"Long-term visa" means two different things depending on who is asking. Some people mean a visit visa that stays valid for years, so they can fly in and out for holidays, family or business without reapplying. Others mean a visa to live somewhere for longer than three months. This guide is about the first kind: multi-year visit visas. If you are moving abroad to study, work or join family, our Type D national visa guide and work visa guide fit better. Below we compare what the UK, the Schengen states, Canada, the UAE and the US say about flights for long-validity visas, with quotes and links.
Long-term visit visas: key facts
| Visa | Validity and stay | What the official source says about flights |
|---|---|---|
| UK long-term Standard Visitor | 2, 5 or 10 years; up to 6 months per visit[1] | Flight bookings are among "less useful" documents.[2] |
| Schengen multi-entry for Indian residents | 2 years after two used visas, then normally 5 years[3] | Same short-stay checklist as any trip; many list a flight reservation. |
| Canada visitor visa | Up to 10 years, capped by passport or biometrics expiry[5] | "Flight details" given as an example of supporting evidence.[5] |
| Canada super visa | Multiple entries for up to 10 years; 5 years at a time[6] | No flight item on the overview page. |
| Dubai 5-year multi-entry tourist visa | 5 years; up to 90 days per year, extendable to 180[7] | "Round-trip ticket" listed as a required document.[7] |
Long-term visa or long-stay visa: which one do you mean?
A long-term visit visa has long validity but short stays. A UK 10-year visa still lets you stay only up to 6 months each time. A Schengen 5-year visa still limits you to 90 days in any 180. You remain a visitor on every trip.
A long-stay visa is the opposite: one long stay, usually for a purpose like study or work, often leading to a residence permit. Flights are handled very differently in each case. For long-term visit visas, the officer wants to see a sensible first trip and a pattern of returning home. For long-stay visas, a one-way move is normal.
Getting this right avoids a common mistake we see: someone applies for a multi-year visitor visa and books a five-month first trip because "the visa allows it". That can make the officer wonder whether you are really a visitor.
What do long-term visa rules say about flights?
Here is the full comparison. Swipe sideways on a phone to read the right-hand columns.
| Country | Long-validity option | Fee or cost shown officially | Flight position | What we'd submit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 2, 5, 10-year Standard Visitor | £506, £903, £1,128[1] | Less useful evidence[2] | Optional reservation for the first trip |
| Schengen (India cascade) | 2-year, then 5-year multi-entry | Standard Schengen fee | Depends on the consulate's checklist | Reservation for the first trip where listed |
| Canada | Visitor visa up to 10 years; super visa | See IRCC | "Flight details" suggested[5] | Reservation as flight details |
| UAE (Dubai) | 5-year multi-entry tourist visa | About AED 3,713 incl. AED 3,000 guarantee[7] | "Round-trip ticket" required[7] | Paid or refundable ticket may be needed |
| United States | B-1/B-2 validity set per nationality | See State Department | Don't buy before the visa[8] | Planned dates only |
UK long-term visit visa: does the flight matter?
Very little. GOV.UK sells the long-term Standard Visitor visa in three lengths: 2 years for £506, 5 years for £903 and 10 years for £1,128, each allowing stays of up to 6 months per visit. Applications open three months ahead of travel, and the online form wants your intended dates.[1]
In its supporting-documents guidance, the Home Office places flight bookings in the "less useful" group, transit cases apart.[2] What carries a long-term application is your history: earlier UK visits that ended on time, stable work or business at home, steady finances and family ties. For a 10-year visa in particular, the caseworker is judging whether you will keep behaving like a visitor for a decade.
Should you include a reservation? If it helps you answer the travel-dates question accurately, it does no harm. Just don't expect it to tip the decision. More on the visitor route is in our UK visa application guide.
Schengen multi-entry visas: the cascade for Indian residents
There is no separate "long-term" Schengen visa form. Longer validity comes through the cascade. In April 2024 the European Commission adopted special rules for Indian nationals living in India. Under them, a two-year multi-entry visa can be issued after you have obtained and lawfully used two visas within the previous three years, and that two-year visa will normally be followed by a five-year one if your passport has enough validity left. The EU Delegation adds that holders enjoy travel rights equivalent to visa-free nationals while the visa is valid.[3]
What that means for flights: you still apply with the normal short-stay checklist for your trip, and if your consulate's list includes a flight reservation, you provide one for the trip you are actually planning. Each cascade application keeps the ordinary EU calendar: file it no earlier than six months out and at least 15 days before you fly, then allow around 15 days, occasionally 45, for the answer.[4]
We cover each Schengen consulate's flight wording in the Schengen visa guide, and multi-entry strategy in our multiple-entry visa guide.
Canada: 10-year visitor visas and the super visa
IRCC says a visitor visa can be issued for up to 10 years or until your passport or biometrics expire, whichever comes first. When listing evidence of the length and purpose of your visit, IRCC names "flight details" next to accommodation proof and event registration.[5] A held reservation fits that suggestion well for your first visit.
Parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents have a stronger option. The super visa gives multiple entries for up to 10 years and lets the holder stay 5 years at a time.[6] The overview page says nothing about flights; read IRCC's eligibility pages for the full document list before you apply. Our Canada visa guide and family visit visa guide go into those papers.
UAE 5-year tourist visa: a ticket is written into the rules
For the five-year multi-entry tourist visa, Dubai's GDRFA asks for five things: a photo, a copy of a passport with six or more months left, half a year of bank statements, health insurance, and a "Round-trip ticket". The terms also expect a USD 4,000 balance (or equivalent) over the prior six months and a ticket onward or "to leave the country".[7]
Stays are limited to 90 days a year, continuous or broken up, extendable once for a similar period as long as the total stays within 180 days in a year. The official fee breakdown comes to about AED 3,713, of which AED 3,000 is a guarantee.[7]
Because the word used is "ticket", we will be direct: a held reservation may not satisfy this requirement. If you are applying for the 5-year visa, buy a refundable return fare or ask whoever files the application exactly what they will upload. Our Dubai and UAE guide covers the shorter visit visas.
US B-1/B-2: long validity is decided, not requested
For the US, you do not choose a 5 or 10-year visa. The validity printed on a B-1/B-2 visa depends on your nationality and the consular officer's decision. Washington's advice on its visitor visa page is to hold off on ticket purchases until the visa is issued.[8] Know your intended dates for the DS-160, but leave the booking until after the interview. See the US visa guide.
What makes a sensible first trip on a long-term visa?
Keep it modest and believable. The first trip is the only one the officer sees in detail, and it should look like a normal visit for someone with your job and family situation.
Say you run a shop in Ahmedabad and want a UK 5-year visa to visit your sister in Leicester every summer. A first trip of three weeks in July, with your business continuing under a relative's care, reads naturally. A first trip of five and a half months, with no explanation of who runs the shop, invites questions even though the visa allows up to six months.
- Match the dates on the form, the reservation and any invitation letter.
- Fit the length to your leave or business commitments.
- Explain future travel in a sentence in your covering letter ("I expect to visit each summer for about three weeks").
- Don't book future trips now; nobody expects them.
Why passport validity matters more than flights
Long validity is capped by your passport in several systems. Canada's visitor visa runs at most until the passport or biometrics expire.[5] The Schengen cascade moves to five years only if the passport has enough validity remaining.[3] Dubai wants six months or more left on the passport.[7]
Our practical advice: if your passport has less than two or three years left, renew it before applying for a multi-year visa. A beautifully planned flight reservation will not stretch a visa past the passport's end date, but a new passport might get you the longer validity you are paying for.
What should you carry on later trips?
Holding the visa does not exempt you from questions on arrival. On each later trip, an immigration officer can still ask why you are visiting, how long you will stay and how you will support yourself. That is when a return or onward booking becomes practical again, not for the consulate but for the arrival desk and sometimes for airline check-in staff.
Our suggestion for anyone holding a multi-year visa is simple. Carry the return booking you will actually use, the address where you are staying, and recent bank statements on your phone. Keep a rough log of days spent in the country, because the per-visit and per-year limits still apply. If a trip changes from a visit to something else, such as an offer of work, stop and check the rules for that new purpose before you act on it. For the difference between the airline desk and the immigration officer, see who checks onward tickets.
Step by step: flights for a long-term visa application
- Confirm the visa type: long-validity visit visa, not a long-stay residence visa.
- Check passport validity and renew first if it would cap the visa.
- Read the checklist for the words reservation, itinerary or ticket.
- Plan one realistic first trip and write the same dates everywhere.
- Reserve close to the appointment if a reservation is asked for; buy a refundable fare if a ticket is required, as in Dubai.
- Verify the PNR with the airline; our step-by-step check explains how.
- Book the real flight after approval, then plan later trips as they come.
Price and validity of our reservations
What you receive is a seat hold in the passenger name you give us, confirmed by a PNR on the carrier's system. It is unpaid and unusable for travel. Holds last at most about 2 weeks, with the airline choosing the exact cut-off. For a multi-year visa that works well, since the appointment only concerns your first journey.
Return or one way, the fee per person does not change; multi-city journeys are billed for every two legs. Your PDF usually arrives within about 10 minutes. Razorpay processes UPI, card and netbanking payments, and order tracking shows progress. Browse all prices, learn how reservations for visas work, or add a hotel reservation for that first visit.
Planning the first trip on a multi-year visa?
First-trip hold matching your form dates, at ₹699 or $9 per person.
Please note: no flight document guarantees a long validity or an approval. Where a rule asks for a ticket rather than a reservation, follow the rule.
Frequently asked questions
Is a return ticket needed for a 10-year UK visitor visa?
No. GOV.UK asks for your planned travel dates, and its supporting-documents guide treats flight bookings as less useful evidence. A long-term visitor application rests on your travel history, job, finances and ties at home. A reservation can help you state dates accurately, but buying a ticket before the decision is unnecessary.
Will a longer first trip get me a longer visa?
Not according to anything official we found. Validity depends on the route you apply for, your history and, in some systems, your passport's remaining life. A long first trip can actually raise doubts about whether you are a genuine visitor. Plan a trip that fits your work and family commitments.
Can I use a flight reservation for the Dubai 5-year tourist visa?
Probably not reliably. GDRFA lists a "Round-trip ticket" among the documents and a ticket to leave the country in its terms. That wording points to an issued ticket. Ask whoever submits your application what they need; if a ticket is required, a refundable fare is the safe option.
How does the Schengen cascade work for Indians?
Indian nationals living in India who have obtained and lawfully used two Schengen visas within the previous three years can get a two-year multiple-entry visa. That is normally followed by a five-year visa if the passport has enough validity left. You still apply with the standard short-stay checklist for each application.
Do I need flights booked for every trip during the visa's validity?
No. Officers assess the first trip you describe and your overall profile. Later trips are not booked or shown in advance. When you travel again, carry what the border might ask, such as proof of funds and where you are staying, and keep within the stay limits per visit.
Is a long-term visa the same as a long-stay visa?
No. A long-term visit visa stays valid for years but each stay is short, such as 6 months in the UK or 90 days in Schengen. A long-stay visa is for one longer stay, such as study or work, usually followed by a residence permit. The flight rules differ, so check which one you hold.
Keep reading: tourist visa flights compared, job seeker visas, reservation validity explained, and flight reservation requirements by country. For border checks, see the onward ticket page, or visit our home page.
Sources
All sources last checked: October 2026.
- GOV.UK, Visit the UK as a Standard Visitor: apply for a Standard Visitor visa.
- GOV.UK, Home Office, Visit the UK: guide to supporting documents.
- Delegation of the European Union to India, European Union adopts more favourable Schengen visa rules for Indians (22 April 2024).
- European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs, Applying for a Schengen visa.
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, How to apply for a visitor visa.
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Parent and grandparent super visa.
- GDRFA Dubai, Issuing a multi-entry tourist visa (5 years).
- U.S. Department of State, Visitor Visa.
Related: flight reservation for visa · dummy ticket price · requirements by country · how to verify a PNR.