Learn how to reserve a flight reservation for your UK visa application without paying for an actual flight ticket i.e. how to book a dummy ticket for visa application. And also where to get flight itinerary for UK visa application.
One of the most common questions I get asked by people wanting to travel abroad is how to book refundable flight tickets for a UK visa application or where to get a flight itinerary for UK visa application, so I decided to create this comprehensive guide to answer this question as well as other questions such as what is a flight itinerary? How do I know if it is a genuine itinerary? I also share with you the different alternatives available to you.
I define what a flight itinerary or a flight reservation is and how to book a valid flight reservation for a visa application without paying for a flight ticket.
The UK visa application process can be really confusing and tiresome. There are lots of documents you must produce as well as many other requirements, depending on what country you’re traveling to.
A return air ticket from Nairobi to the UK is one of the standard documents you are required to submit while applying for a UK visa.
Essentially, the embassies ask for a flight reservation for the UK visa application in order to ascertain that you’ve put enough thought and preparation into your upcoming trip. Especially in terms of places to tour and the inherent costs. The flight itinerary is also used by the UK visa officers to corroborate the claims you have made on your UK visa application.
So for example, if you are asking for a 2 week UK visa from the UK Embassy, your arrival and departure dates on the flight itinerary need to show proof of onward travel. That is, that you will leave the UK at the end of the 2 weeks. Either to head back home. Or, to another onward destination that you have legal authority to visit.
My personal advice is that you don’t buy a confirmed ticket until you have your UK visa application form approved and issued with the sticker on your Kenyan passport.
I suggest that you instead hold a flight reservation. That is, attach a flight booking for the UK visa application.
This is so as to avoid issues of sunk costs in case your UK visa application from Kenya is denied. Or the visa approval process takes longer than anticipated and the visa is approved beyond your purchased ticket dates.
What's Covered in This Article
What is a Flight Itinerary?
A flight itinerary is essentially a document which outlines traveler’s personal information and additional flight information such as flight name, routes (including stopovers if any), departure and arrival dates and time, flight code, departure and arrival airport (with their IATA codes(Ex: NBO, KIS, MBA), ticket price, flight reservation or booking number.
Some of the terms that the various embassies and consulates will use include:
- Air Ticket Booking
- Air-booking, return
- Booked Flight Itinerary
- Confirmed flight tickets
- Confirmed flight itinerary
- Dummy Ticket
- Dummy Air Ticket for Visa
- Flight Reservation
- Flight Booking
- Flight Itinerary for Visa Application
- Flight Confirmation
- Flight itinerary
- Flight Itinerary for Visa Application
- Flight tickets
- Proof of onward travel
- Preliminary ticket booking
- Round trip flight tickets
- Travel itinerary
- Tentative flight booking
How do I tell if a flight itinerary is genuine?
A genuine itinerary has a unique reservation or booking ID, which, together with your surname, you or the embassy, can use to verify the information on the respective airline’s website.
Can I make a flight reservation for my UK visa application without paying for the ticket?
Yes, you can make a flight reservation without paying for an actual flight ticket. I show you how in a bit.
In fact, that would be the wiser thing to do.
Where to get Flight Itinerary for UK Visa application
Now on to the most frequently asked question: where to get flight itinerary for UK visa application!
With careful planning, you can get a flight itinerary reservation to show immigration visa officials for a UK visa application without having to pay for the flight.
There are generally two ways you can go about doing this:
- hold a reservation using a local travel agent
- Hold a reservation without using a travel agent.
Directly contact airlines to get a flight itinerary
Validity period for these flight itineraries is usually 7 days max. This time may not be sufficient to process the UK visa application which usually takes about 15 working days.
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Use a Local Travel Agent to get flight reservation service for visa application
By contacting a travel agent here in Kenya, you can get them to hold a flight reservation for anywhere between 7 – 21 days. They usually charge a small fee, significantly less than what it costs to buy a refundable ticket or to cancel a flight reservation.
Please check with the agent how long the reservation will be valid for.
This is to ensure that the “hold” doesn’t lapse before you complete the visa application process.
Hold a reservation without using a travel agent
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Purchasing a refundable ticket
This may appear as the best option for your flight itinerary as it technically is a purchased ticket. No one can question its genuineness.
But there’s a catch. Some airlines offer refundable tickets at a significantly higher price than a non-refundable one. Check this Etihad Airlines Nairobi to London flight for example:
Those that don’t charge to refund have a lot of restrictions around the free refunds.
With British Airway for instance, you can cancel your flight booking and claim a full refund without any charges, up to 24 hours from when you make the original booking.
Refunds under these circumstances can only be requested by calling their contact centers.
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Use an Online Visa Flight Itinerary Ticket Reservation Service
You will find quite a number of online travel agents that provide flight itinerary for visa application as a service.
I personally have never used any of them. However, if you scout the web, you will find quite a number. Just be careful whichever you choose to go with. Some may issue you a fake flight reservation resulting in your visa being denied.
Fortunately you can easily check that a fight confirmation is genuine by entering the unique reservation code and your surname on the airline’s website.
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Free ticket hold by airlines
This is whereby you reserve your ticket online then the airline holds your ticket for you free of charge. Once you finish the booking process, your flight details are sent to you by e-mail. This is what you print and attach to your visa.
For flights departing from Kenya, you can check Ethiopian Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Air France, etc.
List of Airlines departing from Kenya you can book an air ticket without paying:
- Air France | up to 48 hours.
- Ethiopian Airlines | up to 24 hours to pay in person at the Ethiopian Airlines Nairobi office
- Turkish Airlines | up to 72 hours.
The main challenge with these options is timing.
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Hold your flight for a fee
This is whereby the airline allows you to hold your flights and the price for some days. Different airlines have different regulations.
British Airways
British Airways flights originating from Nairobi let you hold flights for 72 hours for just $10 per person (excluding infants). After paying the fee to hold your booking, you will be sent an email confirming that your booking is held, with a link to your booking.
Look out for the following information at the bottom of the price page once you’ve made your flight selection:
The $10 per person is refundable if you complete the booking within 72 hours
Your flights won’t sell out and the price won’t go up while you make your decision.
If the taxes, fees and charges go down, the total price you pay will go down too. If they go up while your booking is on hold, British Airways will cover the cost.
Travel Tip: this free hold option is only available for flights departing within 21 days. Another reason to start your visa application process way in advance to have this as an option.
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Use online aggregation booking sites to hold a ticket for free
An example aggregation site you can use to hold a flight ticket without paying for it is Yatra.
Even though it’s an India based booking site, Yatra allows you to book flights originating from Nairobi Kenya.
On average, the airlines allow you to hold the ticket free for 72 hours. This would work mostly for a Schengen visa from French embassy as they have a relatively shorter turnaround time.
Photo by Dominik Scythe on Unsplash
