Thailand Life Tools

Thailand airport automatic gates: who can use them

HOW

Since 24 August 2026 an Immigration Bureau order lets passport holders of 33 countries and territories use the automatic passport gates on arrival, and the gates opened at Suvarnabhumi in September. Official facts come first, with the wording behind them; what travellers report comes after, kept apart.

COUNTRIES
33
IN FORCE

Countries and territories in Annex A of Order No. 196/2569, and the date the order took effect.

TDAC EMAILELIGIBLEMANUAL PROCESSINGAUTO GATECOUNTER
Diagram of the order of things, not a floor plan or to scale.

Short answers from official sources

Who can use the arrival gates?
Holders of passports from the 33 countries and territories listed below who enter visa-free or with an electronic visa (e-Visa) and are approved for the gates. The order also covers residents, diplomats and a few other groups.
How do I know whether I can use one?
Your TDAC email says so. “AUTOMATED BORDER CONTROL - ELIGIBLE” in green means you can use the automatic gate; “IMMIGRATION COUNTER - MANUAL PROCESSING” means you go to a regular counter.
Which airport?
The expansion the government announced is at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK). We found no official notice about arrival gates at other airports.
Can I use them on my first visit?
Expect a counter. The government said the gates open in phases, people who have entered Thailand before and are already in the system may get them first, and first-time travellers still need their biometrics collected.
Will I get a stamp?
The order waives the departure stamp for passengers who pass an automatic gate. It does not say how your permitted stay is shown after an automatic entry; travellers report no entry stamp either (see below).
Can I use them when I leave?
Yes, at Suvarnabhumi departures, with an e-passport of any nationality.
Show the official wording behind these answers

Quoted in the language of each source. If anything differs, the official text is correct.

  • Who can use the arrival gates?

    “ผู้ถือหนังสือเดินทางหรือเอกสารใช้แทนหนังสือเดินทางที่มีสัญชาติของประเทศและดินแดนที่ได้รับการยกเว้นการตรวจลงตรา หรือได้รับการตรวจลงตราอิเล็กทรอนิกส์ (Electronic Visa) และได้รับการพิจารณาให้ใช้ช่องตรวจหนังสือเดินทางอัตโนมัติ ตามผนวก ก.”

    Immigration Bureau, Royal Thai Police (Royal Gazette Vol. 143, Special Section 217 Ng, pp. 53–55)

  • How do I know whether I can use one?

    “After submitting or updating your TDAC information, the system will send an email notifying you of the result and indicating whether you are eligible to use the Auto Border Control (ABC) gate. If the email displays “AUTOMATED BORDER CONTROL - ELIGIBLE” in green, you can use the Auto Border Control (ABC) gate. If the email displays “IMMIGRATION COUNTER - MANUAL PROCESSING”, you cannot use the Auto Border Control (ABC) gate. Please proceed to the regular immigration counter for immigration processing.”

    Immigration Bureau

  • Which airport?

    “รัฐบาลเร่งยกระดับประสบการณ์นักเดินทางที่สุวรรณภูมิ เตรียมขยาย Auto Gate เพิ่ม 31 สัญชาติ”

    Royal Thai Government (thaigov.go.th)

  • Can I use them on my first visit?

    “การเปิดใช้จะทยอยดำเนินการตามความพร้อมของอุปกรณ์ ระบบรักษาความปลอดภัย และข้อมูลชีวมิติ โดยผู้ที่เคยเดินทางเข้าประเทศไทยและมีข้อมูลในระบบอาจสามารถใช้ช่องอัตโนมัติได้ก่อน ส่วนผู้เดินทางครั้งแรกยังจำเป็นต้องผ่านกระบวนการจัดเก็บข้อมูลชีวมิติ”

    Royal Thai Government (thaigov.go.th)

  • Will I get a stamp?

    “ให้พนักงานเจ้าหน้าที่อนุญาตให้ผู้ถือหนังสือเดินทางหรือเอกสารใช้แทนหนังสือเดินทางซึ่งผ่านการตรวจจากเครื่องตรวจหนังสือเดินทางอัตโนมัติ ในการเข้ามาในหรือออกไปนอกราชอาณาจักร โดยไม่ต้องประทับหรือติดแผ่นปะ (Sticker) ตราตรวจอนุญาตขาออกในหนังสือเดินทางหรือเอกสารใช้แทนหนังสือเดินทาง หรือในใบสำคัญถิ่นที่อยู่ หรือใบแทนใบสำคัญถิ่นที่อยู่”

    Immigration Bureau, Royal Thai Police (Royal Gazette Vol. 143, Special Section 217 Ng, pp. 53–55)

  • Can I use them when I leave?

    “Passengers – all nationalities, holding e-Passport are now eligible to use the Immigration Auto Channel to leave Thailand at the International Departure, Passport Control, Suvarnabhumi Airport.”

    Immigration Bureau, Uttaradit Immigration

The 33 countries and territories

Annex A of Immigration Bureau Order No. 196/2569 (in force from 24 August 2026), in the annex’s order.

  1. Australia
  2. Austria
  3. Belgium
  4. Canada
  5. Czech Republic
  6. Denmark
  7. Finland
  8. France
  9. Germany
  10. Greece
  11. Hungary
  12. Ireland
  13. Italy
  14. Japan
  15. South Korea
  16. Latvia
  17. Luxembourg
  18. Malaysia
  19. Malta
  20. Netherlands
  21. New Zealand
  22. Norway
  23. Poland
  24. Portugal
  25. Singapore
  26. Slovakia
  27. Slovenia
  28. Spain
  29. Sweden
  30. Switzerland
  31. United Arab Emirates
  32. United Kingdom
  33. Hong Kong SAR, China

What travellers report (not official)

These come from traveller posts and independent guides read on 29 October 2026. They describe how the gates are run in practice, which can change without notice, and they are not Immigration Bureau rules.

  • Visa holders, DTV included, are sent to a counter

    Asked in the DTV Facebook group (19 September 2026), one member answered that the arrival gates are only for visa-free entries and that DTV, marriage and work visa holders go to a counter; another said the gates go by nationality and stored biometrics. VisasNews reports a DTV holder whose gate asked him to confirm a 30-day visa-free entry: he cancelled, and an officer told him DTV entries still use a counter. Chiang Rai Times and CM Locals say any visa-based entry, retirement, business, education and tourist visas included, uses a counter.

    Destination Thailand Visa (DTV) Facebook group · VisasNews · Chiang Rai Times · CM Locals

  • Do not confirm “visa-free” if you hold a visa

    Reports describe the gate screen asking you to confirm entry as “Visa-Free (30 days)”. CM Locals warns that confirming it on a visa-based entry can record you as a visa-exempt entry.

    VisasNews · CM Locals

  • A first entry or a new passport goes to a counter

    Chiang Rai Times reports an immigration officer’s account: your current passport must already hold a Thai stamp from an earlier trip, so a first visit or a new passport goes through a counter first. AroiMakMak says the same, and CM Locals says first-time visitors have their biometrics taken at a counter.

    Chiang Rai Times · AroiMakMak · CM Locals

  • No entry stamp; reports differ on a slip

    Chiang Rai Times, CM Locals and Thai Digital Card say an automatic entry is recorded electronically with no stamp. AroiMakMak says the gate prints a slip with your entry date and permitted stay; the others do not mention one, and we could not confirm it. If you need a stamp for an extension, an employer or insurance, these guides suggest a counter.

    Chiang Rai Times · CM Locals · Thai Digital Card (unofficial guide) · AroiMakMak

  • Other airports are unconfirmed

    CM Locals finds no official confirmation for arrival gates at Don Mueang, and conflicting reports for Chiang Mai, Phuket and Hat Yai.

    CM Locals

  • Korean passports: no report on the days given

    The screen travellers describe asks for a 30-day visa-free entry. Korean passport holders may stay up to 90 days under the Korea–Thailand agreement, and we found no report or official text saying how many days an automatic gate gives a Korean traveller.

    VisasNews

STEP BY STEP

Which queue to choose

Our reading of the sources above, not an official rule. Officers can send anyone to a counter.

  1. Check your TDAC email first: “ELIGIBLE” or “MANUAL PROCESSING”.

  2. Entering with a visa (DTV, retirement, marriage, business, education, tourist visa): use a counter.

  3. First visit, or a passport you have not used in Thailand: use a counter.

  4. If you need a stamp, or want to see the date your stay ends (for example a long or close-to-the-limit stay): use a counter.