Dummy ticket for Italy visa

A dummy ticket for Italy visa applications is a flight reservation made in the airline's reservation system and held without paying the fare. It has a PNR you can look up on the airline's website, and it arrives as a PDF itinerary. The Embassy of Italy in New Delhi does not tell applicants to buy a ticket. It suggests refundable tickets and hotel bookings instead, because it will not cover your loss if a visa is refused or late. Dummy Tickets Visa (DTV) issues this kind of reservation for ₹699 per passenger.

Rules that are the same for all 29 Schengen countries, such as the 90/180-day limit, the €30,000 insurance minimum and which country to apply to, are on our Schengen visa page. Below is what applies to Italy.

What the Italian Embassy says about flight tickets

The Embassy of Italy in New Delhi does not require a paid ticket. Its visa page says "You are invited thus to seek for refundable tickets and hotel bookings", and adds that the embassy takes no responsibility for money lost if a visa is refused or delayed.

The embassy page does not print an item-by-item document list. It sends applicants to the foreign ministry's Visa for Italy questionnaire, which generates the list for your type of visa. For short stays, the common Schengen document list used in India asks for a flight reservation of a return or round ticket, and the EU's handbook for consular staff says "a paid return ticket should not be required upon lodging". Our country-by-country comparison shows how other consulates word the same requirement.

Italy visa fee, VFS charge and processing time

The Italy short-stay visa costs €90 for an adult and €45 for a child aged 6 to under 12, and children under 6 pay nothing, as of September 2026. The embassy says people applying through VFS Global also "are required to pay the VFS service charge", but it does not give the amount. The Visa Code caps any centre's service fee at half the visa fee, so €45 at most. Confirm the rupee figure on the VFS Italy site when you book.

A worked example: a couple travelling with their 9-year-old pay €90 + €90 + €45 = €225 in visa fees, plus the VFS service charges. One flight reservation naming all three costs ₹699 × 3 = ₹2,097. Pay the rupee amount VFS quotes on the day, because it follows the exchange rate. Our Schengen visa fee guide tracks rupee figures.

Which Italian office covers your state

You apply to the Italian office responsible for the state where you live, not the one nearest to you. The embassy's visa page divides India between the Embassy in New Delhi and three Consulates General, in Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru.

Two entries catch people out. Kerala and Lakshadweep belong to Mumbai, not Bengaluru, and applicants living in Nepal go through Kolkata. If your state or territory is not named, confirm with the embassy before you book an appointment.

VFS Global takes the file, the office decides

Applications are lodged at VFS Global, the embassy's outsourcing agency, which collects your documents and fingerprints. The embassy says using the centres "is not mandatory", but direct appointments at the embassy are limited, so VFS is the usual route. VFS plays no part in the decision. Check the VFS Italy site for the centres that serve your jurisdiction and their addresses.

When to apply and book your VFS appointment

You can apply up to 6 months before you travel and, as a rule, no later than 15 calendar days before; a later application may be accepted in a justified urgent case. The embassy gives no typical wait for an Italy appointment, we found none published by VFS, and we cannot tell you how full a centre will be in a given week. Look at the VFS calendar as soon as your dates are fixed. Our VFS appointment guide explains the booking system.

Work backwards from your flight. Say you fly to Rome on 20 November 2026. The last day to lodge, as a rule, is 5 November. With an appointment on 28 October, the standard 15-day decision period runs to 12 November, which leaves a week for your passport to come back. Set the reservation to arrive on 27 October, the day before the appointment.

Rome, Milan and multi-city routings from India

The routings that suit most Italy trips are a return to Rome Fiumicino (FCO) or Milan Malpensa (MXP), or an open-jaw that flies into one city and home from the other. The booking desk chooses the airline and connection. You can name a preferred airline in the notes box, as a request rather than a promise.

Open-jaw and multi-country routes are priced as multi-city, ₹699 per two flights, per passenger; our multi-city itinerary page shows the layout. If you add Switzerland, France or another Schengen country, you apply as a rule to the country where you spend the most nights, and our main-destination guide covers ties. Whatever the route, keep the dates identical across the reservation, the insurance and the hotel bookings.

Getting a dummy ticket for Italy visa applications

Order through the booking form once your appointment is fixed. You give each passenger's name exactly as in the passport, date of birth, nationality, route, travel dates and an email address or WhatsApp number. No passport scan and no account are needed. One order covers up to 9 passengers on one itinerary, at ₹699 each, one way or return.

We book the reservation in the airline's system, hold it without paying the fare, and send the PDF itinerary by email or WhatsApp, typically 10 to 20 minutes after payment is confirmed, or on the date you choose in the form. Payment is by UPI in India, or PayPal or card from abroad. Our PNR check guide shows how to look it up on the airline's Manage booking page. It is a reservation, not a paid ticket or an e-ticket, and it cannot be used to board; if an officer asks, call it a reservation. DTV is not affiliated with the Embassy of Italy, VFS Global or any airline.

Study, work and longer stays need a different visa

Everything above applies to short-stay (type C) visas, which cover tourism, business trips and family visits of up to 90 days. A course longer than 90 days or a job in Italy needs a national (type D) visa, which the embassy prices at €116, or €50 for a national study visa, as of September 2026. The €90 fee and the 15-day decision rule do not apply to those.

Type D document lists come from the Visa for Italy questionnaire, so check there whether a flight booking is asked for at all before you order one. A work visa also depends on a nulla osta, the work clearance issued in Italy. Our student visa page and work visa page cover one-way reservations for those trips.

Checklist before your Italy appointment

• Appointment booked with the office that covers your state (Kerala and Lakshadweep: Mumbai)
• Reservation dates match your application form, insurance and hotel bookings
• Every name on the reservation spelled exactly as in the passport
• Reservation scheduled to arrive the day before your appointment
• PNR checked on the airline's website on the day you receive it
• Rupee amounts for the visa fee and VFS charge confirmed at booking

No single document decides an Italy visa. A checkable reservation shows the officer a concrete travel plan; your funds, your ties to India and the purpose of the trip carry the rest of the file.

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.