Dummy ticket for France visa: applying from India

A dummy ticket for France visa applications is a flight reservation held in the airline's system, with a PNR you can check, not a ticket you have paid for. For applicants in India, that is what the common Schengen document list asks for: a "flight reservation of return or round ticket". France does not publish a fixed checklist of its own. The France-Visas online wizard generates a personal document list for each applicant.

As of September 2026, the adult visa fee is €90, VFS Global adds a €22 service fee, and France-Visas says a decision usually takes 15 days. The sections below cover the French posts in India, how to time your appointment, and routings through Paris.

Do you need a flight reservation for a France visa?

You need a reservation, not a paid ticket. The harmonised list of documents for Schengen applicants in India asks, under "Proof of means of transport", for a "Flight reservation of return or round ticket". That line comes from a Commission decision covering every Schengen consulate in India, so it applies to France as it does to Germany or Spain. Our article on the flight itinerary for a Schengen visa explains the wider requirement.

The EU Handbook for consular staff adds that "a paid return ticket should not be required upon lodging", though one may be requested in exceptional cases after a visa is issued. So you do not need to buy a fare to apply. If you would rather hold a real ticket, choose a refundable fare: the €90 visa fee is not refunded on refusal, and a non-refundable fare would be lost too.

What France-Visas asks you to prove

France-Visas asks you to prove the same four things every Schengen consulate weighs, and its wizard names the exact documents for your trip. Under Article 14 of the Visa Code these are the purpose of the trip, your accommodation, your means of support during the stay, and your intention to leave before the visa expires. Travel medical insurance of at least €30,000 is required as well.

The flight itinerary belongs under the last heading, because it shows when you arrive and when you leave. The Visa Code requires refusal where there are reasonable doubts about the authenticity of a supporting document, so the itinerary must be a real, checkable booking, never an edited PDF. Our visa guides by country show how other consulates word the same request.

Applying for a France visa from India: the steps

A France application has four stages: the France-Visas form online, a VFS appointment, biometrics and submission, and the decision.

1. Start on France-Visas

   Answer the online wizard about your trip. It generates your personal document list and shows the visa fee: €90 for an adult, €45 for a child aged 6 to 11, nothing under 6.

2. Book a VFS appointment

   Choose a France visa application centre in India and a slot. VFS lists its service fee as €22 per applicant, payable online in rupees at the rate set by the French authorities.

3. Give biometrics and submit your file

   Give fingerprints and a photo (children under 12 are exempt from fingerprints), and hand in the documents the wizard listed, including your flight reservation and proof of accommodation.

4. Wait for the decision

   Usually 15 days, up to 45 in some cases. The €90 fee is not refunded if the visa is refused or the application withdrawn.

Where to apply: VFS centres and French consulates in India

You hand in your file at a VFS Global centre, and a French consulate decides it. VFS describes itself as "the exclusive service provider for the Government of France" in India, Nepal and Bhutan. Its list of centres and opening hours changes, so pick your centre on the VFS France site for India when you book.

The posts are listed on France in India's missions page, which does not publish a state-by-state jurisdiction table. France-Visas tells you where to submit your application, so follow its instructions. If you are unsure which post handles your state, ask VFS France or the nearest Consulate General before you book a slot.

France visa fee and processing time in 2026

The visa fee is €90 for an adult as of September 2026, VFS adds €22 per applicant, and a decision usually takes 15 days. The €22 is well under the legal cap: a visa centre's service fee may not exceed half the visa fee, which is €45.

A worked example: two adults and a child aged 8 pay €225 in visa fees (€90 + €90 + €45) and €66 in VFS fees (3 × €22), €291 in all before any optional services. This page gives no rupee total because VFS collects its fee at a rate the French authorities set, and that rate moves. Budget in euros and check the rupee amount when you pay.

How far ahead to book your VFS appointment

Book as soon as your dates are fixed, because France publishes no standard waiting time for appointments. The embassy's visa page says only that "waiting times for appointments and for processing applications will vary depending on your country and the time of year". The outer limits are firm: you can apply up to 6 months before travel, and France-Visas asks you to apply at least two weeks before.

Work backwards from your flight. Say you fly from Delhi to Paris on 18 November. Two weeks before is 4 November, the latest date France-Visas advises. A usual 15-day decision on a file lodged on 4 November lands on 19 November, the day after your flight. So aim for an appointment in October, which also leaves a few days for your passport to come back.

Paris routings, and combining France with Switzerland or Italy

For most trips from India the reservation runs to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG), France's main long-haul airport. If your stay starts on the Riviera, a reservation into Nice (NCE) matches the plan better. Reserve to the airport where your stay actually begins, so the flight, the hotel and the form tell the same story.

A standard Schengen visa covers all 29 member states, so one application covers a trip that adds Geneva, Zurich or Milan. It goes to your main destination. Say you plan 7 nights in France and 3 in Switzerland: you apply to France. Say it is 4 nights in Paris and 5 in Italy: you apply to Italy, even if you land at CDG. Our Switzerland visa page and Italy visa page cover those consulates, and the Schengen visa guide covers the shared rules, from insurance to the 90/180-day limit.

If you continue from Paris to Geneva or Milan by train, the common list for India names a train itinerary as proof for that leg. An open-jaw trip, such as Delhi to Paris out and Zurich to Delhi back, is two flights and costs ₹699 per passenger. A longer chain, such as Mumbai to Paris, Paris to Milan and Milan to Mumbai, is a multi-city order, priced at ₹699 per two flights, per passenger.

Getting a dummy ticket for France visa applications

Dummy Tickets Visa (DTV) books a reservation in the airline's own system for the names, route and dates you enter on the booking form. It carries a PNR you can look up on the airline's "Manage booking" page while the hold is live, and it arrives as a PDF itinerary; the sample dummy ticket shows the layout. It costs ₹699 per passenger, one-way or return, and one order covers up to 9 passengers on the same itinerary.

You receive it by email or WhatsApp, typically 10–20 minutes after payment is confirmed, or on the date you pick in the "When do you want to receive it?" field. It is a reservation, not a paid ticket, and it cannot be used to board a flight. DTV is not affiliated with France-Visas, VFS Global, any consulate or any airline, and no document from us or anyone else can promise a visa decision.

• Fix your travel dates, then match the reservation, hotel and insurance to them.
• Set delivery for the day before your VFS appointment.
• Check the PNR on the airline's own website before you submit your file.
• Add a hotel reservation for the same city and dates if the wizard asks for proof of accommodation.
• If an officer asks, describe the document as a flight reservation.

Frequently asked questions

Last reviewed 27 September 2026 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.