A dummy ticket for family visit visa files is a flight reservation with a checkable PNR, not a paid ticket. For parents and relatives visiting the UK, USA, Canada (including the super visa) or Australia it is optional; Schengen checklists usually ask for one. Dummy Tickets Visa (DTV) charges ₹699 per passenger. Match its dates to your host's invitation letter.
- The UK, USA, Canada and Australia do not require a flight booking for a family visit; Canada lists flight details only as a recommended itinerary item.
- Schengen consulates in India usually ask for a return flight reservation, not a paid ticket.
- If Emirates arranges a UAE visa, it asks for a paid return Emirates ticket, which a reservation cannot replace.
- The Canada super visa allows stays of up to 5 years at a time and asks for the host's invitation letter, income proof and paid health insurance with at least $100,000 of emergency cover, not a flight.
- Names on the reservation must match the passport letter for letter, including passports that show a single name.
On this page
- Dummy ticket for family visit visa: which countries ask for a flight document
- What your host abroad needs to send you
- Why a hotel booking is usually not needed when you stay with family
- The Canada super visa for parents and grandparents
- How long a stay to show, and return dates for retired parents
- Booking for elderly parents: exact names and single-name passports
- How to order a reservation for your family visit
A dummy ticket for family visit visa files is a flight reservation: a booking held in the airline's system, without the fare paid, that shows when you plan to arrive and leave. If you are a parent or relative visiting family in the UK, USA, Canada or Australia, you do not need one. None of those four governments requires a flight booking for a visitor visa. Schengen consulates in India usually do ask for one.
This page is for short visits on a visitor or tourist visa, including Canada's super visa for parents and grandparents. Moving abroad to live with a spouse or family is a different visa with different documents. If you are ordering for a larger group or for children, our family and group booking page covers passengers and pricing.
Dummy ticket for family visit visa: which countries ask for a flight document
Of the destinations below, only Schengen consulates and airline-arranged UAE visas ask for a flight document. The table sums up each official document list for a family visit as read in September 2026.
| Destination and visa | Flight document | What the file rests on instead |
|---|---|---|
| USA, B-2 visitor | Not asked for. The State Department tells applicants not to buy tickets until they have a visa | DS-160, the interview, funds and ties to India |
| UK, Standard Visitor | Not required. GOV.UK lists "flight bookings (unless transiting)" as less useful evidence | Money for the trip and the return journey (yours or a sponsor's), and where you will stay |
| Canada, visitor visa (TRV) | Optional. "Flight details" is one of the recommended itinerary documents | Ties to India and enough money for the stay |
| Canada, parent and grandparent super visa | Not named | Invitation letter, the host's income, paid health insurance |
| Australia, Visitor visa (subclass 600) | Not named among the genuine visitor documents | Money for the stay, an invitation letter, reasons to return home |
| Schengen countries, short-stay visa | Usually yes. The harmonised list for India asks for a "flight reservation of return or round ticket", not a paid ticket | Host's invitation or proof of accommodation, €30,000 travel insurance, funds |
| UAE, visa arranged by Emirates | Yes, and it must be paid: a copy of your return Emirates ticket | A hotel reservation, or a family tenancy contract if you stay with relatives |
The UK and Canada rows are worth a closer look. The UK's supporting documents guide puts flight bookings under the heading "Documents you should not use as evidence", and GOV.UK tells applicants not to book travel until they have a decision. A reservation can still help you give the same dates on the form and in your cover letter, but it will not carry a UK application. Canada's visitor visa page lists "flight details" next to "proof of accommodation" and "registration for an event" as documents that show how long you plan to stay, so a reservation is one way to show that.
Emirates' UAE visa page asks for "a copy of your return Emirates ticket" (ticket numbers starting with 176) and a hotel reservation or family tenancy contract. A held reservation does not meet that rule. If a travel agent or a sponsor in the UAE arranges the visa instead, ask them for their document list. Our Dubai and UAE visa guide covers the other routes.
What your host abroad needs to send you
Your host sends an invitation letter and proof of their own status in the country. Australia's document list names an invitation letter if you are visiting someone, and the UK application form asks where you will stay during your visit, which for most family visitors is the host's home.
- An invitation letter giving your relationship, the purpose of the visit, the dates and the address where you will stay
- A copy of the host's passport, and their visa, residence permit or citizenship document
- If the host is paying for the trip: a sponsorship letter and the host's own bank statements
Our guide to the invitation letter for visa has a structure the host can follow. Put the same dates in that letter, on your application form and on the flight reservation, because an officer reads them side by side.
Why a hotel booking is usually not needed when you stay with family
If you stay at your host's home for the whole trip, the invitation letter and their address are your proof of accommodation, so a hotel voucher adds nothing. A hotel booking for the same nights in the same city would contradict the letter.
Say the invitation letter has you at your daughter's flat in Manchester from 10 November to 5 January, with four nights in Edinburgh in December. The Manchester nights need nothing beyond the letter. A hotel booking covers the Edinburgh nights only.
Dummy Tickets Visa (DTV) can issue a hotel reservation for the city, check-in date and check-out date you enter, at ₹699 per hotel, per passenger. For several cities or a long stay, ask on WhatsApp before you order.
The Canada super visa for parents and grandparents
The super visa does not ask for a flight booking. IRCC's super visa page lets the parent or grandparent of a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or registered Indian visit for up to 5 years at a time, with multiple entries over up to 10 years. IRCC lists the fee as starting from Can$100 (page modified July 2026).
Your host must be your biological or adopted child or grandchild, and IRCC's documents page asks for three things:
- Proof of relationship: a copy of the host's birth or baptismal certificate, or another official document naming you as the host's parent or grandparent.
- An invitation letter from your child or grandchild: it includes proof that they meet or exceed IRCC's minimum necessary income, and the name and date of birth of each person they counted in their family size.
- Health insurance: from a Canadian insurer or an approved insurer outside Canada, valid for at least 1 year from entry and for each entry, with at least $100,000 of emergency cover for health care, hospitalization and repatriation. It must be paid in full, or in instalments with a deposit. A quote is not accepted.
The income figures sit on a separate IRCC page linked from the documents page, so check the current figure before your child writes the letter. Our Canada visa page compares the super visa with the ordinary visitor visa. If you want an itinerary in the file anyway, a reservation shows a route and dates. It plays no part in the insurance, income or relationship checks.
How long a stay to show, and return dates for retired parents
Show the stay your host's invitation letter describes, within the limit of the visa. A specific trip reads as a plan. The longest date the visa allows reads as a guess.
| Visa | Stay per visit |
|---|---|
| UK Standard Visitor | Usually up to 6 months |
| Canada visitor visa | Most visitors up to 6 months |
| Canada super visa | Up to 5 years at a time |
| Australia Visitor visa (subclass 600) | Generally 3 months; up to 12 months in certain circumstances |
| Schengen short-stay visa | 90 days in any 180-day period, across all 29 countries |
Say your son in Toronto invites you for the birth of his child, and his letter gives 1 March to 31 May. Put 1 March out and 31 May back on the reservation, not a date in late August just because six months is allowed. On the super visa a stay of a year or more is what the visa is for, so a long gap between the two dates is normal there.
Retired parents rarely have an employer's leave letter, and that is fine. The file shows ties to India in other ways: a pension, property, savings in the parent's own bank statement, or family who stay behind. A reservation cannot stand in for any of these, and we cannot tell you how an officer will weigh them in your case.
Booking for elderly parents: exact names and single-name passports
Copy each name from the passport's data page, letter for letter, not from an old ticket or from the way the family usually writes it. We do not ask for a passport scan, so the check is yours: the spelling, the surname, the given names and their order.
Some Indian passports leave the surname field blank and print a single given name. Airline booking systems are built around a surname and a given name, so a single name has to be entered in a particular way, and it should match the visa form. Read our guide to passport names with no surname before you order, and mention in the notes box that the passport shows one name.
If a parent's name is spelt one way on the passport and another way on a bank statement or property paper, sort that out before the appointment. A flight reservation cannot fix it.
How to order a reservation for your family visit
Order it with the dates from the invitation letter, for delivery the day before your appointment. We book the names, route and dates you give in the airline's reservation system without paying the fare. The booking has a PNR you can look up on the airline's "Manage booking" page while the hold is live, and it arrives as a PDF by email or WhatsApp, typically 10–20 minutes after payment is confirmed. The price is ₹699 per passenger, one-way or return, with up to 9 travellers on one itinerary.
Take the dates from the invitation
Use the arrival and departure dates in the host's letter and on your application form.
Enter names exactly as in the passport
Copy each one from the data page, including any child travelling with you.
Choose when to receive it
The form asks "When do you want to receive it?". Pick the day before your appointment; the reservation is issued on that date.
Check the PNR before you submit it
Open the airline's website, enter the booking reference and surname, and confirm the names and dates. Our PNR check guide has the steps.
No reservation or ticket can guarantee a visa. If anyone asks, say it is a flight reservation, not a purchased ticket. DTV is not affiliated with any embassy, consulate, visa application centre or airline.
- Your destination's checklist read, so you know whether it names a flight document
- Host's invitation letter and status document in hand
- Accommodation consistent: the host's address, plus a hotel only for nights away
- Every name checked against the passport, single-name passports included
- Return date matched to the invitation and within the visa's stay limit
When those are settled, order the reservation for the dates you have chosen.
Frequently asked questions
Do all family visit visas ask for a flight reservation?
No. The UK, US, Canadian and Australian document lists for a family visit do not require one, and Canada lists "flight details" only as a recommended itinerary item. Schengen consulates in India usually ask for a return flight reservation. A UAE visa arranged by Emirates is the exception in the other direction: it needs a paid return Emirates ticket. Check your own consulate's list first; our visa guides cover each country.
Should we buy my parents' tickets before the visa is decided?
Not for the UK, USA or Australia. Each government tells applicants not to book or buy travel until the visa is decided, and none asks for a paid ticket. The EU's handbook for Schengen consular staff says a paid return ticket should not be required when you apply. The exception is a UAE visa arranged through Emirates, which needs a paid return Emirates ticket.
Can one reservation cover both my parents?
Yes. Up to 9 passengers can go on one order, all on one itinerary, at ₹699 each. If your parents apply together with the same dates, one itinerary naming both keeps their files consistent. Switzerland's checklist, for example, asks for a flight reservation showing the names of all travellers. For larger groups and children, see our family and group booking page.
Can my son or daughter order the reservation for us from abroad?
Yes. Whoever orders enters each traveller's name exactly as in the passport, date of birth, nationality, route and dates, plus an email address or WhatsApp number for delivery. From outside India the price is charged in US dollars by PayPal or card, about US$8.50 per passenger; in India you pay by UPI. We do not ask for a passport scan or an account.
The US interview is months away. When should the reservation be issued?
The day before the interview, if you want one at all. In September 2026 the average wait for a B1/B2 interview in India ranged from 6 months in Kolkata to 11.5 months in Hyderabad. A reservation is a temporary hold, so one made when you file the DS-160 will have lapsed by then. The US does not ask for a flight booking in the first place.
Do the reservation dates have to match the invitation letter?
They should. An officer reads the application form, the host's invitation letter, your cover letter and any flight reservation side by side. If your host changes the dates, change the reservation too: message us on WhatsApp with your order ID and we will tell you the quickest way to get a reservation for the new dates.
- GOV.UK: guide to supporting documents, visiting the UK
- GOV.UK: Standard Visitor visa
- GOV.UK: apply to come to the UK (do not book travel before a decision)
- US Department of State: Visitor Visa (B1/B2)
- US Department of State: global visa wait times
- IRCC: apply for a visitor visa (recommended documents)
- IRCC: about the visitor visa (length of stay)
- IRCC: Super Visa for parents and grandparents
- IRCC: Super Visa eligibility
- IRCC: Super Visa forms and documents
- Australian Government Home Affairs: Visitor visa (subclass 600), Tourist stream
- European Commission: Visa Code Handbook I (paid return ticket should not be required)
- Embassy of Switzerland in India: Schengen tourist visa checklist
- Emirates: UAE visa information
Last reviewed by the DTV Editorial Team. 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.