When traveling abroad, there is a perpetual dilemma that plagues travelers. In order to get cheap tickets, they must book tickets well in advance, but if their visa is not approved, booking tickets early can backfire, especially if the tickets are non-refundable. Booking flight tickets prior to getting an official visa approval is generally not advised. Diplomatic consulates worldwide, including Schengen, UK, US, and Canada, clearly advise applicants against committing non-refundable funds prior to the issuance of their visa. Travelers, instead, are encouraged to submit temporary flight reservations, hold itineraries, or fully refundable fares. If you’re in a similar precarious situation, this unstumbled guide will help you navigate what to book as refundable and what to avoid.
Don’t Book Flights Before Your Visa Is Approved
Consular officers generally use flight itineraries to verify your intended arrival/departure dates, length of stay, entry/exit points, and overall travel logic. As such, you need to submit certain details, but you don’t need to book confirmed tickets for that. In its stead, you can submit any of the following documents.
Temporary Flight Reservation Or Hold Itinerary
This is a live booking generated through an airline GDS (Global Distribution System) with a real 6-character Passenger Name Record (PNR) code.
24- to 72-Hour Airline Price Holds
These are direct holds offered on airline portals such as Lufthansa, Air France, British Airways, and Emirates for a small nominal fee.
Fully Refundable Or Flexible Airfare
You can also purchase a commercial ticket directly from an airline with zero cancelation penalties or a full refund back to the original payment method.
Apart from these things, you also need to understand that consulates routinely cross-check PNR codes on official airline websites. If you submit a fake or photoshopped PDF without an active backend reservation, it can lead to immediate rejection under fraud clauses.
Also Read: Missed Your Connecting Flight Because Of A Delay? What The Airline Actually Owes You
What To Make Refundable And What To Keep Flexible
International Flights
For a visa, you can get a temporary PNR reservation or hold. As such, the best thing to do is use a verifiable hold itinerary or fully refundable ticket.
Hotel Or Accommodation
If a particular property offers free cancelation or has a pay-at-property policy, you can book that prior to getting your visa approved. You can also book refundable hotel rooms with free cancelation up to 24 to 48 hours before check-in.
Travel Insurance
This is a non-negotiable if you’re traveling to the Schengen regions or are applying for certain other visas. You should purchase policies that allow 100 percent premium refunds if the visa is denied.
Internal Flights Or Trains
These details are optional during the time of your visa application submission, so you can hold off on purchasing non-refundable inter-city train/flight passes until the visa is granted.
Tours And Activity Passes
These are not required for the approval of your visa application. As such, you should avoid pre-paying for non-refundable museum, concert, or park entry tickets.
Country-Specific Flight Requirements
Schengen Area Or Europe
For visa applications to these regions, proof of a round-trip flight reservation showing entry into the destination country is required. Officials do accept temporary GDS itineraries with valid PNRs.
United States: For US B1/B2 Visa
The US Department of State explicitly directs applicants NOT to buy tickets prior to the approval of the applicant’s visa. You ought only to state your intended travel dates on the DS-160 form. No other physical ticket printout is requested during the interview from the applicant.
United Kingdom: UK Standard Visitor Visa
The UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) suggests providing only a planned travel itinerary. Paid tickets are not mandatory prior to approval of your visa.
Canada: Visitor Visa
For Canada, you can submit a flight reservation or travel plan under the optional history/itinerary section on the IRCC portal.
Summing Up
Navigating international travel can be confusing; however, by thinking ahead and planning smartly, you can save money while also not risking losing your investments. Just make sure that whatever refundable options you book don’t have any inconvenient conditions such as partial refunds, refunds as travel credits or vouchers, and similar options. It is also important to keep in mind that your full name on the flight reservation should match your name’s spelling on your passport to the T. You also need to make sure that your flight entry/exit dates are aligned 100 percent with your hotel check-in and check-out dates. Once your visa is approved, you are free to book any airline ticket.
