. TDAC lets travellers update most fields, but not full name, passport number, nationality or date of birth. Those need a new submission. MDAC also needs a resubmission.
  • Schedule changes. A new arrival date can move the passenger outside the submission window or make the filed form wrong.
  • Children. Every traveller needs their own form. TDAC allows up to 10 people per family submission, Taiwan up to 16 companions, and Korea's group channel up to 1,000.

For name problems across tickets, passports and eVisas, see handling name mismatches.

Fake and paid look-alike sites

Every form in the table is free on the official channel. Governments say this in plain terms:

  • ICA Singapore: "SGAC submission is free of charge."
  • Philippines eTravel: registration is "absolutely free of charge."
  • India: the government "does not authorize any agent or intermediaries to charge fees" for the e-Arrival Card.
  • Thailand TDAC: "No Fees Required."
  • New Zealand NZTD: "FREE."
  • Dominican Republic E-Ticket: "No cost."
  • China's NIA also states that the online arrival card is free.

For OTAs, the rule is simple. Link only to the official URL in the table. If you charge for help with the form, say clearly that the government form itself is free. Our guide to common electronic visa scams covers the patterns.

What OTAs should build: a pre-arrival step in the booking flow

  1. Trigger the step by destination and arrival time, not by departure time.
  2. Re-trigger it when the schedule changes.
  3. Show the arriving flight number of the operating carrier.
  4. Ask for one form per passenger, including children.
  5. Add exit forms to the return leg.
  6. Link only to official government URLs.
  7. Log what you sent, to whom and when.

Your booking flow already knows the passport, the route and the arrival time. The SimpleVisa requirements endpoint takes nationality, destination and departure date and returns the documents for that trip. SimpleVisa also tracks pre-arrival requirements such as PAI, and Coverage alerts or webhooks tell you when a country adds or changes a form, so you can add an arrival-card step to your own flow. Sandbox keys come without a sales call.

curl https://api.simplevisa.com/v1/requirements \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer sk_test_..." \
  -d nationality=FR \
  -d destination=IN \
  -d departure_date=2026-11-04

Get a test key · Try the requirements checker

What airlines should brief stations on

  • Boarding conditions. Philippines eTravel and the Maldives Traveller Declaration, plus the UK ETA and EES Carrier Interface checks.
  • Remind, don't deny. Every other form in the table. Agents can remind passengers, but the official texts do not make these forms a boarding condition.
  • Outstations and ground handlers. Brief handling agents at every station that serves these routes, not only the home hub.
  • Transit passengers. Thailand does not require TDAC for technical landings or transit without immigration. Singapore does not require the SGAC without immigration clearance. South Africa's SARS declaration excludes airside transit. Malaysia "highly recommends" the MDAC even for transit at KLIA. See the complete guide to transit visas.
  • Kenya. Brief staff on the insurance requirement and the surveillance-form link for DRC and Uganda origins. Do not treat the Kenya health declaration as a boarding check.

FAQ

Do airlines check arrival cards before boarding?

Mostly no. The destination checks them on arrival. The official exceptions we found are the Philippines, where passengers show the eTravel QR code to the airline before boarding, and the Maldives, where the operating airline must ensure the Traveller Declaration was submitted. The UK ETA and the EES Carrier Interface are carrier checks, but they are authorisations, not arrival cards.

Is a digital arrival card a visa?

No. A digital arrival card is a data declaration. It does not grant permission to travel or enter. Passengers still need the right visa, eVisa, ETA or visa exemption for their nationality and trip. Singapore, India and Vietnam all state this on their official sites.

How early can passengers submit an arrival card?

Usually 3 days, or 72 hours, before arrival. The exceptions are Taiwan at 7 days, the Maldives at 96 hours, New Zealand from 24 hours before the trip starts, and South Africa's customs declaration no more than 24 hours before the last leg into South Africa departs.

Are arrival cards free?

Yes, on every official channel in our table. Several governments warn about paid look-alike sites, including Singapore, the Philippines, India, Thailand, New Zealand and the Dominican Republic. A site that charges a fee for the form itself is not a government site.

Do transit passengers need an arrival card?

Usually not if they stay airside. Thailand does not require TDAC for transit or technical landings. Singapore does not require the SGAC without immigration clearance. South Africa excludes airside transit from the SARS declaration. Malaysia is the exception we found, since it recommends the MDAC even for airside transit at KLIA.

Which forms are needed when leaving the country, too?

Haiti iKat, Philippines eTravel for departing Filipinos, the Maldives Traveller Declaration, Sierra Leone's health form, South Africa's SARS declaration and the Dominican Republic E-Ticket. Kenya's Ebola Rules also require a health declaration from anyone leaving Kenya. Exit forms belong in the return-leg reminder.

Does each child need their own form?

Yes. Every system we checked requires one declaration per traveller, including children and infants. Several systems let one person submit for a group or family, for example TDAC for up to 10 people and Taiwan's TWAC for up to 16 companions.

Sources

All sources checked on 19 October 2026 unless marked otherwise.

Information for travel businesses, not legal advice. Carriers remain responsible for their boarding decisions. Get Coverage alerts when a country adds or changes a form, check a trip in the requirements checker, or read the developer docs.

Check a real route

Rules depend on the passport and the itinerary. The requirements checker answers for a specific passport and destination, with the live consular fee. Coverage for every destination we track is on the coverage page.