How to Submit Proof of Accommodation for Visa Application

If you are requesting to visit one of the European nations, the majority of embassies and consulates throughout the world will ask you to show evidence of lodging along with the other documents. This is especially true if you are intending to study or work in the country.

Hotel Reservation - Photo credit: pexels.com

The immigration authorities of every country want to know where you will be staying throughout your trip, and simply telling them that you will be staying at a hotel or at the home of a friend is not sufficient information for them to grant you entry into the country. This is the reason why such a requirement is necessary. You will be required to provide evidence regarding the location where you intend to remain. On the other hand, this prerequisite could come across as perplexing and aggravating to many people. This is especially true when one considers the fact that every nation has its own set of regulations and requirements with regard to providing proof of accommodation.

What Kind of Evidence Can I Present to Show That I Have Been Accommodated?

It is possible that the embassy or consulate in which you must apply in order to obtain a visa for the country to which you will be traveling will ask you to provide either proof of accommodation, a certificate of accommodation, a letter of accommodation, or a letter confirming your reservation at a hotel.

All of the above-mentioned items have the same function, which is to serve as evidence that you have a place where you will be able to sleep while you are in the country that you are visiting, regardless of how complicated it may seem.

This evidence, certificate, or letter may take the form of either:

• Hotel booking,
• Invitation from the host: If you are going to be staying the night at a friend's or family member's or relative's home, you should accept this invitation.
• Confirmation from a holiday travel operator or an organized tour operator, or both

Rental agreement | contract.

Even while the majority of countries, particularly on the more established continent of Europe, will ask you to provide evidence that you have a place to stay, in a great number of countries you will just be required to present proof that you have a means of subsistence. Which implies that you will be required to present proof, such as a bank statement, that indicates you have enough money to financially maintain yourself during your trip, including the stay at the hotel, hostel, or guest home that you have reserved.

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Reserving a Room at the Hotel

If you intend to stay in a hotel in the country that you will be visiting, you will be required to provide evidence that you have booked a room at the hotel. This evidence is typically in the form of a "hotel confirmation letter," which is also known as a hotel itinerary for visa application purposes. This implies that once you make a reservation for a room or suite, the hotel will send you a letter confirming the reservation.

It is required that this letter include the following information:

• Your given name
• Your dates of entry and departure.
• Hotel address
• Hotel contact details as phone number, email, etc.
• A legitimate reservation number for a hotel

Every embassy and consulate gives the advice to its applicants that they should make a hotel reservation at a place that would reimburse the full amount of their expenses in the event that their visa application is denied or their appointment is delayed. If you are unable to locate one like that, your next best option is to look for the most affordable hotel reservation. This is due to the fact that you will be out of luck financially if you reserve a room at a hotel that does not offer a refund in the event that your visa application is rejected or delayed.

You might even provide a fake reservation for a hotel to serve as confirmation that you have lodgings. This method is in no way a false hotel reservation, despite the fact that it is occasionally referred to in the same context as a fake hotel booking. This is merely a reservation, and no payment of any kind is required prior to the approval of the visa application.

You could use the services provided by Visa  Reservation to book a hotel room without having to pay the full amount of the reservation.

Should I try to secure a hotel reservation without having to pay the full price?

When making a reservation, many hotels will charge you a fee that is non-refundable. This may be inconvenient for you due to the fact that you cannot ever be certain that your visa will be approved, and even in the event that your visa is denied, you will not receive a refund for the application fee.

However, there are specialized businesses such as Visa Reservation that will support your visa application by giving you with a dummy hotel booking confirmation for a modest cost. VisaReservation is one example of one of these businesses. Before you get your visa, using this service to make hotel reservations is the most convenient and cost-effective thing you can do. It is also absolutely safe.

Simply make your reservation by clicking on the link below and you won't have to pay the whole amount!

 https://visareservation.com/

A Personal Invitation on Behalf of the Host

When going on vacation overseas, many people make plans to stay with friends or family members in order to cut costs and make the most of their time away from home. If you desire to do so, the embassy or consulate will not have a problem with it; nevertheless, you will still be required to present documentation that your friend or relative is prepared to take you in and that this is not solely their intention.

It is customary for the host to extend an invitation in the form of a letter, in which they reaffirm that you will be staying at their home. 

The following information needs to be included in this letter:

• When you plan to check in and check out,
• The location's street address,
• Title of the host, First and Last Names,
• Information on how to get in touch with the host, including their email address and phone number,
• Signed and dated by the host,
• The size of the location, as well as the number of people that currently live there.

Your host will most likely also be required to provide evidence that he or she has adequate space for you to stay during your visit, even if this is not a need in every nation. Because in the event that you intend to pay a visit to your friends, who are a couple who owns only one bed at their apartment, and not even a sofa, then the embassy would most likely not grant you permission to remain there.

In point of fact, it is the host who is required to apply at the municipal office of his or her hometown for a document known as a "certificate of accommodation." This document verifies the availability of a spare room for another individual. If the local authorities believe that the vacant room might accommodate another individual, then they will release the document to the host; however, if they do not believe that this is the case, then they will refuse to do so.

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A letter of invitation for the application of a Schengen visa

Although the member states of the Schengen Area in Europe have a unified approach to the process of issuing visas, each country in the area maintains its own set of requirements for the letter of invitation that must be provided by the host.

Take, for instance:

• In France, the host is required to provide an original copy of what is known as a "Declaration of Acceptance" (guarantee document). The same rules apply if the host's country of origin is Luxembourg.
• In Austria, the host is responsible for submitting a request for a "Electronische Verpflichtungserklarung" to his or her respective municipality. It is required that this document be handed over to the Austrian Authorities no earlier than thirty days before the applicant's scheduled appointment for the visa interview.
• The original "Engagement de Prise en Charge – Verbintenis tot Tenlasteneming 3 bis" document needs to be stamped by the municipality in Belgium, and it also needs to bear the embossed stamp of the foreign office.
• Whereas in the Netherlands, the person who is doing the inviting is required to present the original "Bewijs van Garantstelling," as well as three different salary sheets or reports, and a copy of the person's employment contract. If the host is operating independently, he or she is also required to provide a copy of the registration in the company's trade register, the decision of taxation known as "down aanslaginkomstenbelastingen," an official document from the tax agency known as "Belastingdienst," as well as a copy of the company's profit and loss account.

Hotel Reservation Photo Credit:Pexels.com

Confirmation by a Group Travel Organiser or Holiday Tours

If you and a group of other individuals want to go on a tour that was organized by a tour operator, then you will need to provide a letter that was written by the tour operator. It is necessary for the letter to list the hotels, hostels, and guest houses that the group will be staying at over the entirety of the tour. 

The following specific information regarding each location needs to be included in the letter:

• The name of the locality
• Address
• A phone number and an email address
• Date of arrival and departure
• Name that was used when the reservations were made.

In order for the documents that are supplied to be legitimate, the tour operator needs to be legitimate.

Rental Agreement or Contract

If you intend to rent a place in the nation that you will be visiting, then you should make those arrangements before you apply for a visa in that nation. You can find a place to stay in your destination country online, as well as sign the contract online, and then bring it, along with the other required documents, to your interview at the embassy or consulate on the day you have scheduled for it.

In general, the contract needs to have the following information included in it:

• First and last name of the property owner
• His or her contact information, which may include email, a phone number, a physical location, and so on.
• Location of the property that was rented out
• The amount of time that the applicant is renting out the location in question (entry and exit date).
• The house, apartment, or room in question must be lawfully rented, which means that it must be registered with the appropriate authorities in the applicant's country of travel. Both the landlord and the renter are required to sign the agreement for it to be valid.

Accommodation Verification for Travelers on Foot

• You should be aware that obtaining visas for countries that you plan to visit while traveling is not backpacker-friendly. If you need visas to enter the countries that you plan to visit while backpacking, then you should know this. The consulate or embassy will demand that you provide evidence that you have somewhere to stay, and they will not accept your justifications such as "I will rent a car, and sleep in it when I am tired!" or "I will sleep in my tent."
• Nevertheless, there is still hope for your defense. You do not need to alter your plans because you may still reserve a hotel stay that allows you to cancel for free or at a very low cost, and then you can cancel the reservation once you have received your visa. When engaging in activities of this nature, you are highly urged to exercise extreme caution because upon arrival at the border, authorities in certain nations, such as Belgium, will phone the hotel to determine whether or not the room you have reserved is still available. If you have already called to cancel your reservation for a place to stay, then you will not be permitted entry.
• There are several websites that will sell you a false hotel reservation for a very low price, but it is not recommended that you purchase one of these reservations. It is possible that you will not be allowed to enter that nation if it is discovered by the appropriate authorities that you have given a forged document. Additionally, it will affect any other visa applications you have made, which is especially problematic if you have already been banned from entering a Schengen nation.

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Accommodation Provided by a Sponsor

In the event that you are going to participate in some kind of professional activity, such as training, seminar, research, etc., and the expenses will be covered by the organizer, you will still be required to provide evidence that you have somewhere to stay. In this instance, it should be in the form of a letter that has been signed and/or stamped by the organizers. In addition to the essential particulars, such as the location of the place to stay, an email address, and a phone number, the letter should specify who will be responsible for paying the costs associated with the accommodation.

The difference between proof of accommodation and proof of means of subsistence

In most cases, the "Proof of Means of Subsistence" is a document (like a bank statement) that demonstrates that you have sufficient funds for the trip and that you will be able to financially support yourself while you are in the country that you are visiting. This is required in order to obtain a visa. Every country has a predetermined amount of money that visitors are required to have on them at all times while they are in that country, regardless of how long they plan to stay there.

If you are going to stay at a hotel, you will be required to have more money than if you are planning to stay at some friends or relative's place. Because of this, there is a very close connection between the Proof of Accommodation and the Means of Subsistence. If you are going to stay at a hotel, you will be required to have more money. 

Take, for instance:

• In order to be eligible for the visa, the traveler must demonstrate that they have EUR 95 per day in liquid assets if they intend to stay in a hotel and EUR 45 per day if they intend to get housed via means that are more cost effective.
• If the traveler does not hold documentation of prearranged lodging, they are required to have the equivalent of 120 Euros in daily spending money in France. If the traveler has already paid for their hotel, then they are need to have 65 EUR per day in their possession. In the event that the applicant intends to make use of more cost-effective forms of housing, the daily fee will be reduced to EUR 32.25.
• On the other hand, in order for a tourist to be eligible for a visa to Denmark, he or she must demonstrate financial stability equivalent to 67.24 Euros each night spent in a hotel. In contrast, if you plan to stay in a hostel or another inexpensive accommodation option, you would need cash resources equal to 47.07 Euros each day. The amount of financial means that are necessary, on the other hand, will be significantly reduced if the traveler is able to stay with a third party (such as relatives or friends), who will pay for their accommodation.

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