Should you book a flight ticket BEFORE Visa Approval ?

The answer to this question is a NO. but ofcourse you will need to present a flight ticket for visa purposes. This article will show you how you can fulfil the requirement without booking an actual flight. In fact our experience in processing over 30,000 visas per month and than 30% of our customers have booked their flight before visa approval.

he good thing is most of the embassies know this, and they are lenient on this requirement but have not yet updated their websites or visa requirements. In most cases, a flight itinerary for visa purposes or at the immigration queue is more than enough.

How to get a visa without booking a flight ticket first ? What if the visa is rejected after flight is booked ?

You can submit a flight itinerary for visa instead of an actual fully paid flight ticket. That way you can protect yourself with a loss of money in case your visa is rejected. There are several services that provide flight itinerary online. The one that we have often used for our own customers is FlightGen App.

Add the line “A flight itinerary from a visa agent. The same will be ticketed once my visa is approved” when creating your cover letter and you are good to go (We use BlinkDocs App to create cover letter)

 We use FlightGen app to create flight itinerary because it works just like booking a plane ticket. This way, we can pick the flight we’ll most likely take if our visa is approved, which keeps things smooth at immigration, and we can also pick our own currency not always in USD.

The other option is to buy a fully refundable flight ticket which can be quite expensive and in some cases a hassle to get a refund. Also in some cases you may need multiple flight tickets to show as proof of your trip. so it is best that you use services like FlightGen which allows you to make unlimited flight itineraries for $15.

It really depends on your individual situation.

If you are confident that you will be able to obtain a visa, then it may make sense to book the flight ticket first.

However, if there is any uncertainty about whether or not you will be granted a visa, it would probably be best to apply for the visa first and wait until it has been approved before booking your flight ticket.

That way, if the visa does get rejected after booking the ticket, at least you won’t have wasted money on an unnecessary plane fare!

The consulate is asking me to show my return or onward flight ticket but I do not know when my return date is. What to do ?

This is one of the scenarios where you can use FlightGen App. You can get a temporary flight itinerary from them for a tentative return date (make sure this is some date greater than your intended days of stay) and use that for visa. Once your visa is approved, you can make an actual booking when you are ready to do so. Here is what Anna Emilia says

Can you book a flight ticket without a visa ?

Although you can book your flight ticket without a visa, it is not recommended to do so by most embassies and they have mentioned time and again that they are not liable for any damages if your visa is rejected. Even if you have a valid ticket.
Many airlines are mandatorily required to ensure you have a valid visa to your destination country before your visa is approved. This is far better than being denied entry into the country upon arrival at the airport. This is important to have a visa before booking any flight. Here is what a fellow traveller has to say about the same.

Is it Advisable to buy a flight ticket while you are waiting for your visa ?

It depends on who you are, what country’s visa you want, and how likely you are to get it. If I’m pretty sure it will happen, I’ll buy the passes. Visas aren’t always given out without proof that the person wants to travel. If there is any doubt and you don’t have to show tickets, I would probably wait, unless having tickets could change my mind.

I know this isn’t a very clear answer, but I’m working with limited information at the moment.

It’s worth noting that non-flex Business Class is usually a bit more expensive than flex Economy if you need to buy refundable tickets ahead of time. When you book a “non-flex” ticket, you can usually cancel it with only a small administration fee. This way, if you can’t go, you’re only out the administration fee and can still fly easily.

Another option is to make sure that your ticket is in the class that lets you change for the least amount of money. If the visa is turned down, change the class to “flexible” and then cancel it in a day or two.

Is it ok to book a dummy flight ticket with PNR to show for visa purpose ?

No. In fact many of our customers faced the worst experiences when doing so as the embassy rejected their visa on the basis of forged documents. The best approach is honesty, you must declare in your cover letter that you are submitting a flight itinerary and will ticket it once your visa is approved. At worst, you may be asked to submit an actual flight ticket or provide proof of funds to do the same.

This is far better than submitting a temporary or fake PNR and then getting busted as you are trying to pass it on as the original.

Is it legal to apply for Schengen visa with dummy tickets ?

No. You must not use a dummy ticket when applying for Schengen visa, but it is perfectly ok to use a flight itinerary for Schengen visa. In fact, the consulate encourages all the visa applicant to not book their flight ticket before their visa is approved and they are not liable for any losses.

Yes. Embassies do accept flight itinerary for visa application, in some cases they also recommend the visa applicants to buy a flight ticket only after their visa has been approved. This is not the case if you are applying for transit visas as you must have a fully paid flight ticket for your onward journey.

Please provide an email confirmation or website screenshot print out of your intended flight itinerary either direct from the airline clearly showing your intended date of departure and route. We highly recommend not purchasing your flight tickets until your visa has been approved.

Round trip reservation or itinerary with dates and flight numbers specifying entry and exit from Schengen state. Some Schengen authorities accept the itinerary when applying for the visa but request the original air ticket when visa is collected.

Vfs Global & Spain Consulate

Can I get a flight itinerary to show immigration officials for visa without having to pay for the flight ?

You can book a flight itinerary for about $10 on FlightGen app. if there are any co-passengers, you can add them too for free on FlightGen app.
As of 2023, they are now giving unlimited flight itineraries for 24 hours at $15 which is an amazing deal.