A dummy ticket for work visa files is a flight reservation with a PNR, not a paid ticket, and it is rarely on the checklist. The German missions in India list no flight booking for employment or the Opportunity Card, and a UAE work permit is filed by your employer. For Canada, follow IRCC's own checklist. A one-way reservation costs ₹699 per passenger at Dummy Tickets Visa.
- The German missions in India list no flight booking on their employment or Opportunity Card checklists; their Schengen tourism checklist does.
- The Opportunity Card checklist asks for a blocked account of at least €1,091 a month plus funds for the return flight: money for a flight, not a booking.
- A UAE work permit is applied for by the employer, so you have no flight document of your own to submit.
- For a Canadian work permit, follow the document checklist IRCC gives you (IMM 5488 or the online portal's own list).
- A one-way reservation dated a day or two before your joining date fits a work move better than a return.
On this page
- Do you need a dummy ticket for work visa applications?
- Germany: employment visa and the Opportunity Card
- UAE: your employer applies for the work permit
- Canada: follow the work permit checklist IRCC gives you
- The Destination Thailand Visa and other digital nomad visas
- When a reservation still helps
- One-way, dated to your contract start
- How to order it and check it
A dummy ticket for work visa files is usually something the checklist does not ask for. The German missions in India list no flight booking for an employment visa or for the Opportunity Card. A UAE work permit is applied for by your employer, not by you. The Destination Thailand Visa checklist we read asks for none either. If your file is due this week, you do not need to chase a flight reservation for it.
Dummy Tickets Visa (DTV) still makes one-way reservations for people moving abroad for work, at ₹699 per passenger. It is a booking held in the airline's system without the fare paid, with a PNR you can check on the airline's website, delivered by email or WhatsApp typically 10–20 minutes after payment. Our page on flight reservations for visas explains how it differs from a paid ticket.
Work permits, employment visas, job-seeker routes and digital nomad visas. Studying, visiting family and business trips follow other checklists: see our guides to student visas, family visit visas and business visas.
Do you need a dummy ticket for work visa applications?
Not for any route in the table below. Work and long-stay visas are decided on a contract or job search, qualifications and money, usually weeks before anyone expects you to have a flight.
| Route | Who applies | Flight document on the checklist |
|---|---|---|
| Germany, national visa for skilled workers with vocational training | You, with your employer's declaration | No |
| Germany, Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte) | You, as a job seeker | No. It asks for funds that cover a return flight |
| UAE work permit and employment entry permit | Your employer | None for you to submit |
| Canada work permit, applied from outside Canada | You, through IRCC | Follow the checklist IRCC gives you |
| Destination Thailand Visa, Workcation category | You, through Thailand's e-Visa system | No, on the checklist reviewed |
Read the table as a summary of the official lists, not a ruling on your case. A consulate can still ask for more, and both German checklists say the mission may request additional documents. A missing flight booking will not sink a file whose checklist never asked for one. A weak funds record, an unsigned contract or a missing qualification document can.
Germany: employment visa and the Opportunity Card
Neither German national visa checklist below lists a flight booking. A job in Germany, or a job search there, runs on a national (type D) visa, and the German missions in India publish a separate checklist for each purpose.
Employment visa for skilled workers with vocational training
The checklist for skilled workers, trainees and interns (updated May 2024) asks for your passport, the application form and declarations, three biometric photos, the employment annexure, the "Declaration regarding a contract of employment" signed by your employer, the signed contract, your qualifications and their recognition in Germany, a CV, a motivation letter, proof of German and confirmation of health insurance. Applicants aged 45 or over earning under €48,180 a year also show pension provision. There is no flight item. If your route is different, for example a university graduate's job offer, find the checklist for that route on the missions' site.
Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte)
The Opportunity Card checklist (updated September 2024) is for job seekers without a contract. For money, it accepts a blocked account ("Sperrkonto") holding at least €1,091 a month "plus sufficient funds for the return flight", a formal obligation letter from a sponsor living in Germany, or current bank statements. It also asks for proof of accommodation in Germany with the full address, your qualifications and their recognition, language certificates where they apply, a motivation letter, a CV and health insurance for your stay.
So the checklist wants money for a flight home, not a flight booking. Germany's short-stay Schengen checklist is the opposite: item 11 reads "Flight reservation". If you are visiting Germany before you move, our Germany visa guide covers that file.
UAE: your employer applies for the work permit
You do not submit a flight booking for a UAE employment visa, because you do not file the application. Your employer is your sponsor. It applies for your work permit and for the entry permit you fly in on, and the rest of the process, including the residence visa, is completed after you arrive. The documents you hand over go to your employer's HR or PRO team, who will tell you what they need.
What you control is the flight date. Once the entry permit is issued, ask your employer two things: the date you are expected to join, and whether they are booking your flight. If they are, you do not need a reservation. A visit to the UAE before the move is a separate tourist visa with its own rules; our Dubai and UAE visa guide covers it.
Canada: follow the work permit checklist IRCC gives you
For a Canadian work permit, the list that counts is IRCC's. If you apply online, the IRCC account builds a document checklist for your case. The general list for applications made outside Canada is form IMM 5488. Upload what that list asks for, and do not add a reservation for a trip you have not planned.
Canada's visitor visa works differently: there IRCC lists "flight details" as a recommended itinerary document. Our Canada visa guide covers that. For either permit, buy your actual flight only after IRCC has approved the application.
The Destination Thailand Visa and other digital nomad visas
The Destination Thailand Visa checklist we read does not ask for a flight ticket. The visa is Thailand's long stay option for remote workers, digital nomads, freelancers and "foreign talent" (the Workcation category), and for people doing Thai soft power activities such as Muay Thai, Thai cooking courses or medical treatment. A checklist hosted on the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs site asks Workcation applicants for:
- proof of residence in Thailand for at least 6 months, such as a condominium rental or lease agreement
- a bank statement for the last 3 months with an ending balance of at least 500,000 baht
- salary slips or proof of monthly income for the last 6 months
- an employment contract or certificate, and the company's registration or business licence, each authenticated by the embassy of the country where the company is located
- a professional portfolio showing your remote work or freelance status
That checklist also gives the balance in Malaysian ringgit and adds documents for applicants in Malaysia, so it was written for one embassy. From India, Thai visas are applied for online at thaievisa.go.th, as the Royal Thai Embassy in New Delhi explains. Follow the list the e-Visa site shows for your embassy, and check the visa's validity and length of stay there too.
Dummy Tickets Visa makes one-way reservations for Destination Thailand Visa applicants who want a travel plan in the file, at ₹699 per passenger or about US$8.50 by PayPal or card. A short trip on Thailand's 30-day visa exemption is a different case, covered on our Thailand page. Other countries run their own digital nomad visas, each with its own list, so check the embassy page for the country you are applying to.
When a reservation still helps
A reservation helps when someone needs your travel dates before a ticket exists. These are the usual cases:
- The consulate asks for your travel plans as an additional document
- Your employer's HR team wants a proposed arrival date before it books your ticket or a first week's accommodation
- A landlord abroad wants your arrival date before holding a flat for you
- You are applying for a visitor visa to see the country before the move, and that checklist does ask for a flight reservation
If your employer is booking and paying for your flight, you probably do not need one at all. Whoever asks, describe it as a reservation, not a purchased ticket.
One-way, dated to your contract start
Book one-way, dated a day or two before your joining date. A work move has a fixed start and no fixed return, and a return date you invent now will only need changing later.
Two dates matter. The travel date on the reservation follows your contract. The date it is issued follows whoever needs to see it. Say your contract in Frankfurt starts on Monday 1 February 2027 and your visa appointment is in November. Ask for a Delhi to Frankfurt flight on Saturday 30 January, issued the day before the appointment.
One-way works well when
- You are moving on a work visa, national visa or Opportunity Card with no return date set
- Your contract could be extended or ended early, so any return date would be a guess
A return falls short when
- You pick a return date months out and later have to explain why it changed
- It suggests a short trip when your file describes a move
Whether an airline will board you on a one-way ticket with a work visa is a separate question, answered in our guide to a one-way ticket on a student or work visa. Our one-way reservation page covers the product itself.
How to order it and check it
Order it only once you know who needs it and by when.
Read your own checklist first
Use the current list from your visa office, IRCC account or employer before deciding you need a flight booking.
Date it to your contract
Choose a flight a day or two before your joining date, not the date of your interview or biometrics.
Pick the delivery date
On our order form, set "When do you want to receive it?" to the day before your file, landlord or employer needs it. A reservation is a temporary hold, so do not order weeks ahead.
Check the PNR
Open the airline's "Manage booking" page and confirm the names, route and date, using our PNR check guide.
Book a one-way reservation for your work move
₹699 per passenger, with a PNR you can check yourself. Typically delivered 10–20 minutes after payment.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Opportunity Card need proof of a return flight?
Not a booking. The German missions' checklist asks for proof of funds: a blocked account with at least €1,091 a month plus enough for the return flight, a formal obligation letter from a sponsor living in Germany, or current bank statements. It also asks for proof of accommodation in Germany with the full address. A flight reservation is not on the list.
My employer is booking my flight. Do I still need a reservation?
Usually not. If the employer's travel desk books and pays for your ticket, that ticket is your travel plan. A reservation only helps when someone needs your dates before the employer books, such as a landlord abroad or a separate visitor visa application. Ask HR when they plan to issue the ticket before you order anything.
I have a job offer in Dubai but want to visit first. What do I need?
A tourist visa, which is a separate application from your work permit. If Emirates arranges it, the airline asks for a copy of a paid return Emirates ticket, and a reservation does not meet that rule. Other routes have their own document lists; our Dubai and UAE visa guide covers them.
Does any work visa route need a paid ticket?
None of the checklists on this page does. Paid tickets come up at other stages: an airline that arranges a tourist visa, such as Emirates for the UAE, or a transit visa that needs a confirmed onward flight. If an official list you are given says "confirmed" or "paid" ticket, a reservation does not meet it; buy a refundable fare instead.
How long does the reservation stay valid?
It depends on the airline. A reservation is a temporary hold, and we do not publish a fixed validity period. Choose the day before you need it as the delivery date on the order form, and check the PNR on the airline's website before you hand it over. Our guide to reservation validity explains why holds lapse.
Can I order from outside India?
Yes. The price is the same, charged in US dollars through PayPal or card, about US$8.50 per passenger. You give each name exactly as in the passport, date of birth, nationality, route and date, and an email address or WhatsApp number for delivery. We do not ask for a passport scan or an account.
- German Missions in India: checklist for a national visa, employment for skilled workers with vocational training (updated May 2024)
- German Missions in India: checklist for a job search Opportunity Card (updated September 2024)
- German Missions in India: Schengen visa for tourism, document checklist
- IRCC: Document Checklist, Work Permit (Applied outside Canada), IMM 5488
- IRCC: apply for a visitor visa (recommended documents)
- Royal Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Destination Thailand Visa document checklist (PDF)
- Royal Thai Embassy, New Delhi: visa information
- 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.