How to Get Flight and Hotel Booking Confirmations for Schengen Visa Applications (Without Losing Money)

You might be in the early stages of planning your Europe trip and preparing your Schengen visa application package. When submitting the visa application, you’ll see a long checklist of required documents – and somewhere in the middle of it, there will be these 2 requirements:

“Proof of round-trip transport bookings” and “hotel/accommodation booking confirmation.”

Here is where most people pause and questions arise.

Do you need to actually pay for flights and hotels before visa is approved? (and does having confirmed reservations increase your approval chances?)

Can you use dummy bookings?

What is the safest option without risking money?

To answer: yes, you do need verifiable bookings, but they don’t have to be risky or non-refundable. There are ways to get flight and hotel bookings documents for Schengen visa without pre-paying and with guarantee of refunds in event of a refusal or delay.

For flight reservations, you have various options including fully refundable tickets, direct airline reservation, or dummy tickets (with caution). For visa hotel bookings, the best option is often to secure fully refundable hotel confirmations.

Having had experience applying for several Schengen visas (and making lots of mistakes) and supported others with their applications, this is exactly how we handle flight and hotel bookings to ensure it meets both official requirements and personal needs.

Do you need confirmed bookings for a Schengen visa?

Yes. But not in the way people always think.

Schengen embassies typically want:

• flight reservation – it does not need to be a paid travel ticket
• Proof of where you will stay – hotel booking or invitation from a host

There are further nuances depending on which country you are applying for, so always check this. But the key word here is reservation.

Visa decision-makers are often checking for:

• Your travel dates
• Your itinerary
• Whether travel plans are realistic and consistent

They are not expecting you to risk hundreds (or thousands) before a visa is approved.

The costly mistake I learned the hard way

On one of my recent Schengen visa applications, I made a mistake that a lot of people make:

I booked non-refundable tickets before securing a visa.

I had applied for other Schengen visas with no problems and assumed the process would be as smooth. Spoiler: getting a visa appointment in London is not always so easy.

Long story short: I couldn’t get an appointment in time, and lost money on flights I couldn’t use.

This experience has made me more cautious and mindful with how I approach visa bookings.

I avoid paying upfront unless I absolutely have to.

Flight Bookings for Schengen Visa: What are your options?

When it comes to getting the ticket reservation, there are a few routes you can take:

Option 1: Fully Refundable Flight Ticket

This is the safest option, but also the more expensive option.

You will: book a refundable ticket, use it for the application, cancel if plans change or any delays in the process.

Non-refundable tickets often have stringent policies, so having a refundable ticket allows you the most flexibility if you decide to make changes or cancel. It also gives full peace of mind irrespective of the outcome of the visa application.

This option is good for:

• High risk applications, as it may signal seriousness with travel plans
• Tight timelines, especially with risk of flight prices increasing as you await a visa
• Strong applications with low likelihood for rejection

Most major airlines should offer a refundable ticket fare. Remember to double-check any admin charges, as well as related conditions on refund processing times.

Option 2: Direct Airline Hold or Reservation

Some airlines may allow you to pay extra so you can:

• Hold a ticket for 24 – 72 hours or longer
• Get a reservation with a valid PNR

This option is advertised by the airline as allowing you to freeze the flight prices for more time.

I have previously used a Qatar hold reservation to apply for visas.

The option can work, but timing can be quite tricky.

Visa processing can take weeks especially in high season periods – so there’s a risk that your reservation expires before it’s reviewed. In this case, it’s no guarantee the consulate will reach out to allow you to submit an updated document.

Option 3: Dummy Tickets (Use Carefully)

Dummy tickets are widely used and there is no shortage of websites offering dummy tickets. Dummy tickets are essentially temporary valid reservations booked by a travel agent that generates the unique reservation (PNR) number. They look exactly like a reservation and can be verified on the airline’s website.

Dummy tickets have often been recommended in the past as embassies discourage purchasing fully paid tickets before approval.

They have their benefits:

• Show intent to travel
• Provide a verifiable flight reservation
• Often costs a few dollars, saving you price of a fully purchased ticket

However, you have to be very careful as in the case that the reservation cannot be confirmed then your application can be refused. In a lot of cases, dummy tickets agents will offer 2-3 weeks of validity, but this is not always a guarantee. A dummy ticket is not a paid ticket and therefore has less protections.

Unverifiable dummy tickets are a known issue, and you will see people discourage dummy tickets repeatedly in visa communities.

The truth is that I have previously used dummy tickets without any problems.

If you go this route:

• Make sure the booking is verifiable
• Understand the risks
• Have a backup plan

Always use a reliable dummy ticket provider as submitting fake or photoshopped bookings is sure ground for refusal.

The Best Way to get hotel bookings for a Schengen Visa

Hotel bookings are where things get much easier and safer.

My recommendation is:

Use Fully Refundable, Pay-Later Hotel Bookings

This is my go-to approach now.

Instead of risking money, I:

• Book hotels with free cancellation and no prepayment needed
• Use them as proof of accommodation
• Adjust or cancel later if needed

Platforms like booking.com make this straightforward and stress-free.

Why this works well

I like this approach for the obvious reasons:

• You get an instant confirmation document which is perfect for visa applications
• Many properties allow pay-at-the-hotel + free cancellation, which means no spending any money upfront
• If needed, I can adjust plans without any financial risk

The visa process is already expensive and anxiety-inducing, so this approach is a real lifesaver.

By using fully refundable bookings, you can be certain that it is a real booking and fully verifiable.

Remember: you also need to review free cancellation policies (e.g. cancel by dates) as these will often vary by hotel.

How I book my Schengen Hotel Bookings (step-by-step)

1. Go to booking.com and search your destination
2. Ensure dates cover full duration of my trip. I do multiple searches if necessary.
3. Filter for:
   1. Type of property
   1. By your budget
   1. By free cancellation
4. Choose a reasonably priced option (important – more below)
5. Book and instantly get a pdf confirmation.

That’s it – you now have valid confirmed proof of where you will be staying during your trip.

Why embassies ask for hotel reservation and flight bookings

When making your bookings, it’s important to know what decision-makers are looking for.

Visa officers are of course checking if you have bookings, but they also look to:

1. Verify details

The bookings should be made either directly via the provider or a reliable website. Embassies can indeed choose to verify the details you provide. In this case your bookings should be real and traceable and confirmation numbers must work at the time of review.

If something looks off or cannot be verified à risk of refusal

Hotel:

• The booking must show your hotel name, hotel address, name and surname
• Cover the whole duration of the trip

Flight:

• Round trip ticket, or proof of onward travel

2. Check for consistency

Your entire application documents should support each other. When reviewing your bookings, officers are checking that dates match your application form, and flights and hotels align. The entire duration of your trip should be covered.

3. Financial realism

More indirectly, your bookings are a way for visa officers to evaluate your financial situation. Your bookings should match your income and available disposable income.

For example:

Booking luxury hotel with a low income = red flag

Your finances should reasonably cover your travel expenses.

Closing Thoughts

A flight booking and hotel reservation are essential documents for the Schengen tourist visa application. But you don’t need to gamble money to prove travel plans.

You can obtain a confirmed reservation document from airlines, hotels and third-party booking websites. Always opt for refundable options.

For hotels, fully refundable hotel bookings with pay-later options is the best way to secure a hotel reservation for visa. For flights, it may be trickier, but you can consider fully refundable options, temporary airline reservations or dummy tickets (cautiously). Whatever approach should allow you flexibility, control and likelihood to minimize financial losses in event of a refusal or delays.

Check out other Schengen Visa Posts

• Hotel Reservation and Accommodation Proof for Schengen Visa (Examples Included)
• The Ultimate Step-by-Step Schengen Visa Guide: Everything You Should Know
• Struggling to Find a Schengen Visa Appointment in the UK? Try these 7 Proven Tips
• How to Choose the Best Country for Your Schengen Visa Application – 5 factors to consider
• Free Schengen Visa Document Checklist (PDF Download)
• Rejected? These are the 10 Most Common Schengen Visa Rejection Reasons (and How to Avoid them)
• What to Include in a Schengen Visa Cover Letter (Real Example)
• Schengen Travel Insurance: Requirements and Quick Guide
• How I Got my First Schengen Visa: Mistakes, Lessons & What I’d do differently now