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I'm planning my return to Thailand. Realised that I'm not going to have time to go to a copy shop to make a hardcopy of my PCR test (the one I take less than 72 hours prior to departure)... Unless I pay £60 more for an express service. Will I be asked for a hardcopy? Either at Heathrow (Flying Qatar), or at the Thai end? Can i show them the test results on my phone or tablet? Or perhaps there's a convenient place to make hardcopies within Heathrow terminal 5?

Oh! Will I need an onward ticket for my COE? I think usually I could probably just buy a single. I have a reentry visa for my extension of stay + o visa based on retirement. My second question is whether "renting" an outward ticket could allow someone to skimp on covid insurance? (though not sure if I would risk it). By only buying insurance to the fake date of exit. Maybe 3 months instead of 6.

I didn't realise before the insurance applies to both options, So I'm favouring the sandbox scheme now. Let's focus on that. Any leads for cheaper insurance? I've started shopping around and six months insurance is around £400. I only need 5 months (possibly 4), and I don't need all the travel insurance stuff (except perhaps refunds if I get a positive PCR test before departure). Any leads on cheaper insurance deals? Specifically, what's the minimum safe time to apply for COE in the UK? I heard that an additional PCR test might be required to leave Phuket and travel to Bangkok. Is that right? Any other complications getting from Phuket to Bangkok? I'm not sure when in October I will travel. The date could be sprung on me at short notice. (Selling a house, completion date unknown). It might be that the conveyancers drag their feet so much I can utilise the Bangkok sandbox. But I don't want to hang around in the UK too long once I have nowhere to live. That's why the COE delay is a factor.

@BritTim.. So you're saying that covid insurance is indeed required for ASQ? (Originally it was only required for the sandbox option). I didn't even realise that COE was required for ASQ now. CORRECTION: In my original post, I meant to write: "Another factor is the delay of obtaining an COE" (not ASQ).

I've been away from Thailand for a few months. Planning my return early October. I'm a UK citizen, living in Bangkok, on a retirement non-imm-"O" Visa extension of stay valid until 19th February 2022. I have a reentry visa. I am double vaccinated. I am weighing up the pros and cons of ASQ vs Phuket Sandbox (it would have been Bangkok Sandbox, but that has been pushed back.) When I looked into this months ago, the cost of insurance (5 months) made me favour the ASQ on the basis of cost. Have things changed now? Does anyone have any leads on good insurance deals? Do I need insurance for ASQ now? Some months ago this was only a requirement for the Sandbox? Is there any problem obtaining insurance or COE for my non-imm-O extension of stay? (rather than being on a tourist visa) If I went for the Phuket Sandbox, I would have to travel home to Bangkok after (and I read that additional Covid tests could be required), vs the convenience of ASQ in Bangkok. Another factor is the delay of obtaining an ASQ. I've seen websites that state a minimum of 5 to 15 working days prior to travel. Do they mean one week or 3? I'd also be interested in the views of other expats who have returned to Thailand, and considered ASQ vs. Sandbox options.