Dummy ticket (flight reservation) for South Korea visa: C-3-9 from India

What the South Korea checklist asks for

• The visa e-Form, completed on the Korea Visa Portal before you go to the KVAC.
• Income tax returns for the last two years and bank statements for the last six months.
• For express service: a copy of a confirmed air ticket and of your accommodation.
• For standard service: flight and accommodation details if the KVAC or the consul asks for them.
• The fee for your visa type and service, plus the VFS service charge.

Standard or express: why the flight answer has two parts

KVAC Chennai’s visa page states the express requirement directly: applicants must “furnish a copy of confirmed air ticket and accommodation”. For standard applications the same page does not list them. The Embassy in New Delhi lists financial documents, income tax returns for two years and bank statements for six months, and notes that the consul may request extra documents.

Flight and hotel details are commonly requested for standard applications too, so it is sensible to have them ready whichever service you choose. The difference is how strict the wording is: express names a confirmed air ticket; standard leaves it to the consul.

“Confirmed air ticket”: what a reservation is and is not

A held reservation is a genuine booking: the airline holds seats in your names without payment. It is not a paid ticket with a ticket number. For a standard application, where the KVAC page does not list a ticket, it is a sensible way to answer a request for flight details.

For express, the wording is “confirmed air ticket”. If you want certainty, ask your KVAC before you submit whether a reservation meets it. If the centre insists on a paid ticket, buy a refundable fare rather than a cheap non-refundable one. Never present an edited PDF as a ticket: in a visa application that is a false document.

Timing: 25 working days for standard, 7 for express

KVAC Chennai gives a minimum of 25 working days for standard applications in Chennai and 27 in Bengaluru; check the Chennai consulate’s notices for any change before you apply. Express takes a minimum of 7 working days in Chennai and 9 in Bengaluru, at a higher fee. Five weeks or more is well beyond any unpaid hold.

For either service, order the reservation for the day you submit at the KVAC, or the evening before at most, and check the names and dates against your passports before you go. Even express, at seven working days or more, is likely to outlast an unpaid hold, which the airline may release at any time. Treat the reservation as a record of your plan on the day you submit, and pick a departure date well after the processing window.

K-ETA, Jeju and other things that do not apply

K-ETA, Korea’s electronic travel authorisation, does not apply to Indian passport holders, who need a visa. Jeju’s visa-free arrangement for direct arrivals is often mentioned online; we could not confirm that it covers Indians, so do not plan around it without checking with the Embassy or your KVAC.

Start with the e-Form on the Korea Visa Portal (visa.go.kr), then submit at your KVAC. Centres run by VFS Global operate in New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru. If you are combining Korea with Japan, apply for each visa separately and keep the flight dates identical in both files.

Flying from India to South Korea

Your reservation should follow a route you could realistically fly. These are common options; schedules change, so the desk confirms what is bookable for your dates.

Mistakes to avoid with a South Korea application

• Applying for a K-ETA. Indian passport holders need a visa.
• Choosing express without a booking that meets the “confirmed air ticket and accommodation” wording.
• Setting a departure date inside the 25 to 27 working-day standard window.
• Leaving out two years of income tax returns or six months of bank statements, which the Embassy lists.
• Assuming Jeju is visa-free for you without checking.
• Using a fabricated ticket. A genuine reservation is held by the airline itself.

Dummy ticket and hotel bookings, matched to your itinerary

We do not send one loose document. The desk matches the flight reservation and every hotel booking to your itinerary: the same dates, the same cities, and no night left uncovered. These are the real documents of one order for a Switzerland visa file, issued on 5 November 2026: one flight reservation and four hotel bookings that cover all 9 nights between the two flights. Personal details are blacked out; everything else is as issued.

• Flight reservationEtihad, Hyderabad (HYD) to Zurich (ZRH), status Confirmed
• Hotel booking, ZurichMEININGER Hotel Zürich Greencity, 3 nights
• Hotel booking, GenevaB&B HOTEL Geneva Airport, 3 nights
• Hotel booking, LucerneSeminarhotel Romerohaus, 2 nights
• Hotel booking, Zurich AirportLeonardo Hotel Zurich Airport, 1 night

Open the full documents and the day-by-day table: flight and hotels matched date by date

How to get your South Korea flight reservation

South Korea questions, answered