What is a Hotel Reservation and Why Do You Need to Provide A Hotel Reservation for Visa Application?

 

A hotel reservation proves that you have your accommodation arranged in the country you are planning to visit. It also proves that you are able to sustain yourself financially during your trip. In addition, it confirms your travel dates and the length of your trip.

In the list of supporting documents for Schengen Visa Application is a Proof of Accommodation as well as Flight Reservation. The diplomatic office of the relevant Schengen country has to see if you have an agreed or prearranged place to stay for the duration of your visit in the destined country.

 

Why Do You Need to Provide A Hotel Reservation for Visa Application?

Unfortunately, the embassy now requires extensive information regarding your travel plans as many people have manipulated the system in the past. The bottom line is that the authorities want to know when you intend on arriving at your destination and when you plan on leaving. By providing dummy hotel reservations and flight reservations it assures them that you aren’t devising to stay in the country illegally. A hotel reservation/hotel confirmation or dummy hotel reservations go hand in hand with your flight reservations as part of the documentation you need to submit.

 Staying with Friends or Relatives?

Understandably many people have contacts all over the world and most of the time, when visiting a country, friends or relatives offer to accommodate you. If this is the case, you will still need to provide Proof of Accommodation. To do this, the person(s) of whom you are staying will need to compose a formal letter expressing their residential status with a copy of their passport. The letter will then need to be taken to the town hall where a person of authority can witness it. Afterward, it will need to be submitted along with your visa application. Whilst it may be cheaper to stay with friends and relatives, it’s not always straightforward, and more often than not, it takes a lot longer for the visa application to be processed. It is typically, a much easier process to acquire a dummy hotel reservation for your application.