Verifiable PNR reservation vs standard itinerary: how to choose a provider

Search for a dummy ticket and you will find two kinds of product sold under the same name. One is a reservation made in an airline's booking system, with a PNR you can look up on the airline's own website. The other is an itinerary document produced from a template or an itinerary tool, which looks like a booking but has no live record behind it. Both have a place. This guide explains the difference, sets them next to paid and refundable tickets in one table, and lists the questions to ask any provider before you pay, including us.

The four options at a glance

The rest of this page explains each row.

What a verifiable PNR reservation is

A verifiable reservation is a booking held in an airline's reservation system without the fare being paid. The system issues a passenger name record (PNR), a short code that identifies the booking. With that code and the passenger's surname, anyone can open the booking on the airline's "manage booking" page and see the flight, date and name, for as long as the hold remains active. Our explainer on PNR vs e-ticket number covers what each code proves.

The strength of this option is that it is real. A visa officer or check-in agent who looks it up will find it. The limit is that it is not paid, so it does not satisfy a rule that asks for a paid or confirmed ticket, and the airline decides how long the hold lasts.

What a standard itinerary document is

A standard itinerary is a document that lists flights, dates and names in the format of a booking confirmation. It may come from an itinerary planner, a travel agent's quotation or a template. It is not linked to a live booking, so there is nothing to look up.

That does not make it improper. Many consulates say in their checklists that they want to see a planned route and dates, and some explicitly advise applicants not to buy tickets before a decision. A clear, honest itinerary can meet that request. Where it goes wrong is when it is presented as a booking that exists, or when it carries a booking code that leads nowhere. An officer who checks and finds nothing has reason to doubt the rest of the file. Our guide to whether embassies verify dummy tickets discusses how checks are carried out.

Paid and refundable tickets

A paid ticket has an e-ticket number as well as a PNR. It is the strongest proof of travel and the only one that meets a rule written as "paid" or "confirmed". The trade-off is cost and risk: if the visa is refused or plans change, a non-refundable fare may be lost.

A refundable fare sits between the two. You pay in full, and the fare rules let you cancel for a refund, sometimes minus a fee. It suits a traveller who needs a paid exit ticket, such as a visa-waiver visitor to New Zealand, but wants a way out. The detail is in the fare rules, which you should read before you buy. Our comparison of a dummy ticket vs a refundable ticket works through the numbers.

Which one does your situation call for?

Start from the wording of the rule you have to meet, not from the product.

• A visa checklist that asks for a flight reservation or itinerary. A verifiable reservation meets it and can be checked. A standard itinerary may meet it if the checklist only asks for planned dates. Read the consulate's own wording.
• A visa checklist that says "do not buy a ticket". A reservation or itinerary is what it is asking for. Buying a ticket adds cost without adding anything to the file.
• An airline check-in desk that wants to see an onward flight. A reservation with a live PNR can be looked up. An itinerary with no record cannot. Some desks accept either; some want a paid ticket.
• A border rule that says "paid" or "confirmed". Only a paid or refundable ticket meets it. New Zealand's NZeTA rule is one example; see our New Zealand onward ticket guide.
• You are sure of your dates and the fare is low. Buying the ticket may be simpler than any alternative.

Questions to ask any provider before you pay

Whichever provider you use, these questions separate a reservation from a document:

1. Will the booking appear on the airline's own website, and can I check it before I submit my application?
2. Which airline holds the reservation, and in whose name?
3. How long will the hold last, and what happens when it ends?
4. Is the price per passenger or per booking, and does a multi-city route cost more?
5. If the PNR does not open, what will you do?
6. Who do I contact, and how quickly do you reply?

A provider that answers clearly is easier to rely on than one that only promises acceptance. No seller can guarantee a visa or an airline's decision, and claims that they can are a warning sign. Our guide to spotting a dummy ticket scam lists other signs.

How to check a reservation yourself

When you receive a reservation, check it before you use it:

1. Note the airline and the six-character PNR from the document.
2. Open the airline's official website, not a link in the email, and find "manage booking" or "my trips".
3. Enter the PNR and your surname as it appears in the passport.
4. Confirm the flight numbers, dates, route and names match the document.
5. Save a screenshot with the date visible, and check again shortly before you submit.

Our PNR verification walkthrough shows the steps for the airlines we use most.

Where comparisons of providers go wrong

Prices and features change. A table of competitor prices copied from another site, or written months ago, is often wrong by the time you read it. We do not publish other providers' prices on this page for that reason. If you want a dated comparison of what several sites say they offer, our best dummy ticket website guide records what was on each site on the date it was checked.

Comparisons also tend to treat every product as the same thing at different prices. As the table above shows, a verifiable reservation and an itinerary document are different products. A low price for a document with no live record is not a cheaper version of a reservation; it is something else.

What we offer, and at what price

Dummy Tickets Visa (DTV) makes verifiable reservations. Each one is a real hold in the airline's system with a PNR you can check on the airline's website. The price is flat: US$15 (₹1,200) per passenger for a one-way or return route, and US$15 (₹1,200) for every two legs on a multi-city route. Hotel reservations for a visa file are US$15 (₹1,200) per hotel per passenger. You see the total on the booking form before you submit, and payment details follow on the confirmation page.

We do not sell paid tickets or standard itinerary documents. If your rule needs a paid ticket, we will tell you so rather than sell you a reservation that does not fit. For more on how our process works, see our dummy ticket with PNR page, the price page and a sample reservation.

Summary

• A verifiable reservation is a real airline booking that has not been paid. It can be checked, and it expires.
• A standard itinerary document shows a plan. It cannot be checked and should not be presented as a booking.
• A paid or refundable ticket is the only option that meets a rule written as "paid" or "confirmed".
• Choose by the wording of the rule you face, check any reservation on the airline's site yourself, and be wary of anyone who guarantees an outcome.

Frequently asked questions

This guide is general information, not legal or immigration advice. Visa and entry rules change and are applied differently by each consulate, airline and border officer, so confirm the current requirements with the official source before you travel or apply.