Southeast Asia increasingly digital: Laos also introduces its arrival card

From September 1, 2025 also the Laos introduced the Lao Digital Immigration Form (LDIF), a digital system that replaces traditional paper forms. The innovation is active in pilot phase at four main gateways: the airports in Vientiane, Luang Prabang and Pakse, as well as the first Friendship Bridge over the Mekong.

Laos is just the latest example of a trend that now involves almost all of Southeast Asia: countries in the region are phasing out paper forms and moving to digital arrival cards, to be filled out online before the trip.

Countries with digital input modules

Country	System	When to fill it out	Helpful Notes	Official link
Laos	LDIF - Lao Digital Immigration Form	Within 3 days prior to arrival/departure	In pilot phase on 4 crossings. QR valid for 3 days.	immigration.gov.la
Thailand	TDAC - Thailand Digital Arrival Card	Within 3 days before arrival	From 1/5/25 mandatory for non-Thai nationals.	tdac.immigration.go.th
Cambodia	Cambodia e-Arrival Card (CeA)	Within 7 days before arrival	Mandatory for air arrivals.	arrival.gov.kh
Malaysia	MDAC - Malaysia Digital Arrival Card	Within 3 days before arrival	Mandatory for nonresidents (some exceptions).	imigresen-online.imi.gov.my/mdac/main
Philippines	eTravel	Within 72h (3 days)	Serves for arrival and departure. Free QR.	etravel.gov.ph
Singapore	SG Arrival Card (SGAC)	Within 3 days before arrival	Mandatory for all travelers, few exceptions.	ica.gov.sg
Brunei	E-Arrival Card	Before arrival	Effective 9/2/23. Mandatory by air, land, and sea.	immigration.gov.bn
Indonesia	Digital Arrival Card "All Indonesia"	Within 3 days before arrival	From 1/9/25 mandatory in CGK, DPS, SUB and Batam.	allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id

How the digital arrival card works

The mechanism is similar in all countries: the traveler must fill out an online form within the established time window, which in most cases is three days before arrival, with some exceptions such as the Cambodia, which allows up to seven days, or the Philippines, where the limit is set at 72 hours.

Once registration is completed you receive a QR code or a confirmation code, which must be shown at passport control when entering the country. In essence, the digital form replaces or complements the paper form and, at several airports, is now the only form accepted. Importantly, these systems are always free: Any sites that ask for payment are not official and should be avoided.

What's changing for Italian travelers

For those leaving from Italy, the difference can already be seen at the check-in: Many airlines check the QR code before accepting your baggage or issuing your boarding pass, and without it you won't fly. That's why it's critical to get organized with timing, avoiding both filling out too early and cutting back to the last minute.

Once you have obtained the code, it pays to save it in multiple formats - screenshot on your phone, PDF or email - so that you always have it handy even offline. Finally, pay attention to two things: use only official portals and not "premium" paid ones, and check right away that the data entered is correct, because not all systems allow changes after submission.