A dummy ticket for business visa files is a flight reservation instead of a purchased ticket, timed to the meeting, conference or trade fair in your invitation letter: arrive before the first date and leave after the last. The Schengen document list for India asks for a flight reservation. UK and US business visitor visas do not require one. Dummy Tickets Visa (DTV) charges US$15 (₹1,200) per passenger.
- The flight dates should sit just around the dates in the invitation letter, and agree with your employer's letter and the visa form.
- The harmonised Schengen list for India asks for a "Flight reservation of return or round ticket", and the EU handbook says a paid return ticket should not be required when you apply.
- UK and US business visitor visas do not require a flight booking, and both governments advise against buying travel before a decision.
- A reservation does not show who pays for the trip. Funding belongs in your employer's letter or the host's invitation.
- On a short-notice trip the visa timeline is the limit: a Schengen application is due, as a rule, at least 15 calendar days before travel.
On this page
- Match the dummy ticket for business visa files to your invitation letter
- Schengen, UK and US business visits compared
- Short-notice trips: the visa timeline is the limit
- When the meeting dates change
- Who pays: your employer or the host
- Conferences, trade fairs and multi-city trips
- Checklist before you order
A dummy ticket for business visa files is a flight reservation timed to your business, not to your visa appointment. The dates that count are the meeting, conference or trade fair in your invitation letter: the reservation should arrive before the first one and leave after the last, and say the same thing as your employer's letter.
Check first whether your visa asks for a flight booking at all. The Schengen document list for India does. UK and US business visitor visas do not, and both governments tell applicants not to buy travel before a decision. A reservation from Dummy Tickets Visa (DTV) costs US$15 (₹1,200) per passenger. It is a booking held in the airline's system without paying the fare, with a PNR you can check on the airline's website while the hold is live. It is not a paid ticket. Our page on flight reservations for visa files explains how it works.
Match the dummy ticket for business visa files to your invitation letter
Set the outbound flight a day before the first meeting and the return on the day of the last meeting or the morning after. Say your invitation letter names meetings in Frankfurt from 14 to 17 October. A reservation leaving Mumbai on 13 October and returning on 18 October reads as one trip built around that visit. A reservation for 10 to 25 October leaves your cover letter to explain eight extra days it was probably not written to cover.
Every date in the file should tell the same story. The table shows where each one comes from.
| Document | Date it shows | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Host's invitation letter | The meeting or event dates | 14 to 17 October |
| Employer's cover letter or NOC | Leave or deputation covering the whole trip | 13 to 18 October |
| Flight reservation | Arrival before the first meeting, departure after the last | Out 13 October, back 18 October |
| Visa application form | Planned arrival and departure | 13 and 18 October |
| Travel insurance (Schengen) | The whole stay, with at least €30,000 cover | 13 to 18 October |
Our guides to the host's invitation letter, your own cover letter and the employer's NOC cover what each letter should say.
Schengen, UK and US business visits compared
Only the Schengen list asks for a flight reservation. The UK treats a flight booking as weak evidence, and the US decides at interview.
| Destination | Visa for the trip | Government fee | What officials say about flights | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schengen | Short-stay (type C) visa for business | €90 adult | The harmonised list for India asks for a "Flight reservation of return or round ticket". The handbook for consular staff says "A paid return ticket should not be required upon lodging". | Decision within 15 calendar days as standard, up to 45 in individual cases |
| UK | Standard Visitor visa, which covers certain business activities | £135 for up to 6 months | GOV.UK's supporting-documents guide lists flight bookings among documents that are "less useful as evidence", and says: "You should not book your travel until you get a decision on your visa application." | Usually 3 weeks |
| USA | B-1, usually issued with B-2 as B1/B2 | $185 | The State Department says: "Do not make final travel plans or buy tickets until you have a visa." The officer decides at the interview. | Average interview wait in India of 6 months (Kolkata) to 11.5 months (Hyderabad), per the State Department table dated 17 September 2026 |
The full document lists are on our Schengen visa, UK visa and US visa pages. If you travel to Europe for work often, the multiple-entry Schengen rules can save you a new application each trip.
Short-notice trips: the visa timeline is the limit
For a trip called at short notice, the reservation is the quick part; the visa is the slow one. The Visa Code says a Schengen application should be lodged no earlier than 6 months and, as a rule, no later than 15 calendar days before the trip, though consulates may accept a later one in justified urgent cases. A UK decision usually takes 3 weeks. A regular US interview in India is months away (see the table), so do not promise a host a date for a US trip until you hold the visa, and check the official appointment portal for what it offers for urgent business travel.
Once your appointment is booked, the reservation can follow quickly. The order form asks "When do you want to receive it?", and the reservation is issued on that date. It typically arrives 10–20 minutes after payment is confirmed, though the terms allow for delays at weekends, on holidays and in busy periods. If your appointment is tomorrow, read urgent reservations before you order.
When the meeting dates change
If the host moves the meeting before you apply, get a revised invitation letter first, then a reservation for the new dates, so the two agree when you submit. Message us on WhatsApp with your order ID and we will tell you the quickest way to get a reservation for the new dates. Orders are final once the reservation has been issued, so a change can mean a new order.
Wait until the invitation letter or your company's travel approval gives exact dates, not a month, before you order. A reservation built on provisional dates is the one most likely to need replacing. Our date change guide explains the options.
Who pays: your employer or the host
A flight reservation looks the same whoever pays for the trip. It shows your name, route and dates, not the source of the money, so funding has to be written into the letters.
- Your employer pays: the cover letter or NOC says so, with the company's bank statement or your own where the checklist asks for one.
- The host pays: the invitation letter states which costs it covers, such as travel, accommodation or both. Some checklists also ask for a separate sponsorship letter.
- Costs are shared: each letter states its part, and the two should not overlap or leave a gap.
No document, a reservation included, guarantees a visa. The reservation shows a concrete travel plan that can be checked. The letters show why you are going and who is paying.
Conferences, trade fairs and multi-city trips
For an event, match the reservation to the organiser's published dates, including any setup or badge-collection day your registration covers, not only the headline dates. Keep the registration confirmation in the file.
When a trip covers more than one city, book one itinerary rather than two separate returns. Say a fair in Milan runs from 9 to 12 March and you visit a client in Paris on 13 March. Mumbai to Milan on 8 March, Milan to Paris on 12 March and Paris to Mumbai on 14 March is one route that the file can explain in a sentence. Multi-city reservations cost US$15 (₹1,200) per two flights, per passenger. For a route with an odd number of flights, like this one, ask on WhatsApp for the total before you order. Our multi-city itinerary page explains the pricing.
Checklist before you order
- Invitation letter gives exact dates, not just a month
- Outbound flight before the first meeting, return after the last
- Same dates on the reservation, invitation letter, employer's letter, application form and insurance
- Funding written into the employer's or host's letter, not left to the itinerary
- Every city on the trip included in one itinerary
- Receiving date set for the day before your appointment
- PNR checked on the airline's website once the PDF arrives
With the dates settled against your invitation letter, order the reservation and file it with the letters that carry the purpose and the funding.
Employers sometimes ask for travel dates before approving time off; see a reservation for leave approval.
Frequently asked questions
Should the reservation be in my name or my company's?
Yours. The passenger on the itinerary is the person travelling, named exactly as in the passport, not the company paying for the trip. Who pays is shown in your employer's letter or the host's invitation letter, backed by a bank statement where the checklist asks for one.
Can several colleagues travelling together be on one reservation?
Yes, up to 9 passengers in one order, all on the same flights, at US$15 (₹1,200) per passenger. Enter each name exactly as in the passport. If some of the team fly on different dates or from different cities, each itinerary needs its own order. Our group booking page explains how orders for several people work.
How long will a business trip reservation stay live?
That depends on the airline. A reservation is a temporary hold, and DTV does not publish a fixed validity period. Choose to receive it the day before your appointment, and check the PNR on the airline's website before you submit the file. Our PNR check guide shows how.
Will a flight reservation help at my US B-1 interview?
Do not expect it to. The consular officer decides a B-1 case at the interview, and the State Department lists extra documents only as optional support. It also tells applicants not to buy tickets before the visa is issued. Our list of US visa interview documents covers what to carry.
Does the host company need to book my flights?
No, not for the visa file. The invitation letter should say whether the host is covering travel or accommodation costs, and your employer's letter should say what your company covers. If the host does pay, a sponsorship letter may also be needed, depending on the checklist.
Can I add a hotel reservation for the trip?
Yes. We make a hotel reservation voucher for the city and the check-in and check-out dates you enter, at US$15 (₹1,200) per hotel, per passenger, so a flight plus one hotel is US$30 (₹2,400) per passenger. For a trip across several cities, ask on WhatsApp before you order. See flight and hotel bookings.
- Harmonised Schengen document list for India, reproduced in the Netherlands visa checklist (VFS Global)
- Visa Code Handbook I (Commission Implementing Decision C(2024) 4319 final)
- EUR-Lex: Visa Code, Regulation (EC) No 810/2009, consolidated 28 June 2024
- GOV.UK: Standard Visitor visa
- GOV.UK: guide to supporting documents for visiting the UK
- U.S. Department of State: visitor visa
- U.S. Department of State: global visa wait times
Last updated by Girish A. Visa requirements change, so confirm the current checklist with the embassy, consulate or official application centre before you apply. A reservation supports a visa file and cannot guarantee a visa decision.