Schengen visa
Dummy ticket for a Schengen visa.
The consulates ask for a reservation, in writing.
What the rule actually says.
One regulation covers all twenty-nine Schengen states.
“confirmation of the booking of an organised trip or any other appropriate document indicating the envisaged travel plans”
That is Annex II, the list of what a tourist application may be asked for under documents relating to the itinerary. It names a booking confirmation or another appropriate document showing the travel you intend. A purchased ticket is not mentioned anywhere in it.
What the consulates say.
Four of them, quoted from their own checklists.
Netherlands
“You will need a reservation in your name for your travel to and from the Schengen area, or another document showing your travel plans. You do not need a paid travel ticket.”
Spain
“Flight reservation (please do not buy the tickets until your visa has been granted).”
Norway
“Confirmed booking (travel itinerary) of roundtrip air ticket... Do not buy the ticket until visa has been granted.”
Italy
“A copy of your round trip flight reservation or ticket and full itinerary. Buying your ticket in advance does not guarantee that a visa will be issued.”
Each quote was read at the address beside it on the date recorded in our source file, and copied rather than paraphrased. Consulates rewrite their checklists, so check yours before you apply.
Which document to take.
It depends on whether your centre wants something it can check.
Read the wording on your own checklist. A line asking for a reservation or a booking is asking for something that exists with an airline, and that is the verifiable flight reservation. It carries the airline’s own reference, so an assessor at a VFS Global, TLScontact or BLS International counter can look it up.
A line asking to see your intended route or your travel plans is asking for something narrower, and the flight itinerary answers it. It is built from real scheduled flights, nothing is held with an airline, and it says so on its face.
Both are ordered the same way and both print the passenger names exactly as the passports have them. What a dummy flight ticket actually is sets out the difference in full.
Nothing here guarantees visa approval, entry, or acceptance by an embassy, airline or border authority. Requirements are set by the authority assessing your application and can change, so check yours with them directly. Read the product disclaimer.
What goes wrong.
Four things, and the first is the expensive one.
Buying the ticket before the decision
Spain and Norway both tell applicants in writing not to buy until the visa is granted. If the application is refused or delayed, the fare is usually gone.
A one-way when the checklist asks for a return
Most Schengen checklists ask for a round trip. A one-way reservation answers a different question from the one being asked.
A reservation that has expired by the appointment
The airline sets the deadline, and it can be as short as 48 hours. Ordered well before your appointment, a short hold will not resolve on the day somebody checks it.
Dates that disagree with the rest of the file
The flights, the hotel booking and the insurance cover have to describe one trip. A mismatch is the sort of thing an assessor notices first.
Start with a route.
Everything else follows from it.