An onward ticket is proof that you will leave the country you are entering: a flight out, dated inside your permitted stay. Dummy Tickets Visa (DTV) issues it as a flight reservation with a PNR checkable on the airline website, for ₹699 per passenger, typically within 10–20 minutes of payment. It is not a paid ticket, so it does not meet rules that demand one, such as New Zealand's.
- An onward ticket is a flight out of the country you are entering, dated inside your permitted stay.
- The airline can ask for it at check-in and the border officer on arrival; DTV decides neither outcome.
- New Zealand's visa-waiver rule says onward tickets must be paid for, and the US Visa Waiver Program requires a round trip ticket. A held reservation meets neither.
- Have the reservation issued the day before you fly and check the PNR on the airline website. It must still be live when you land.
- DTV charges ₹699 per passenger for one-way or return, about US$8.50 outside India.
On this page
- What an onward ticket is, and what we issue
- Who asks for an onward ticket, and when
- What to book: a flight out, inside your permitted stay
- When to order so the hold is live at check-in and on arrival
- Where a reservation on hold is not enough
- Onward ticket price, and what "rent a ticket" means
- How to order an onward ticket
An onward ticket is proof that you will leave the country you are entering: a flight out, dated inside your permitted stay, that an airline can ask to see at check-in and a border officer can ask to see on arrival. Dummy Tickets Visa (DTV) issues it as a flight reservation held in the airline's reservation system, with a PNR you can look up on the airline's website, for ₹699 per passenger. The PDF typically reaches you by email or WhatsApp 10–20 minutes after your payment is confirmed.
It is a reservation, not a paid ticket, and it cannot be used to board a flight. Whether you need one at all depends on your destination and your passport. Where a rule asks for a return or onward ticket, most of the wording does not say whether a reservation is enough, and the airline agent and the border officer decide. A few rules ask for a ticket that is paid for, New Zealand's visa waiver being the clearest, and a held reservation does not meet them. The table further down lists them. The rules themselves are explained in our proof of onward travel guide.
What an onward ticket is, and what we issue
"Onward ticket", "return ticket", "exit ticket" and "proof of onward travel" all name the same requirement: evidence that you will leave before your permitted stay ends. Indian travellers usually hear it as "return ticket", and our page on the return ticket for immigration uses that wording. If the term is new to you, what an onward ticket means has definitions and examples.
What we issue is a booking made in the airline's reservation system and held without paying the fare. While the hold is live, you can open it on the airline's "Manage booking" page with the booking reference and your surname, and it shows your name and flights. It has no e-ticket number, because no ticket has been issued, and how the page labels an unticketed booking varies by airline. Our page on the dummy ticket with PNR explains what that check proves and what it does not.
Who asks for an onward ticket, and when
Two people can ask: the airline's check-in agent before you fly, and the border officer when you land. Check-in staff look up entry rules in IATA's Timatic database, which IATA says is used to check the travel documents of over 700 million passengers a year. If your destination lists a return or onward ticket, the agent can ask for it before printing your boarding pass.
Airlines check because they carry the cost when a passenger is turned away. A carrier can be penalised by the destination country for bringing someone who does not meet its entry rules, and it has to fly that person back. That is why an agent who is unsure will sometimes refuse the boarding pass rather than take the risk.
The officer on arrival asks separately and uses their own judgement. Neither the agent nor the officer is bound by what a PDF says about itself, and DTV decides neither outcome. A visa application file is a different use of the same document; for that, see flight reservation for visa.
What to book: a flight out, inside your permitted stay
Book a flight that departs the country you are entering and is dated before your permitted stay runs out. It can go home or on to another country. A domestic flight inside the country does not count, and neither does the flight that brings you in.
A worked example. Say you hold an Indian passport and land in Kuala Lumpur on 3 November 2026. Malaysia lets Indian nationals visit without a visa for up to 30 days until 31 December 2026, unless that is extended, and the Malaysian High Commission in New Delhi lists "Confirmed Return Flight Tickets" among the documents to carry. So your flight out should leave Malaysia well inside those 30 days, for example on 28 November, and because the wording says "return", a flight back to India is the safer choice.
We book any route; the booking desk chooses the airline and flight after you submit the form. You can name a preferred airline in the notes box, but that is a request, not a promise. One order covers up to 9 passengers on one itinerary. If your trip passes through a second country before you head home, a multi-city reservation costs ₹699 per two flights, per passenger.
When to order so the hold is live at check-in and on arrival
Have the reservation issued about a day before you fly, and check the PNR on the airline's website before you leave for the airport. It has to be live when the check-in agent looks at it and still live when you reach immigration at the other end, which after a long connection can be many hours later. A reservation is a temporary hold. The airline sets how long it lasts and can cancel it earlier, so we do not publish a fixed number of hours or days.
The booking form asks "When do you want to receive it?", and the reservation is issued on that date. You can place the order a week ahead and still have it issued the day before your flight. Delivery is typically 10–20 minutes after payment is confirmed, but our terms note that weekends, holidays and busy periods can slow it down, so do not leave the order until you are in the check-in queue. The onward ticket validity guide covers timing in more detail, and verify your PNR shows how to run the check.
If your dates change after you pay, 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 and non-refundable once the reservation is issued, so check names and dates before you pay.
Where a reservation on hold is not enough
A reservation on hold does not meet a rule that asks for a paid or issued ticket. Most onward-travel rules say "return or onward ticket" and stop there, which leaves the decision with the airline agent and the border officer. The rules below go further or use words that are open to question. Check yours before you order.
| Rule | Official wording | Does a held reservation fit? |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand, visa-waiver travellers | "Your onward tickets must be paid for before your travel." | No. Buy a paid, ideally refundable, ticket. Indian passport holders are not on the waiver list and apply for a visitor visa; see onward ticket for New Zealand. |
| US Visa Waiver Program (ESTA) | Travellers must arrive with a "round trip ticket", which the regulation describes as a ticket or electronic ticket record | No. The wording makes no room for an unticketed reservation. Indian passport holders cannot use the programme; see ESTA and one-way tickets. |
| Malaysia, Indian visa-exempt visitors (until 31 December 2026) | "Confirmed Return Flight Tickets" | Unclear. "Confirmed" is not defined, so the airline and the officer decide. |
| Thailand, 30-day visa exemption (from 15 September 2026) | Royal Thai Embassy, Bern: "proof of onward travel (confirmed air, train, bus or boat tickets)" | Unclear, for the same reason. |
| Costa Rica, one-way arrivals | A "pre-purchased" flight or bus ticket out, or proof of cruise passage | Treat it as a paid-ticket rule. "Pre-purchased" points to a ticket that has been bought. |
Where a rule says the ticket must be paid for or bought, do not rely on a reservation. Buy a real ticket for that leg.
Two alternatives meet a paid-ticket rule. A fully refundable fare is a real ticket with an e-ticket number; how much comes back, and how fast, depends on its fare rules. A cheap one-way ticket to a neighbouring country is the other, and you may end up using it. Only two official sources we checked accept a ticket out by land or sea: Costa Rica's entry rules (a bus ticket or cruise passage) and the Thai embassy in Bern (air, train, bus or boat). The guide to bus and train tickets as onward proof has the detail, and an airline may still want to see a flight.
Onward ticket price, and what "rent a ticket" means
Our onward ticket costs ₹699 per passenger, the same for one-way or return. Outside India the same order is charged in US dollars through PayPal or card, about US$8.50 per passenger. In India you pay by UPI (QR code) and send the payment screenshot on WhatsApp. We do not claim to be the cheapest seller; we charge one published price per passenger.
| Order | Flights | Price in India |
|---|---|---|
| One passenger, one-way | 1 | ₹699 |
| One passenger, return | 2 | ₹699 |
| Couple, one-way | 1 | ₹1,398 |
| Family of four, return | 2 | ₹2,796 |
| One passenger, multi-city | 4 | ₹1,398 (₹699 per two flights) |
"Rent a ticket" is the phrase some sellers use for this product. What you pay for is the work of making and holding a reservation, not the fare. Nothing is ticketed, you never fly on it, and the hold ends when the airline's time limit runs out. We call it a reservation because that is what it is in the airline's system, and it is what you should call it if an agent or officer asks. The full price list also covers hotel bookings.
How to order an onward ticket
Enter the flight out
Give the departure city in the country you are entering, the destination and the date. Add each passenger's name exactly as in the passport, date of birth and nationality, plus an email address or WhatsApp number. No passport scan and no account.
Choose the delivery date
Answer "When do you want to receive it?" with the day before you fly. The reservation is issued on that date.
Pay by UPI, PayPal or card
UPI in India, then send the payment screenshot on WhatsApp. PayPal, debit card or credit card everywhere else.
Check the PNR yourself
When the PDF arrives, open the airline's website, enter the booking reference and your surname, and confirm the names and flight. If it does not open, message us on WhatsApp with your order ID before you leave for the airport.
- The flight leaves the country you are entering; it is not a domestic leg.
- The date falls inside your permitted stay.
- Your destination's rule does not ask for a paid ticket (see the table above).
- The reservation is issued the day before you fly, and the PNR opens on the airline's website.
- If anyone asks, you will describe it as a reservation.
When all five are ticked, order your onward ticket.
Frequently asked questions
Is an onward ticket the same as a return ticket?
For entry rules they answer the same question: will you leave before your permitted stay ends? A return ticket goes back to where you started; an onward ticket goes on to another country. Most official wording says "return or onward ticket", so either kind of flight out fits. Malaysia's list for Indian visitors says "return", so a flight home is the safer choice there.
Will the airline accept a reservation at check-in?
We cannot promise that. The check-in agent decides, using the destination's rules and the airline's own policy. Where the rule says only "return or onward ticket", you are showing a live reservation with a PNR the agent can look up. Where the rule asks for a paid ticket, as New Zealand's does, a reservation does not meet it.
If my PNR shows on the airline website, can I board that flight?
No. A PNR that opens on the airline's website shows that the reservation exists. It has no e-ticket number, so the airline will not check you in on it. If you decide to take that flight, buy a ticket from the airline or a travel agent before the hold ends.
Do I need to know my next destination?
Book the exit you are most likely to take. If your plans are still open, a flight home or to the next country you plan to visit is the usual choice. If an officer asks, describe your plans as they are and say the flight is a reservation. Our guide for digital nomads and backpackers covers open-ended trips.
What happens at check-in if I have no onward ticket?
The airline can refuse to issue a boarding pass, because it can be penalised by the destination country for carrying a passenger who does not meet the entry rules. Travellers commonly report being asked to buy a ticket at the counter at a walk-up fare. See denied boarding for no onward ticket for your options.
Will an onward ticket guarantee I am let into the country?
No. No document guarantees entry. An onward ticket shows a concrete, checkable plan to leave, which answers one common question at the border, but the officer decides on your whole situation, and DTV has no part in that decision. If you are asked about the flight, say it is a reservation.
Can I change the date after I receive it?
Message us on WhatsApp with your order ID and the new date, and we will tell you the quickest way to get a reservation for it. Changes are not automatically free, and orders are non-refundable once issued, so check the date against your permitted stay before you pay. The date change guide explains the options.
- IATA: Timatic travel document requirements
- Immigration New Zealand: Visa Waiver Visitor Visa
- Cornell LII: 8 CFR 217.2, eligibility for the Visa Waiver Program
- High Commission of Malaysia, New Delhi: entry requirements for foreigners
- Royal Thai Embassy, Bern: visa exemption
- Visit Costa Rica (ICT): entry requirements
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.