Dummy ticket for NRIs and Indians living abroad
A dummy ticket for NRIs costs about US$8.50 by PayPal or card. Why you apply where you live, and visa waits from Saudi, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain.
A dummy ticket for NRIs from Dummy Tickets Visa (DTV) is the same flight reservation sold in India, with a PNR you can check and a PDF sent by email or WhatsApp. Outside India it costs about US$8.50 per passenger, paid by PayPal or card. You apply for the visa where you legally live, and the wait there can be months shorter or weeks longer than in India.
A dummy ticket for NRIs works the same way as one ordered in India. Dummy Tickets Visa (DTV) makes the same reservation in the airline's system, with the same PNR you can check, and sends the same PDF by email or WhatsApp. Two things change when you live abroad. You pay in US dollars, about US$8.50 per passenger by PayPal or card, with no price in local currency. And you apply for your visa in the country where you legally live, where the queue can be months shorter or weeks longer than in India.
This page is for Indian passport holders living outside India, with sections for residents of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain. UAE and UK residents have their own guides, linked near the end.
For UK, US, Canadian and Australian visitor visas a flight booking is not a required document, and the UK, US and Australian governments tell applicants not to buy travel before a decision. Some applicants still add a reservation so the dates on the form and the cover letter match. For a Schengen visa, read the checklist published for the country where you live.
A dummy ticket for NRIs: apply where you live, not through India
Apply in the country where you legally live. For a Schengen visa this is the rule, not a preference. The European Commission states: "As a general rule, you must apply for a Schengen visa at the consulate with territorial responsibility for the country where you are legally resident." An Indian citizen living in Doha applies through the consulate that covers Qatar, even though the passport was issued in India.
The US State Department asks applicants to book the interview at an embassy or consulate "in their country of nationality or residence", and its notice warns that applying anywhere else risks a much longer wait, with fees neither refunded nor transferred. Canada publishes a separate processing time for each country you apply from. Australia collects biometrics, when it asks for them, at VFS-run centres, and its list has centres in all five Gulf countries on this page but none in India.
The India-only Schengen rule does not travel with you
Since April 2024, an Indian national can be issued a two-year multiple-entry Schengen visa after having "obtained and lawfully used two visas within the previous three years", under a Commission decision that covers Indian nationals living in India and applying there. If you apply from Riyadh or Muscat, the standard EU cascade applies instead, which starts with a one-year visa after three visas used in the previous two years, unless a local rule says otherwise. Either way the consulate decides. Our guide to multiple-entry Schengen visas explains both.
Visa waits from the Gulf compared with India
Where you apply from can change the wait by months. The table sets the official figures for the five Gulf countries on this page against India, as published in September 2026.
| Country you apply from | Canada visitor visa processing | Next US B1/B2 interview appointment | Australian biometrics centres |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | 32 days | 6.5 to 12 months, by post (New Delhi 10 months) | None; apply online |
| Saudi Arabia | 53 days | Under 0.5 month (Jeddah), 0.5 month (Riyadh), 1.5 months (Dhahran) | Jeddah, Al-Khobar, Riyadh |
| Qatar | 61 days | 3.5 months (Doha) | Doha |
| Kuwait | 61 days | 1 month | Kuwait |
| Oman | 61 days | 4 months (Muscat) | Muscat |
| Bahrain | 59 days | Under 0.5 month (Manama) | Manama |
Sources: IRCC processing times, State Department global visa wait times and the Home Affairs biometrics page. IRCC updates its figures weekly and the State Department table changes often, so recheck both before you plan around them.
Read across a row and the picture is mixed. From Riyadh, a US interview was half a month away against 10 months in New Delhi, but a Canadian visitor visa was taking 53 days against India's 32. Whichever office ends up with your file, time the reservation the same way: set delivery for the day before your appointment, as explained in when to book a dummy ticket, and check the PNR on the airline's website before you submit.
Your residence permit and your passport
Bring proof that you live in the country legally, valid on the day you apply: your residence permit, such as a Saudi Iqama or a Qatar ID. How long it must stay valid after your return is set in each consulate's or visa centre's checklist and is not published in one place, so read the checklist for your destination in your country of residence before you book the appointment. If your permit is due for renewal around your travel dates, ask the centre before you apply.
Your Saudi, Qatari or Omani colleagues can visit the UK with an electronic travel authorisation. GOV.UK's ETA list includes all six Gulf states but not India, and it goes by nationality. An Indian passport holder living in Riyadh or Manama still needs a UK Standard Visitor visa, just as they would in Delhi.
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain: applying from there
The figures below come from the table above and the same official pages, as of September 2026. They show where each country is quick and where it is slow.
Saudi Arabia
The State Department lists three posts in Saudi Arabia, with the next B1/B2 interview under half a month away in Jeddah, half a month in Riyadh and 1.5 months in Dhahran. Canada was slower than from India, at 53 days against 32. Australian biometrics, if requested, are taken in Jeddah, Al-Khobar or Riyadh. The residence proof you show will be your Iqama, so check its expiry date against your travel dates before you book an appointment.
Qatar
Doha had the second-longest US wait of the five, 3.5 months to the next B1/B2 slot, and Canada was taking 61 days. If a US trip is on your list, book the interview first and order the reservation only once the appointment date is fixed. Australian biometrics are collected in Doha.
Kuwait
Kuwait sat in the middle for the US, with the next B1/B2 appointment about a month away, but at 61 days it shared the slowest Canadian processing time on this page. Australia lists a VFS-run biometrics centre in Kuwait.
Oman
Muscat had the longest US wait of the five, 4 months to the next B1/B2 appointment, and Canada was taking 61 days. That is still well short of the 10 months in New Delhi. Australian biometrics are collected in Muscat.
Bahrain
Manama shared the shortest US wait with Jeddah, under half a month to the next B1/B2 appointment, and Canada was taking 59 days. Australian biometrics are collected in Manama. For a Schengen visa from Bahrain, as from the other four, the consulate covering Bahrain is where the file goes.
Pay in US dollars by PayPal or card
Outside India the reservation is charged in US dollars, about US$8.50 per passenger, whether you order from Riyadh, Doha, Kuwait City, Muscat or Manama. One-way and return cost the same, a hotel reservation voucher is charged the same way, and a multi-city itinerary is priced per two flights, per passenger, as in India.
A worked example: a couple in Muscat ordering one return reservation for a Schengen trip pays about US$17, two passengers at about US$8.50 each, on one itinerary. Up to nine passengers fit on one order. Paying with PayPal or card covers the checkout screen and what to do if a card is declined, and the price list covers hotels and multi-city routes. Delivery timing is the same as in India and is explained on the delivery times page.
UAE and UK residents: separate guides
If you live in the UAE or the UK, your own guide has the detail for applying from there.
Before you submit your visa file
- You are applying through the consulate or centre for the country where you live, and you have read its current checklist.
- Your residence permit is valid on the day you apply, and you know how much validity that checklist asks for after your return.
- For a Schengen visa, you are not counting on the India-only two-year rule.
- The PDF reached you the day before your appointment, and the PNR opens on the airline's website.
- If anyone asks, you describe the document as a flight reservation, not a ticket.
Frequently asked questions
Can I apply in India instead, while I am home on leave?
It depends on the country. For a US visa, the State Department accepts interviews in your country of nationality or residence, so India is allowed, but the next B1/B2 appointment there was 6.5 to 12 months away in September 2026. For a Schengen visa, the general rule is the consulate covering the country where you legally live, so ask that consulate before you try to apply in India.
Can I pay in Saudi riyals, Qatari riyals, Kuwaiti dinars, Omani rials or Bahraini dinars?
No. Every order placed from outside India is charged in US dollars through PayPal or a debit or credit card, about US$8.50 per passenger, whichever of these countries you order from. There is no Gulf-currency price list. Paying with PayPal or card explains the checkout screen.
I hold an OCI card, not an Indian passport. Does this page apply to me?
Only partly. An OCI card is not a passport, so your visa and entry rules follow the passport you actually travel on, not India's. The reservation itself works the same way for you, but check your own passport's requirements before relying on anything this page says about Indian passport holders.
Do Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman or Bahrain ask residents for a return ticket when they travel elsewhere?
What you need depends on where you are going, not where you live, so it belongs on that destination's own page, for example the Schengen visa guide or the UK visa guide. What your Gulf country of residence changes is which consulate handles your file and how long it takes.
Is the reservation delivered more slowly if I order from outside India?
No. It arrives by email or WhatsApp, typically 10–20 minutes after your payment is confirmed, on the date you choose on the form. DTV publishes no separate hours for other countries, and orders placed late at night, at weekends or on holidays can take longer, so set the delivery date for the day before your appointment wherever you live.
Can I order from abroad for my parents, who are applying in India?
Yes. Enter their names exactly as in their passports and their route, and pay in US dollars by PayPal or card, about US$8.50 per passenger; up to nine people fit on one order. Their visa file goes to the centre in India that covers them. If they are coming to visit you, the family visit visa guide covers the documents.
Need the reservation for your visa file?
A flight reservation with a PNR you can check on the airline website. ₹699 per passenger, delivered in 10–20 minutes.