A number of popular destinations are adopting obligatory, though often free, Digital Arrival Cards. It is important to know if you need one and to avoid scrabbling around in the airport trying to complete them in the moment, writes Mike East.
Digital Arrival Cards – Our Tips
The information presented here will change, so check the current situation before you travel.
Try not to rely on free Internet at the airport. It has sometimes (though not always), worked for me, but it was slow and if several flights arrive together, it can become overburdened with travellers trying to do the bureaucracy at the last minute.
Thailand Digital Arrival Card
In Thailand, I did my homework and had picked up the rumours of a new system then checked that it was coming in a few days before I travelled. The form was clear and generally easy to follow. I saved the pdf on the laptop and a photo on my phone. No problems at all on entry and no one even wanted to see it as I left.
Philippines Digital Arrival Card
Philippines Digital Arrival CardWhen I got to the Philippines, I admit to being taken entirely by surprise by the form. I was in a long queue in a crowded airport relying on the free Wi-Fi, which was just about keeping up—yes, basically, everything I am saying not to do. I wrestled with the overlong form and some bizarre questions, but got it done just before getting to the front of the queue, though that was only because the airport was chaotic and the queue was tediously long. Nevertheless, one nice touch was that customs will just scan the QR code generated on your phone by the digital arrival process and you are out.
Japan Digital Arrival Cards
For Japan, the digital arrival cards are currently only recommended, not compulsory. The design was nice and concise, though I had to pay $60. The form says that it can take up to 72 hours to be generated, though you can opt for the one-hour express service and pay an extra $20. In my case the non-express card came through in less than an hour anyway, though the authorities do not guarantee this.
With the Japanese arrival form, there was just one heart-stopping moment for me when I thought I would arrive without any documentation. At the very end, during payment, it asked for at least 19 digits from my debit/credit card. I checked my cards and all were 16 digits. For the life of me, I could not see what I could do. Did they want the 16 digits from the front and the CVV number on the back? That would make 19. No, it did not work. Finally, it hit me—and I felt like an idiot: four sets of numbers in four groups + the three spaces in-between = 19. It worked and on I went.
South Korea e-Arrival Card
Since February of this year, South Korea has required what is called the e-Arrival Card. In the days running up to my visit here I completely forgot to do mine—even doing my online check in failed to jog my memory, so I arrived at the airport with nothing done and the Internet was so slow that I could not get the form to load. Luckily for me, the paper system was still an option, so I filled in the form as the line advanced towards the migration officer. However, who knows, these paper forms may be discontinued and some point.
Yes, I messed up on that trip, I hope it stays fixed in my memory for future ones.
For all the above countries, no one showed any interest in my digital arrival card as I was leaving. My passport and occasionally, my boarding pass were all I needed.
Other Asian Countries
Moving on, at the time of writing Vietnam and Laos are still on a paper system, whilst Cambodia, China, Malaysia and Singapore are digital.
Overall, I am a fan of these digital procedures for two reasons. Firstly, many countries in the region have different alphabets and these digital forms cut down on linguistic misunderstandings with migration officials. Secondly, I arrive feeling that the whole getting in/getting out is going to be smoother.
Further information on e-arrival forms
For Thailand: https://tdac.immigration.go.th/arrival-card/#/home
For The Philippines: https://philippinesarrivalcard.com/
For Japan: https://services.digital.go.jp/en/visit-japan-web/
For South Korea: www.e-arrivalcard.go.kr
