Won’t I lose a lot of money if I book a flight and my Schengen Visa application is rejected? What is Flight Itinerary For a Schengen Visa?

Flight Itinerary for a Schengen Visa:

If you are planning to visit Europe and require a Schengen visa, officials will often ask you if you can provide a booked flight itinerary and/or flight reservation to prove your travel plans and that you will not overstay your visa. Sometimes, they might even ask you to submit the actual ticket for your visit.

Do not worry too much about confusing terms such as booked flightitinerary, air ticket booking, dummy air ticket for visa, dummy ticket, flightconfirmation - all will be explained.

All these terms are used as alternative expressions to describe a single visa requirement - proof of booked flight itinerary - a document that allows you to prove your Schengen Visa flight itinerary.

Won’t I lose a lot of money if I book a flight and my Schengen Visa application is rejected?

You do not need to buy a full flight ticket before applying for your visa. Embassies and Consulate officials understand that applicants may not wish to spend lots of money on a ticket before they even know if they can travel.

Instead, officials will want a reservation or itinerary with dates and flight numbers specifying entry and exit from a Schengen State. Some will accept the Schengen Visa flight itinerary when applying for the visa but may request the original air ticket when the visa is collected. You will have to present your Schengen Visa flight itinerary at your visa interview.

On this document must appear:

•           passenger's first and last name

•           flight number of the chosen airline

•           a reservation number or identifier

•           departure and return dates (the ticket must be round trip)

•           flight hours

•           IATA airport codes

•           the total price of the ticket

If you are confident of obtaining your Schengen Visa, and are happy to book your flight before obtaining your visa, for example, if you have applied on many occasions before, you can - and some airlines offer tickets with the option of cancellation and refunds, although these tend to be more expensive than standard tickets.

However, there is nothing to be concerned about if this is not your preferred option as there are plenty of ways to obtain a flight itinerary without buying a costly flight ticket.

It is important to remember before you hand over your documents that your flight itinerary should be plausible. It must be consistent with your travel dates and your activities must be arranged in a way that fits with your plans and the purpose of your visit - because if not, it may contribute to the rejection your visa application.