Waiting For UK Visa Should I Book Flights Now

[trevron73]

Hello, im looking for advice, my wife has submitted a visa app, to come to Uk and i would like advice on flights, i will go to Thailand to collect my wife in april, what is the best way to make sure we are on the same flight coming home ,do i book tickets now or wait for visa and risk flights full all advice will be welcome,how did other couples do it thanks guys

[7by7]

The advice from the embassy and UK Visas is to not book any flights until you have the visa.

Plus, I don't think that you can book her flight in the UK.

My advice is that when you buy your ticket, make sure you can change the return date so that you can do so if you cannot get your wife on your original return flight.

BTW, what type of visa?

The visa will be dated from the day it is issued, unless your wife asked for a specific date when submitting the application. Current reports indicate that even settlement visas are currently being issued within a few days.

If a visit visa her time in the UK will be limited if she didn't ask for the start to be post dated.

Settlement visas as a spouse are valid for 27 months, and she can apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain after 24 months in the UK. If she hasn't spent 24 months in the UK when her spouse visa expires then she will need an expensive extension or she will be in the UK illegally and unable to apply for ILR. So, unless she asked for it to be post dated, you need to watch the dates there and make sure she enters the UK with at least 24 months validity left on the visa.

[CharlieB]

Plus, I don't think that you can book her flight in the UK.

I booked my wife's ticket in the UK via Expedia. I wanted to make sure we were on the same flight so I called instead of booking online. Turns out I would have had to anyway as my daughter, being classed as an infant at the time, needed extra information providing to them in order to book the ticket.

[tripplejjj]

When airlines book internal flights for passengers, they usually want to see the passports to make sure that the passengers can legally enter the foreign countries. Sometimes airline agents do reserve/book flight ahead of time but a passenger still needs a passport with a valid visa before getting a boarding pass. The further out you book a flight, the more seats available and less expensive, but longer waits before you get to see each other. You just need to find the sweet spot. Have a few dates in mind before talking to an airline agent. The more flexible you are with the travel dates, the more seats available on the plane.

1. You need to wait for her to have a passport and a valid visa. (DO NOT try to book a flight without a passport with a valid visa in hand.)

2. Have her make a reservation (do not pay yet) for a flight to the UK for both of you in Thailand first. (A passenger usually has 48-72 hours to pay in order to confirm his seat on a plane.) This is the critical step because a ticketing agent would want to see her passport and a visa.

3. After she is successful, a ticketing agent will give her a reservation number and an itinerary. If possible, on the same day, you tell a ticketing agent in the UK the reservation number on the return trip from Thailand to the UK.

4. When your itinerary and hers matched up, then book/pay for the airline tickets at both ends. (If you want to pay for all the tickets in the UK, then please do ask the airlines or a ticketing agent if it is possible. You might be able to do only your round trip and not her one way. Things changed for the better or worse, I don't know.)

5. After booking the flights, please check the itinerary again to make sure that they matched up.

I did this with my sister. It took a lot of talking over the phone.

Edited February 10, 2010 by tripplejjj

[mark515]

I have always booked and paid for now my wifes tickets in the UK.

No problems until August 2009 new rules.

I had to then be on the flight with her so had to forward all the booking details of my flights.

Took longer to book.

[mark515]

Visa, Never have we had to show or prove we had a visa for the flight before booking.

In fact I did book her a ticket to the UK before her tourist visa came through.

I did ask what it would cost if cancelled. (About £50.00 it was piece of mind that my girlfriend was going to be on my flight as departure was close)

Her visa came through 3 days before travel so CLOSE.

[theoldgit]

Visa, Never have we had to show or prove we had a visa for the flight before booking.

You can book as many flights without holding a visa, but airlines will not board you without one, assuming you are a visa national.

If a visa national makes it to a UK border without a visa the carrier is liable for a fine of £2000 per person, the cost of repatriation and any detention costs, so you will understand why check-in staff are thorough.

[Bastian]

sure you can book without a visa or even passport, but you seem to be stuck in the previous millenium: when we booked our flights a year ago there was no agent, all was done online over the internet, payment via credit card and you would only get your travel itinerary as pdf to print out and a code, no more physical tickets.

was good we had booked in advance, the embassy actually demanded to see the ticket/itinerary before they issued the (settlement)visa.

[coolhandjoe]

I waited till my wife got the visa, then i booked her ticket paid for it in UK and sent it to Thailand in the post.

This was 7 yrs ago and the only airline that would issue me a ticket at the time was Turkish Airlines for £400.

[britmaveric]

Wait or make sure you book a ticket that is fully refundable.

[trevron73]

Got text today text said "processed visa application ref no apet/******/*******/1 is ready for collection at UK visa application center, "that is the exact text is this a good thing guys my wife gos there tomorow and the suspense is v hard cheers

[theoldgit]

It's wait and see I'm afraid, the text just tells you the package has been returned from the embassy and even VFS don't know the result.

You will know how strong the application was, good luck and let us know the result.

[trevron73]

It's wait and see I'm afraid, the text just tells you the package has been returned from the embassy and even VFS don't know the result.

You will know how strong the application was, good luck and let us know the result.

im hoping good fingrs crossed il b on here tomorow

good luck for us choc di

[trevron73]

It's wait and see I'm afraid, the text just tells you the package has been returned from the embassy and even VFS don't know the result.

You will know how strong the application was, good luck and let us know the result.

im hoping good fingrs crossed il b on here tomorow

good luck for us choc di

Got visa this morning thanks for advice