Flight Reservation for a Visa Without Payment

There are ways to show a planned flight without paying anything. Each has a catch, and the catch is usually discovered at the visa centre.

1. A printed itinerary from a flight search
Free, and it looks right. But it has no PNR, so nothing can be looked up. Where the consulate verifies reservations, it fails.

2. A hold offered by the airline itself
Some airlines let you hold a fare on their own website, usually for a short time and often for a fee. Where it exists it is a genuine reservation — check how long it lasts against your appointment date.

3. A fully refundable ticket, cancelled after the visa
Genuine and always accepted, but the whole fare leaves your account until the refund comes back, and cancellation or service fees are often deducted.

4. A "free dummy ticket" from a website
If the code on it cannot be entered on the airline's Manage Booking page, it is not a reservation. Submitting a document that does not exist can harm the application it was meant to support.

Where a paid hold fits

A hold costs ₹400 per passenger per direction, plus 18% GST — ₹472 for one passenger one way. It is a genuine reservation with the airline's own PNR, nobody's money is tied up in a fare, and there is nothing to cancel — it lapses by itself.

Whatever you choose

Check the consulate's checklist. Some ask for a reservation, some for a paid ticket, and some say not to buy a ticket before the visa is granted.