The visa center websites say that a reservation without purchase is also acceptable. I’ve always done it that way — booked without proof of payment and they accepted it. Now I’m hearing that something has changed — is that true? Has anyone applied recently — did they accept a reservation without purchase without any questions?
I applied for an Italian tourist visa through the visa center in St. Petersburg - I couldn’t bring myself to buy tickets for four people without any guarantee we’d get the visa, so I made reservations through an agency. They really do expire after 24 hours, but according to the consulate’s rules, tickets = reservations. The hotel wasn’t paid for either. They accepted everything without questions.
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A few years ago, when submitting an application they could ask for proof of stay — receipts, card statements, bookings. It happened very, very rarely, mostly for people who had never entered the country that issued the visa. Now, it seems the rules are the same.
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