What Can I Submit as Proof of Accommodation or hotel booking for Schengen visa?

The embassy or consulate that you have to apply at in order to get a visa to your destination country, may require from you for either proof of accommodation, certificate of accommodation, letter of accommodation or hotel confirmation letter.

However complicated that it might seem, all of the above-mentioned serve for the same purpose: as evidence that you have a place where to sleep during your stay in your destination country.

This proof/certificate/letter can either be a:

•           Hotel booking,

•           Host invitation – if you are planning to stay over at friends or family members/relatives,

•           Confirmation by an organized tour operator or holiday tours, or

•           Rental agreement / contract.

Though most of the countries will require you to submit proof of accommodation, especially in the old continent of Europe, in many other countries you will only have to show Means of Subsistence. Which means you will have to show proof, like a bank statement, that proves you have enough money to financially maintain yourself during your trip, including the stay at the hotel/hostel/guest house.

Hotel Reservation

If you are planning to stay at a hotel in your destination country then you will have to submit proof of the hotel booking, which usually is a ‘hotel confirmation letter’ which is also known as hotel itinerary for Schengen visaapplication. This means that after you book a room/suite, the hotel will issue you a letter which confirms it.

This letter must contain the following information:

•           your full name

•           your entry and exit dates

•           hotel address

•           hotel contact details as phone number, email, etc.

•           a valid hotel reservation code

Every embassy or consulate advises its applicants to make a hotel reservation at a hotel that will fully refund your expenses in case of visa rejection or delay. If you cannot find one like that, then try to find the cheapest hotel reservation. That is because if you book a room at a hotel that does not refund you in case of visa application rejection or delay, then you will lose your money.

You can also submit dummy hotel booking as proof of accommodation. Although this method may sometimes be referred to as a fake hotel reservation, this is by no means a fake booking. It’s just a booking without paying the price before the approval of the visa application.

To make a hotel booking without paying the price you could use the services of Schengen Visa Reservation.