What is tentative reservation?

Answer 1

A tentative reservation for a flight or hotel is a temporary booking that holds a seat or room without full confirmation or payment. It gives the traveler time to decide or complete other steps (such as obtaining visa approval) before committing to the booking.

Tentative Flight Reservation:

• A temporary hold on a flight seat.

• Often used for visa applications to show planned travel dates.

• May not include a ticket number or full payment.

• It can be canceled or may expire if not confirmed by a set date.

Example: “I made a tentative flight reservation to submit with my visa application.”

Tentative Hotel Reservation:

• A provisional booking for a hotel room.

• It may not require upfront payment or may be refundable.

• It is useful when travel dates are not yet fixed.

• It usually has a deadline by which it must be confirmed.

Example: “The embassy accepted my hotel itinerary because I had a tentative reservation showing my stay.”

Use in Visa Applications:

Embassies often accept tentative reservations for both flights and hotels as proof of travel plans, especially when the applicant is waiting for visa approval before making full payment. To avoid scams when making a dummy hotel or flight reservation, we suggest using Schengen Visa Itinerary to book a hotel without full payment.

Answer 2

A tentative reservation is an advance booking for a hotel room, flight or future event. It means the booking is not firm and need to be confirmed before a certain date. Often a deposit will need to be paid.