Why do some consulates ask you to purchase a flight ticket for a visa application?
Many consulates around the world require all applicants to purchase a flight ticket as part of their visa documentation requirements. For example, the French consulate in the US mentions the following as part of their visa application guidelines:
Purpose of travel/stay
- Pre-booked round-trip ticket
But why does this requirement exist in the first place? If the visa is not issued, the applicant would have to cancel their ticket (which incurs fees) or forfeit their journey altogether. Furthermore, its possible that the visa processing would take so long that the dates of travel would be long past by the time the visa is issued. This conundrum has caused numerous services to pop-up which offer fake (or semi-fake) flight reservations, as well as airlines which offer refunds in case of visa refusals.
- Is it so that the consulate knows the applicant is financially secure? This doesn't make sense as one would presumably need to buy a ticket anyway once their visa is issued or they wouldn't be able to travel.
- Is it so that the itinerary can be sanity checked? This likewise doesn't make sense as the consulate could simply ask for a list of possible flights instead of a ticket.
- Perhaps its designed to make the application more difficult and deter people from applying?
- Or maybe its a case of "we've always done it this way" and no rational explanation exists?
The purpose of this question is to understand the motivation behind the requirement to pre-purchase a ticket, which would help travellers decide how much importance to place on this part of the visa application checklist.
Best Answer
I've always thought the main reason was to deter visitors who do not intend to return back home (e.g. unwanted migrants into France) early on, and that in some parts of the world a secondary reason may be to collect and link up intelligence information about visitors (e.g. foreigners traveling in China) also early on.
As to whether such rules can still be effective and specifically for the second (conjectured) reason, there may be a sort of continuous arms race going on: Governments' means for harvesting and and linking digital information are clearly increasing, on the other hand it is nowadays simple enough to make a "fake" reservation and then cancel it.
For instance, the section on Entry requirements in the current Rough Guide to China plainly recommends this:
You will need to fill out a form with a detailed itinerary of your proposed trip, along with proof of a return ticket and accommodation restorations for every night that you're in China. To get around that last hurdle, find a hotel via ctrip.com that doesn't require your credit card details to make the reservation, book if for the duration, and then cancel the booking once you have your visa.
Pictures about "Why do some consulates ask you to purchase a flight ticket for a visa application?"
What is dummy ticket for visa?
A dummy ticket is simply a flight reservation for a visa application. It's sometimes known as a flight itinerary or flight reservation and it is a return flight reservation from your home country to your destination of choice and back again.What is visa ticket?
A flight reservation for visa is a reserved itinerary or flight plan to and from the country you are planning to visit. These itineraries are not actual flight tickets because they are not paid for, except for the minimal service or processing charges that the travel agent will make.Is flight ticket and visa the same?
They all mean the same thing. \u201cFlight tickets\u201d. Consulates understand the fact that a visa application does not result in guaranteed approval. Therefore, they only recommend you to \u201chold\u201d a flight reservation, not actually \u201cpurchase\u201d the flight tickets.Can you reserve a flight without paying?
Yes! You can reserve a flight without paying for it in advance. Book now pay later plan allows you to pay for your flight booking in easy monthly installments.When to Book Schengen Visa Flight Reservations (Europe Visa)
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