Most visa questions about flight reservations come down to dates on a page. Postal applications add a different problem: time in transit. Your envelope can spend days with a courier and weeks in a queue before anyone opens it, while a held reservation lasts only a short while. This guide deals with that gap honestly. It looks at which applications really go by post, what the official guidance says about tickets, how to time the reservation, and what to do if the hold has lapsed by the time an officer reads your file. Where official guidance runs out, we say so and give our practical view, clearly labelled.
Key facts: postal applications and flight reservations
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Which visas are applied for by post? | Fewer than people think. Ireland's short-stay visa sends documents to a visa office by post; Canada uses mail or courier for passports at some centres, after a request.[1][2] Most Schengen applications need a personal appointment.[3] |
| How long can a postal decision take? | Ireland says to expect a decision within about 8 weeks of the application reaching the office.[1] |
| How long does our reservation stay valid? | Up to 2 weeks. The airline decides the exact period. |
| Should I buy a ticket before posting? | Ireland says no: buy tickets only once the visa is approved.[1] |
| So will the hold still be live when the file is opened? | Often not, on a long postal timeline. The reservation shows a genuine plan at the time you sent it; your letter and form carry the dates. |
Which visa applications actually go by post?
Before worrying about timing, check that your application really is postal. Many people assume it is because a courier returns their passport, when in fact they submit in person.
| System | How documents travel | What the official page says |
|---|---|---|
| Ireland, short stay 'C' visa (where the summary form names the Dublin Visa Office or a mission that takes post) | By post, in a padded envelope | Send documents "within 30 days of creating an online application"; applications are processed in date order; decision in about 8 weeks.[1] |
| Canada, temporary resident visa | Online application; passport by mail or courier at some VACs | You submit the passport only after a request letter or email; "Some VACs accept passports sent by mail or courier only."[2] |
| Schengen (e.g. Netherlands in India) | In person at the visa centre | "You must appear in person at your appointment to submit your application, even if you're under 18."[3] |
| Schengen, repeat applicant (e.g. Switzerland in Canada) | Through VFS Global, sometimes without attending | If you had a Schengen visa within 59 months and fingerprints were recorded, "personal appearance should not be necessary".[4] |
| Portugal (Goa) | With the application at the centre | Documents sent by email or post to the consulate "are not accepted, unless if required".[5] |
The Canadian case is worth singling out. The passport goes by post only after IRCC has asked for it, which normally follows a positive assessment. At that stage nobody needs your flight reservation, so the timing issue below doesn't arise.
Ireland: the clearest postal case
Ireland's process is the textbook postal visa. You create the application online in AVATS, print and sign the summary form, and, if it tells you to send documents to the Dublin Visa Office, place them "in a strong padded envelope" and post them within 30 days of creating the online application.[1] The office processes applications in the order received and says applicants "can expect a decision within approximately 8 weeks" from receipt, though it can take longer if documents need checking.[1]
Two other lines on that page shape how you handle flights. First, the application letter must state "The dates you plan to arrive and leave". Second, Ireland tells you twice not to buy travel tickets before you know the outcome.[1] Put together, the official message is plain: give clear dates, don't pay for flights yet. A reservation is one way to back up those dates, not a requirement we found on the page. Our Ireland visa guide covers the rest of that checklist.
The timing problem in plain numbers
Here is a sample timeline for a postal application. The dates are illustrative.
| Day | What happens | Reservation status (valid up to 2 weeks) |
|---|---|---|
| Day 0 | You book the reservation and print it | Live |
| Day 1 | You post the envelope | Live |
| Days 3–7 | The envelope reaches the visa office | Live |
| Up to day 14 | Application waits in the date-order queue | Ends somewhere in this window, on a day the airline sets |
| Weeks 3–8 | An officer examines the file | Probably lapsed |
No amount of clever timing gets a 2-week hold across an 8-week queue. That is just arithmetic. You can control two things: a real, live hold on posting day, and identical dates across every other page.
Does it matter if the reservation lapses before the officer reads it?
Official guidance: we found no postal visa office that publishes how, or whether, it checks a flight reservation's status. Ireland asks for your travel dates in the letter and tells you not to buy tickets; the Dutch checklist accepts a reservation or any document showing your plans, and rules out the need for a paid ticket.[1][6] Neither says a reservation must still be live at the time of examination.
Our practical view: officers who handle postal files know that held bookings are temporary, and that applicants are told not to buy tickets. What would worry an officer is a booking that never existed, a name that doesn't match the passport, or dates that contradict the letter. A reservation that was real when posted and has since lapsed is a different thing. We can't promise how any office treats it; the decision is always theirs.
Don't paper over it. Never alter dates on a PDF, re-print an old reservation with new dates, or describe a reservation as a paid ticket. If an office asks for a current booking later, get a fresh one or ask what they accept.
Your options, compared
If your postal application asks for flight evidence, these are the realistic choices.
| Option | Cost if refused | Live when examined? | Our view |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reservation booked the day before posting | Reservation fee only | Live when posted; may lapse in the queue | Sensible default where an itinerary or reservation is asked for |
| Dates in the letter, no booking | Nothing | Not applicable | Fine where the checklist asks only for planned dates, as Ireland's letter requirement does |
| Fully refundable fare | Refund rules and any fees | Yes, until cancelled | Worth it only if the checklist demands a confirmed ticket |
| Non-refundable fare | The whole fare | Yes | Contrary to the advice of several governments; we wouldn't |
For the trade-offs between the first and third rows, see dummy ticket vs refundable ticket.
How to send a postal application with a reservation, step by step
- Read your own submission instructions. Confirm the application is postal and note any deadline, such as Ireland's 30 days from the online form.
- Assemble everything else first: letters, bank statements, insurance, accommodation. The flight reservation should be the last thing you add.
- Make the hold the day before posting. Up to 2 weeks is the maximum, and the airline sets the real end date.
- Search for the PNR yourself before sealing the envelope; our verification walkthrough shows the screens.
- Write the dates into your letter and call the document a "flight reservation". Our cover letter guide has wording.
- Post it with tracking and keep copies of every page you sent.
- Wait for the decision before buying your real ticket, then book flights that fit the visa's validity.
What to say in the cover letter
A short, plain paragraph does more than any document. Something like this, adapted to your trip:
"I plan to arrive in Dublin on 12 March and leave on 26 March. I have enclosed a flight reservation made on 3 February showing these dates. I have not bought a ticket and will do so once a decision is made on my application."
That wording is accurate, matches the official advice not to buy tickets, and explains in advance why a reservation might not be live weeks later. It doesn't promise anything you can't deliver.
After the decision: matching your real flights to the visa
When the passport comes back, read the visa itself before you book anything. The validity dates and number of entries are what count, not the dates you applied for. The Dutch government's India page, for instance, asks you to contact the embassy when a visa starts later than the flights you applied with.[3] If your visa is shorter or starts later than planned, build your real trip around it.
Ireland adds that a visa only lets you travel to Ireland; it does not guarantee entry, and a border officer can still refuse.[1] Carry your real ticket, accommodation details and funds evidence when you fly.
Couriers, returns and what comes back to you
Postal applications travel in both directions, and the return leg has its own rules. Ireland returns your passport, and certain originals such as birth or marriage certificates, by post whether the visa is granted or refused. It adds that applications sent to Ireland can only be returned to a UK or Ireland address, and that you can arrange a courier to collect your documents.[1] If you live elsewhere, plan the collection before you post, not after.
A few practical habits help here. Keep a full photocopy of everything in the envelope, including the reservation PDF. Note the tracking numbers both ways. And don't send originals you weren't asked for: the office lists which originals it will return, and anything else may not come back.
The flight reservation itself does not need to be returned. Once your passport is back and you know the outcome, the hold has done its job; if it is still live, it will simply expire on the date the airline set.
Postal-application mistakes to avoid
- Booking the reservation when you start the paperwork, then posting two weeks later.
- Different dates in the letter, the form and the reservation.
- Buying a non-refundable fare to "make the file stronger".
- Missing a posting deadline, such as Ireland's 30 days from the online form.
- Sending documents by post to an office that doesn't accept them, like Portugal's consulate in Goa.[5]
- Assuming a refusal can be appealed. Ireland says there is no appeal for short-stay refusals of that kind; you make a new application.[1] See after a visa refusal.
Posting your application tomorrow?
Book the reservation today: live PNR, emailed in about 10 minutes. ₹699 / $9 per passenger.
What it costs with us
We supply held airline bookings with working PNRs that you can look up yourself. Since no fare is paid, a hold like this is for paperwork, never for boarding.
One fee per traveller covers a single or return route; multi-city plans add a fee for each pair of legs. Pay with UPI, card or netbanking (Razorpay runs checkout) and watch progress on our tracking page. For more on timing, read how long a reservation lasts and when to book before an appointment. You'll also find the price page, flight reservation for visa, requirements by country, hotel bookings, onward tickets, the Schengen visa guide and our home page.
Postal visa questions
My application goes by post. When should I book the flight reservation?
The day before you post it, after everything else is ready. Holds run up to 2 weeks on the airline's terms, so making one while you are still gathering bank letters burns most of it. The aim is a genuine, current booking on the day the envelope leaves.
Is the hold still live when an officer finally opens the envelope?
On a long queue, probably not. Ireland says decisions take about 8 weeks from receipt, far longer than any held booking. We found no postal office that says it rechecks reservations at examination. State your dates in the letter, call the document a reservation, and mention that you'll buy a ticket after the decision.
Should I buy a real ticket instead, so it stays valid?
Only if the checklist demands a confirmed ticket, and then a refundable one. Ireland explicitly advises waiting for approval before buying tickets, and the Netherlands says you don't need a paid ticket. Paying for a non-refundable fare before a decision risks the whole fare for no stated benefit.
Is a Schengen visa ever applied for by post?
Usually not. Most applicants must attend a visa centre for fingerprints; the Netherlands states you must appear in person. A few missions, Switzerland in Canada among them, may excuse repeat applicants whose prints were taken in the past 59 months, though files still pass through the provider.
What if the visa office asks me for an updated flight booking?
Give them what they ask for, by the deadline they set. A fresh reservation with the same or updated dates is straightforward, and you should explain any date change in a short note. Never edit an old PDF to show new dates; that turns an honest document into a false one.
I send my passport to a Canadian visa centre by courier. Do I need a flight booking for that?
No. Canada asks for your passport only after it sends you a request letter or email, and some centres take passports by mail or courier only. Flight plans belong in the original online application, if anywhere. Follow the instructions in the request letter for what to include with the passport.
Does the reservation have to match my application letter exactly?
Yes. Ireland's letter must state the dates you plan to arrive and leave, and the reservation should show the same dates and your name as in the passport. Insurance and accommodation should cover the same period. Consistency is what makes a postal file easy to assess without an interview.
Sources
All sources last checked: October 2026.
- Irish Immigration Service Delivery, How to apply for a short stay 'C' visit/tourist visa.
- Government of Canada, Visa application centres (VACs).
- Netherlands Worldwide, Applying for a Schengen visa for the Netherlands in India.
- Embassy of Switzerland in Canada, Application for a Schengen visa: procedure.
- Consulate General of Portugal in Goa via VFS Global, Checklist for Schengen visa (tourism) (PDF, Aug 2025).
- Netherlands Worldwide, Checklist: applying for a Schengen visa for tourism.
Related: flight reservation for visa · dummy ticket price · requirements by country · how to verify a PNR.