“A few days ago, my client received a call from the consulate of the Western European country they were planning to travel to, and they were asked to provide proof of hotel bookings that were fully paid and non-refundable,” says Nihal Daswani of EASA, a company that provides end-to-end visa solutions.. “They also wanted [the proof of booking] on the hotel’s letterhead and confirmed directly by the hotel and not by the third-party booking website.” If you’re applying for a Schengen visa this summer, you may just face a similar issue. A pay-on-arrival hotel booking may not work at all, and a refundable booking may also cause problems, as per Daswani and Pratim Akash of Elite Tours and Travels. So, how should you go about hotel bookings when applying for a Schengen visa? While there are no statistics on how free-cancellation hotel bookings affect Schengen visa approvals, in combination with factors like travel history, they might hurt your visa application. We asked travel agents to weigh in.
Should you make third-party hotel bookings when applying for a Schengen visa?
Whether it’s flights or hotels, travel agents recommend getting your bookings confirmed separately instead of relying solely on a third-party website. “After you make the booking through the third-party website, go to the airline’s website and download your ticket from there because it shows your e-ticket number and itinerary,” says Daswani. Akash stresses the importance of getting a direct confirmation from your hotel for your reservation, irrespective of where you make the bookings from. “We’ve seen positive responses from the consulate when you have a confirmation from the hotel and can provide a hotel confirmation number,” he says.
Some European countries in particular are becoming more particular about checking hotel bookings. “We’ve seen that Italy, France and Germany have higher rejection rates and they are actually scrutinising and validating hotel bookings,” says Akash.
Should you secure prepaid hotel bookings before applying for a Schengen visa?
There’s no easy answer to this question, according to agents. With the uncertain wait times for visas, there’s a chance you could not get your visa in time for your travels. At the same time, a booking through a third-party website that’s not been paid for can be rejected. Daswani’s client eventually had to make their hotel payments in full—they had booked five hotels. “It’s definitely a quick reminder that embassies and consulates are the decision-makers and they can make these rules, and the applicant will have to follow suit or risk rejection,” he says.
Should your hotel bookings be prepaid and non-refundable?
Daswani hasn’t encountered a requirement for non-refundable bookings before this. “They are within their rights to ask for proof of payment but to ask for non-refundable payments is overstepping the bounds, in my opinion,” he says. “Right now, with processing delays, if one doesn’t know whether their visa is going to take three or five weeks, how does one make commitments with flight and hotel bookings that are non-refundable? If people knew how long visa appointments and processing would take, they would be able to make quicker decisions with flights and hotels.” Despite the situation, Daswani recommends making a part payment for your hotel. “Having said that, I would never recommend non-refundable payments in this climate, given how long visas are taking, personal family situations—kids, seniors—and with COVID-19 restrictions constantly changing.”
Are there other factors that could affect your Schengen visa approval?
“Visa approvals are not only subject to hotel reservations, but also the overall profile of the traveller,” says Daniel D’Souza, President & Country Head – Holidays, SOTC Travel. Daswani believes that in the case of his clients, a possible reason for the complications is that the countries surrounding the Western European country in question don’t have any visa appointments available. “Maybe they thought that the applicant is trying to apply for a visa through their country, and hence wanted proof of a non-refundable hotel booking,” he says.
As per Akash, factors like travel history, previous visas, duration of stay and the kind of visa you apply for play a part in whether or not you get a Schengen visa. Having previous travel history to countries like the UK, US, Australia, New Zealand or European countries offers you a slightly better chance of getting a Schengen visa. “Your travel date and application date matters too,” says Akash. “If you apply two months in advance, it gives the authorities enough time to evaluate your application, but if the two dates are really close, the embassy may reject your application just for that reason. Schengen countries, on an average, recommend a four-week gap between your travel dates and application date.”