# Is a Dummy Ticket Accepted for a Germany Visa from India? > Germany's Schengen checklist for Indians lists a flight reservation. What a dummy ticket must show, how it ties to your covering letter and insurance, and what to avoid. _Published: 2026-11-03 · Reading time: 5 min · Words: 1178_ ## TL;DR Germany's checklist for Indian Schengen applicants lists a flight reservation, so you do not need to buy a ticket before applying. Use a verifiable reservation whose dates match your covering letter, hotel bookings, leave letter and insurance, and book the real fare after the Consulate General in Mumbai decides. ## Key takeaways - The German Schengen checklist lists a flight reservation, not a purchased ticket. - A personal covering letter must show your intended means of transport and itinerary. - The adult Schengen fee of EUR 90 (INR 9,900 per the embassy) is not refundable if the visa is rejected. - Processing takes 15 working days at the visa section, plus up to six working days for transfer from VFS. - Since June 2026, Indian nationals need no airport transit visa for a layover at a German airport. **Yes. Germany's Schengen checklist for Indian applicants lists a flight reservation, not a purchased ticket, alongside a personal covering letter showing your means of transport and itinerary. A verifiable reservation, often called a dummy ticket, meets that line; buy the actual fare once the Consulate General in Mumbai has decided your visa.** ## Article Every short-stay (C) application lodged at a VFS Global centre in India is forwarded to the German Consulate General in Mumbai for a decision, whichever city you submit in. The requirements below come from the German missions' tourism checklist published on the VFS site, and fees and timelines are as published on the official sources, checked on 2026-10-10. For visa types, centres and the full process, start with our Germany visa guide for Indian applicants. ### The travel lines on Germany's checklist Several items on the German list deal with how and when you travel. Read them together rather than one at a time: Checklist itemWho it applies toWhat it means for flightsFlight reservationAll Schengen applicantsA reservation is what is asked for; a paid ticket is not namedPersonal covering letter / proof of intended means of transport and itineraryAll Schengen applicantsYour letter should state the same flights and datesTravel agency certificate for an organised trip, or a detailed travel itineraryTourismThe day-by-day plan starts and ends on the reservation datesOriginal signed company covering letter stating purpose, duration and itineraryBusinessYour employer's letter must match the reservation tooThe wording is plain. At the application stage Germany wants proof of a planned, dated journey, not evidence that you have already paid for it. ### Why paying for the fare early makes little sense Look at the costs and the calendar together. The VFS service fee of INR 1933 (inclusive of CGST 9% and SGST 9%) is pre-paid when you book the appointment, and the visa fee is paid at the appointment: EUR 90 / INR 9,900 for adults and EUR 45 / INR 5,000 for children aged 6 to 12, according to the embassy page dated 01.10.2026. The VFS one-pager still shows INR 9100 for adults, so confirm the rupee figure before your appointment. The visa fee is not refundable even if the visa is rejected. StageOfficial timingEarliest you can applySix months before travelLatest you should apply15 working days before travelTransfer of the file from VFS to the ConsulateUp to six working daysProcessing at the visa section15 working days from the day of arrival there, excluding the day of submission at VFSEmbassy guidanceUp to two weeks, and even longer in individual casesWith that much time between booking and decision, a non-refundable fare is money exposed to both a refusal and a delay. Embassies generally advise against buying non-refundable tickets before the visa decision, and a reservation can be reissued if your dates move. ### What makes a reservation acceptable to the visa section A dummy ticket in the visa sense is a genuine booking that the visa section can verify, held without paying the full fare. It is never an altered or made-up document. Check these points before printing: - Names spelt exactly as on the biometric page of each passport. - A booking reference that can be looked up with the airline. - Outbound and return legs, so the file shows when you leave the Schengen area. - Dates that sit inside the stay you ask for on the VIDEX application form. - Validity long enough to cover the transfer to Mumbai and the processing period. Our dummy ticket service issues verifiable reservations in your passport names for the dates you are applying for. ### Documents that must agree with your flight dates DocumentGermany's requirementCheck against the reservationTravel medical insuranceValid for all Schengen countries for the entire trip, minimum cover EUR 30,000, from an approved Indian insurer such as Acko, Bajaj Allianz, HDFC ERGO, ICICI Lombard, New India Assurance or Tata-AIGPolicy starts on the outbound date and ends on or after the return dateProof of accommodationHotel reservations, or the host's private accommodation proof; for several Member States, proof for eachNo uncovered nights between arrival and departureLeave sanction letterPart of an employed applicant's proof of economic statusLeave covers every travel day, including the return flightPassportAt least 3 months' validity after the scheduled return and two empty pagesCount the 3 months from the return flight datePersonal covering letterProof of intended means of transport and itinerarySame flight numbers and dates ### Layovers, multi-country trips and family visits Changing planes in Germany. Since June 2026, Indian nationals no longer need an airport transit visa for a layover at a German airport. If your reservation to a country outside the Schengen area connects through a German airport, that layover does not require a visa application of its own. More than one Schengen country. If you enter through one country and leave from another, the reservation should show both ends of the trip, and the checklist asks for accommodation proof for each Member State you stay in. Visiting family or friends. Your host's original signed invitation letter must state the intended period of stay and your itinerary. Those dates, your covering letter and your reservation should be identical. ### Flight-proof errors that weaken a German file - A one-way booking with no return leg. - Different dates on the reservation, the VIDEX form and the covering letter. - Insurance from a company outside the approved list of Indian travel insurers. - A reservation that expires before the file has been decided in Mumbai. - A business file with a reservation but no signed company covering letter. - Any edited or invented booking. Submit only what can be verified. Yatra For Fun's India office in Gurugram prepares verifiable flight reservations, hotel bookings, itineraries and cover letters for Schengen files. A flight reservation costs INR 1,000, and the full set of reservation, hotel, itinerary and cover letter costs INR 3,000. Message us on WhatsApp at +91 95230 91018 or through our contact page. ### Frequently asked questions #### Do I need a hotel booking as well as the flight reservation? Yes. Germany's checklist asks for proof of accommodation: hotel reservations, or your host's sponsorship or private accommodation proof with address and a passport or ID copy. If you are visiting several Member States, include proof for each. #### Can a travel agent submit my Germany file with the reservation? Yes. If a representative or travel agent submits the file, the checklist asks for a signed authorization letter and a copy of the passport of the person submitting. The rest of the documents, including the flight reservation, stay the same. #### Which VFS centre can I use for a Germany Schengen visa? Any VFS centre in India, regardless of where you live. Centres named on the VFS city pages include New Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Goa, Bengaluru, Kochi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata. Every Schengen file goes to the Consulate General in Mumbai for a decision. #### Is the Germany visa fee refunded if the visa is rejected? No. The visa fee is not refundable even if the visa is rejected. For adults it is EUR 90, shown as INR 9,900 on the embassy page dated 01.10.2026, while the VFS one-pager lists INR 9100. The VFS service fee of INR 1933 is paid separately when you book. ## FAQ ### Do I need a hotel booking as well as the flight reservation? Yes. Germany's checklist asks for proof of accommodation: hotel reservations, or your host's sponsorship or private accommodation proof with address and a passport or ID copy. If you are visiting several Member States, include proof for each. ### Can a travel agent submit my Germany file with the reservation? Yes. If a representative or travel agent submits the file, the checklist asks for a signed authorization letter and a copy of the passport of the person submitting. The rest of the documents, including the flight reservation, stay the same. ### Which VFS centre can I use for a Germany Schengen visa? Any VFS centre in India, regardless of where you live. Centres named on the VFS city pages include New Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Goa, Bengaluru, Kochi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata. Every Schengen file goes to the Consulate General in Mumbai for a decision. ### Is the Germany visa fee refunded if the visa is rejected? No. The visa fee is not refundable even if the visa is rejected. For adults it is EUR 90, shown as INR 9,900 on the embassy page dated 01.10.2026, while the VFS one-pager lists INR 9100. The VFS service fee of INR 1933 is paid separately when you book. ## Sources 1. [VFS/German Mission - Checklist for a Schengen visa for Tourism (Feb 2023)](https://www.vfsglobal.com/one-pager/germany/india/new-delhi/english/pdf/tourism.pdf) — German Missions in India / VFS Global 2. [VFS Global - Apply for VISA to Germany In New Delhi (North India and Bhutan)](https://www.vfsglobal.com/one-pager/germany/india/new-delhi/english/) — VFS Global 3. [German Missions in India - Visa fees for Schengen Visa](https://india.diplo.de/in-en/service/1984596-1984596) — German Missions in India 4. [German Missions in India - Schengen Visa](https://india.diplo.de/in-en/service/2633538-2633538) — German Missions in India