Dummy ticket for a South Korea tourist visa (C-3-9)

For a South Korea tourist visa from India, the paper application typically includes a flight booking and travel plan. Submit the file through the Korea Visa Application Centre. Its published express-service guidance requests a confirmed air ticket and accommodation. Review the current C-3-9 checklist for your consulate before deciding whether to use a dummy ticket or a purchased fare.

How the Korean process works in India now

The Korean missions in India describe a three-step route. You complete the visa e-Form on the Korea Visa Portal, take the printed form and supporting papers to a Korea Visa Application Centre, and later check the result on the portal. The centres are run by VFS Global, including a New Delhi centre inaugurated in September 2026, alongside Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata.

Jurisdiction is enforced. The Consulate General in Chennai, for example, accepts applications only from residents of the southern states it lists, such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry. Applicants in western India should check the Consulate General in Mumbai's page for where to submit. Proof of residence in the jurisdiction can be requested, so apply where you actually live.

Flight and stay documents: what to verify on the checklist

The C-3-9 checklist is built around your finances and employment: bank statements, income tax returns, an employer letter or business proof. Around that sit the trip documents, which typically include a travel itinerary, a flight booking and hotel details.

Wording matters here. The KVAC's visa information states that applicants using the express service must furnish a copy of a confirmed air ticket and accommodation. For standard processing, the wording has varied between consulates and over time, so do not rely on a blog, including this one, for the exact phrase. Download the current checklist from the KVAC page for your centre on the day you prepare the file.

If the list requests a reservation or itinerary, a held booking with a verifiable PNR fits. If it requests a confirmed or issued ticket, a reservation is not the same thing and you should not present it as one. In that case consider a refundable fare. The difference is set out in dummy ticket vs real ticket.

Standard or express: effect on your travel dates

Express processing is not offered at every centre all the time. It has been suspended at some locations while remaining available at others, so verify before counting on it. With standard processing, allow around two to three weeks between submission and getting the passport back, and more around Korean holidays such as Chuseok and Seollal when the consulates close.

Select a departure date at least three to four weeks after your appointment. Then get the flight document a day or two prior to submission, so that if the consulate looks up the booking in the first week or two it is still live. Timing is explained further in how long a dummy ticket stays valid.

Building an itinerary that matches a Korea trip

Korean visa officers see a lot of similar plans, so a specific one stands out. Seoul for four or five nights and Busan for two, linked by KTX, is a typical first visit. Autumn foliage peaks from mid-October to early November and cherry blossom runs from late March to early April, and flights and hotels for those weeks sell out early.

Your written itinerary should list each day's city and where you are staying, and the first and last lines should agree with the flights. If you are going for a concert or a fan event, include the ticket confirmation and build the flights around its date. Jeju is a popular add-on. Show it as a domestic side trip from Seoul or Busan within the same visa, with your international flights still in and out of the mainland unless you really are flying to Jeju from abroad.

Flights between India and Korea

Seoul Incheon has non-stop service from Delhi on Korean Air and Air India at the time of writing. From Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata, the usual connections are through Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City or Hong Kong, and they frequently cost less than the non-stop.

Many Indian travellers pair Korea with Japan. If you do, each country needs its own visa and its own entry and exit shown clearly, for example Delhi to Seoul, Busan or Seoul to Osaka or Tokyo, then Tokyo to Delhi. The Korean file should show how you leave Korea. A Seoul to Tokyo leg does that. Our Japan visa guide covers the other half.

Getting a reservation for the KVAC file

Where your checklist allows a booking or itinerary, Flight Dummy Tickets can provide one: a held reservation on a real airline, with a PNR that anyone can check on the airline's Manage Booking page. One-way or return costs ₹799 per passenger, and a Korea plus Japan multi-city routing costs the same ₹799 / $10 per passenger. It is delivered on email and WhatsApp approximately 10 minutes after payment and is verifiable for up to two weeks. You cannot board with it, and it has no bearing on what the consulate decides.

Order online at the booking page. Applicants outside the four KVAC cities frequently travel in for the appointment, so having the PDF on your phone before you leave home saves a second trip.

Frequently asked questions

Can Indians use K-ETA instead of a visa for South Korea?

No. K-ETA is for nationals of visa-waiver countries. Indian passport holders need a visa, typically the C-3-9 for tourism, applied for through the Korea Visa Portal and a Korea Visa Application Centre.

Does the Korean consulate want a paid ticket or just a booking?

It depends on the current checklist and service type. The KVAC's guidance asks express applicants for a copy of a confirmed air ticket and accommodation. For standard applications, read your centre's latest checklist and follow its wording.

I live in Pune. Which Korean visa centre do I go to?

Maharashtra falls under the Consulate General in Mumbai. Check that consulate's website for the current submission point, as applications are accepted only from residents of each mission's jurisdiction.

Should my Korea itinerary include the Japan leg of the same trip?

Yes, indicate the whole route so the officer can see how you leave Korea. Include the flight from Korea to Japan and your Japanese visa status if you already hold one.

How far ahead should I submit a C-3-9 application?

Plan to submit about a month before departure for standard processing, and earlier around Korean public holidays. Do not submit so early that the visa's validity window ends before your trip. Confirm validity on the portal.