What is a Flight Itinerary for a Visa Application and How to Book One in 2024
A flight itinerary is a document that shows a detailed route of your flight. It must not be confused with a flight ticket since these are two different things.
Typically, a flight itinerary includes details regarding you and your flight, such as flight name, routes, departure and arrival time and dates, flight code and passenger details (full name, email, phone number, passport number, etc.).
Why Is It Necessary?
A booking of a round-trip reservation or flight itinerary is necessary because it will serve as proof that you are not planning to overstay your visa and will go back to your home country before your Schengen visa expires.
Also, having a flight itinerary will help the visa officials issue the visa for as long as you need not for a shorter period of time.
What Is a Flight Reservation?
A flight reservation is a booking of a seat for a specific flight from one airport to another. Basically, it holds a seat for you on a flight for a certain period of time.
How Can I Book a Flight Itinerary for My Visa Application?
You have two options for booking a flight itinerary: booking with a refundable option or without paying.
Booking With a Refundable Option:
You can search for flights on airline websites or travel booking platforms and see if you can find an option that is refundable. Once you find it, print the confirmation email or itinerary that shows the flight details.
Booking a refundable ticket is one of the safest options as it shows your genuine travel intent.
Booking Without Paying
To book a flight reservation without payment, you can use a dummy booking website or contact the airline directly and see whether they allow you to book online without immediate payment.
Some airlines hold your reservation for a limited time, typically 72 hours max, before requiring payment.
However, if you decide to use a dummy booking website, you might need to pay a small fee ($10 – $20).
Where Can I Book a Flight Reservation?
Some of the travel booking websites where you can book a round-trip reservation or flight itinerary include:
- Visa Reservation
- Kayak
- Expedia
- Google Flights
- Skyscanner
- Priceline
- Other
What is a Flight Ticket?
A flight ticket, also referred to as an airline ticket, is a document or electronic document issued by an airline or travel agency confirming that an individual has paid or booked and therefore is entitled to a seat on an aircraft.
Usually, a flight ticket contains details about the passenger (full name, passport number, etc.), the issuing airline, ticket number, baggage allowance, fare, etc.
What Types of Flight Tickets Can I Book?
Two of the most common types of flight tickets are:
- One-way ticket.
- Round-trip ticket.
What Is a One-Way Ticket?
As the name suggests, a one-way ticket is a ticket that allows the passenger to travel only to their destination country, but not back home.
For example, if you have a one-way ticket for a flight from India to Italy, then you can only use that ticket to enter Italy, but the same ticket cannot be used to go back to India.
You need to purchase a new one-way ticket to return home.
* One-way tickets are not acceptable as proof of booked flight.
What Is a Return Ticket?
A return flight ticket or round-trip ticket allows the passenger to travel from one destination to another and return back to the same place.
For example, with a return ticket, you can go from Angola to Germany and from Germany back to Angola without having to purchase a new ticket.
What About Dummy Tickets?
A dummy ticket is a temporary flight booking from and back to the original destination country. It is simply a document that includes travel itinerary details, and it is not paid or confirmed.
It is often referred to as a fake ticket or dummy booking and is typically used as proof of onward travel for visa applications.
Basically, a dummy ticket mimics a real ticket, but it does not hold an actual seat reservation on a flight.
Should I Book a Flight Ticket Before My Visa Application?
No, there is no need to buy a flight ticket before you apply for a Schengen visa.
Since there is no guarantee that you will have your visa approved, you risk losing the flight ticket and your money in case your visa is not approved.
Instead, you present your flight itinerary, which you can book without paying the full price of the travel ticket.
Countries That Require Proof of Onward Travel When Applying for a Visa
Some of the countries that require proof of onward travel when you apply for a visa include:
- Schengen Area countries.
- Canada.
- Japan.
- Algeria.
- Brazil.
- New Zealand.
- Thailand.
- China.
- Turkey.
- United Arab Emirates (UAE).
- Vietnam, etc.
Source: https://schengen.news/what-is-a-flight-itinerary-for-visa-application/
