A dummy ticket for Spain visa applications is a round-trip flight reservation with a PNR you can check, not a paid ticket. Spain's Embassy in New Delhi lists "Flight bookings (roundtrip)" and says it is "advisable not to buy the air ticket until the visa has been granted". You apply through BLS International, not VFS. Dummy Tickets Visa (DTV) charges ₹699 per passenger.
- Spain's Embassy in New Delhi lists round-trip flight bookings and advises applicants not to buy the air ticket until the visa is granted.
- Applications go through BLS International, with appointments booked only on the BLS website; Spain does not use VFS Global in India.
- The visa fee is €90 for adults and €45 for children aged 6 to under 12, plus a BLS service fee capped by law at €45, as of September 2026.
- The legal period for a decision is 15 calendar days from the day after submission, extendable to 45 if an interview or more documents are requested.
- If you will stay with family or friends, the embassy asks for an invitation letter issued by the Spanish national police instead of a hotel booking.
On this page
A dummy ticket for Spain visa applications is a round-trip flight reservation: a booking made in the airline's reservation system and held without paying the fare, with a PNR you can look up on the airline's website. Spain's Embassy in New Delhi lists "Flight bookings (roundtrip)" among its requirements and adds: "It is advisable not to buy the air ticket until the visa has been granted." 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 Spain.
What Spain's embassy asks for: flights and accommodation
Spain asks for a round-trip flight booking and proof of where you will stay, and tells you not to buy the ticket before the visa is granted. Both requirements are on the Embassy of Spain's Schengen visa page.
For accommodation, the page asks for hotel bookings covering the whole stay. If you will stay with family or friends in Spain, it asks instead for an invitation letter from your host "issued by the Spanish national police", which your host has to arrange in Spain. A hotel voucher does not replace that letter. If you are staying in hotels, our hotel reservation voucher covers the city and dates you enter, at ₹699 per hotel, per passenger; for several cities or a long stay, ask on WhatsApp before ordering.
The same page warns that failing to comply strictly with the requirements leads to "automatic refusal of the visa". Treat that as a reason to make the dates on your reservation, hotel booking, insurance and application form match exactly.
A reservation is a real booking in the airline's system, held without payment. It is not an e-ticket and cannot be used to board. Once the visa is granted, buy your actual ticket, which is the order the embassy suggests. Our guide on why consulates ask for a reservation explains the difference.
Spain visa fee, BLS service fee and processing time
The Spain short-stay visa fee is €90 for an adult and €45 for a child aged 6 to under 12, and children under 6 pay nothing, as of September 2026; these amounts have applied since 11 June 2024. BLS International adds its own service fee. Neither the embassy page nor the BLS pages we could read state that fee, so we do not quote a figure. The Visa Code caps it at half the visa fee, €45, and you should confirm the rupee total on the BLS site before you pay.
| Item | Amount or rule | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Visa fee, adult | €90 | Not refunded if the visa is refused |
| Visa fee, child aged 6 to under 12 | €45 | Under 6 is free |
| BLS service fee | Up to €45 (legal cap) | Confirm the amount on the BLS Spain site |
| Application window | 6 months to 15 days before travel | Seafarers may apply up to 9 months ahead |
| Decision | 15 calendar days from the day after submission | Up to 45 days if an interview or more documents are requested |
A worked example: if you submit on 5 October, the 15 days start on 6 October and the legal period for a decision ends on 20 October. If the consulate asks for an interview or extra papers, the limit moves to 45 days, which would be 19 November. Courier time for your passport comes on top. Rupee amounts follow the exchange rate; our Schengen visa fee guide tracks them.
Where to apply: BLS International, not VFS Global
You apply for a Spain visa at a BLS International visa application centre, with an appointment booked on the BLS Spain site that the embassy links to. The embassy's wording is "Applications must be submitted through any BLS VAC with prior appointment", and the BLS site says appointments are booked only through its website. Spain does not use VFS Global in India, so a VFS login or centre address will not help here; our explainer on VFS, BLS and TLScontact sets out the difference.
Two jurisdictions with different rules
The embassy says it accepts applications from people living in its consular district, but its page does not list the states in that district. As of September 2026, the BLS site sorts its centres into an Embassy jurisdiction and a Mumbai jurisdiction, and gives each its own rule:
- Centres under the Embassy's jurisdiction accept only application forms filled in online.
- Centres under the Mumbai jurisdiction accept an application only when your travel date is more than 15 calendar days after the day you submit.
The pages we could read do not say which states fall under each jurisdiction, and they do not list every centre city. Check both on the BLS site before you book, and book only through the site the embassy links to, not a search result that looks like a centre.
How far ahead to book your BLS appointment
Book as soon as your travel dates are fixed. You can apply from 6 months before travel until 15 days before it, and the embassy and BLS pages we read give no typical wait for a slot, so the calendar on the BLS site is your best guide. Our appointment guide covers how the booking systems work.
Plan backwards from the flight. Say you fly to Madrid on 20 November 2026. The 15-day rule makes 5 November the last day to submit, but a decision can take 15 days after that, and the Mumbai jurisdiction wants more than 15 days between submission and travel. An appointment in the second half of October leaves room for both, plus courier time.
A reservation is a temporary hold, and how long it stays live depends on the airline; DTV does not publish a fixed validity period. Pick the day before your BLS appointment in the form's delivery-date field, then check the PNR on the airline's site before you submit.
Madrid and Barcelona routings from India
A Spain file usually shows a return to Madrid (MAD) or Barcelona (BCN), or a trip that flies into one of them 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.
| Routing | Flights on the reservation | Price per passenger |
|---|---|---|
| New Delhi to Madrid and back | 2 | ₹699 |
| Mumbai to Barcelona and back | 2 | ₹699 |
| Into Madrid, home from Barcelona | 2 | ₹699 |
| Into Barcelona, home from Lisbon (Spain plus Portugal) | 2 | ₹699 |
The embassy's word is "roundtrip". A same-city return matches it most literally; a trip into one city and out of another still shows fixed dates for arriving and leaving. We cannot say how a given officer will read that, so if you want no room for doubt, choose the same-city return. Two-city and multi-country routes are priced as multi-city itineraries, ₹699 per two flights, per passenger.
If you add Portugal, France or another Schengen country, you apply as a rule to the country of your longest stay: with 7 nights in Spain and 3 in Portugal, that is Spain. Our main-destination guide covers ties and purpose-based cases.
Getting a dummy ticket for Spain visa applications
Fix your dates and route
Match them to your application form, insurance and hotel booking or invitation letter.
Order on the booking form
Enter each name exactly as in the passport, with date of birth, nationality, route and dates, on the booking form. No passport scan and no account are needed.
Choose the delivery date
The form asks "When do you want to receive it?". Pick the day before your BLS appointment.
Check the PNR
Look the booking up on the airline's website before you submit, following our PNR check guide.
We book the reservation in the airline's system and send the PDF itinerary by email or WhatsApp, typically 10 to 20 minutes after payment is confirmed. It costs ₹699 per passenger, one way or return, with up to 9 passengers on one itinerary; the sample dummy ticket shows the layout. DTV is not affiliated with the Embassy of Spain, BLS International or any airline.
- Round-trip reservation with dates that match the form, insurance and hotel booking
- Every name spelled exactly as in the passport
- Appointment booked on the BLS site the embassy links to
- PNR checked on the airline's website before submission
- Described as a reservation, not a purchased ticket, if anyone asks
Frequently asked questions
Can one reservation cover my whole family?
Yes. One order can name up to 9 passengers on the same itinerary, at ₹699 per passenger, children included. A family of four flying Mumbai to Barcelona and back pays ₹2,796 for one reservation naming all four. Enter each name exactly as it appears in that person's passport. Our family bookings page has the details.
What if my BLS appointment moves after I order?
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 wait until the BLS appointment is confirmed before ordering, and schedule delivery for the day before it. The terms are on our refund policy page.
I live in the UAE. Can I apply for a Spain visa in India?
As a rule, no. Schengen applications go to the consulate responsible for the country where you legally live, so an Indian citizen resident in the UAE or the UK applies through Spain's representation and application centre there. The BLS centres on this page are for people living in India. Our page for Indians abroad covers ordering and paying from outside India.
Will the embassy check my flight reservation?
We cannot tell you how a particular officer handles a file. What the rules say is that a Schengen visa can be refused where there are reasonable doubts about the authenticity of a supporting document. That is why the reservation must be genuine and live: check the PNR on the airline's website before you submit. Our guide on how embassy checks work has more.
What happens to the reservation once my Spain visa is granted?
The hold lapses when the airline releases it, and it cannot be used to board a flight. The grant of the visa is the point at which Spain's embassy suggests buying the air ticket, so book your actual flight then. Our guide on what happens after approval covers the next steps.
Does a flight reservation guarantee my Spain visa will be approved?
No. No document can promise a Schengen decision. A reservation shows a concrete, checkable travel plan; the consulate still weighs your funds, insurance, accommodation, the purpose of the trip and your ties to India. Treat it as one item in the file, not the deciding one.
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.