Get Dummy Ticket
Booked an India e-visa appointment or hit submit on the online form and got stuck on the return flight question? Fix first: book a real, refundable or free-cancellation onward ticket, out of India, dated inside your e-visa's permitted stay, before you touch the "upload documents" step. India's e-visa process typically asks for proof of onward or return travel alongside your accommodation details, and a confirmed booking clears that field in minutes.
If you're filling out the form right now
Don't leave the return-flight field blank hoping it's optional. The form usually pairs the return-travel question with an accommodation-proof question, and skipping either one is the single most common reason applications bounce back with a request for more documents. Enter real dates, a real airline code, and a real PNR, not a placeholder.
A dummy ticket, also called an onward ticket, is a genuine booked reservation used to satisfy this kind of check without you actually paying for a flight you don't intend to take (see our full dummy ticket explainer if this is new territory for you). Get Dummy Ticket issues exactly this: a verifiable PNR, tied to your name and passport details, valid long enough to clear the application and the airport counter both.
Airlines flying into India, including carriers like Singapore Airlines, publish travel-document requirements that route through the same underlying industry check used across the network: IATA's Timatic system, which airline staff use to confirm a passenger holds the documents a destination requires before they're allowed to board. A PNR that doesn't resolve cleanly in that check is worse than no ticket at all, because it flags the booking as inconsistent rather than simply missing.
Action: book the onward ticket before you upload anything else to the e-visa form.
If your flight is in 24 to 48 hours and you still don't have proof
You're past the leisurely-planning stage. Skip comparing ten airline fare classes. Get one document that will hold up at check-in and at immigration: a dated, named, PNR-bearing onward ticket out of India, ideally 30 to 90 days out depending on your e-visa's stay length so it doesn't look inconsistent with your stated trip. Print it and save it offline, since airport wifi is not guaranteed and a border officer isn't going to wait while you dig through email on a dying phone.
At this point, don't waste time cross-checking five booking sites for the cheapest refundable fare. That comparison shopping is what got you into a time crunch in the first place. A same-day onward ticket purchase through a dedicated provider takes a few minutes, arrives as a PDF with a real airline PNR, and needs no further action from you beyond printing it twice: one copy for your carry-on, one copy saved to a folder you can open without wifi.
Action: generate and download the PDF now, not after you land.
If check-in staff have already flagged your booking
This happens most often when a traveler shows only a one-way ticket and no onward document at all. Ground staff have refusal authority on behalf of the airline, separate from what the destination country's border officers will later decide, because carriers face fines for landing passengers who get refused entry. Show the onward ticket immediately, point to the booked return or continuing flight, and ask them to re-scan it against the reservation system rather than just your printout. If they still hesitate, ask for a supervisor. Most delays here run 10 to 15 minutes once the correct document is in front of the right person.
Stay calm and don't raise your voice. A frustrated traveler reads as a risk to gate agents already managing a queue, and that works against you. State the fact plainly: you hold a confirmed onward reservation, here's the PNR, here's the airline name, please verify it in the system rather than relying on the printed date format alone. Most of these stalls resolve once the agent pulls up the booking directly instead of squinting at a paper copy.
Action: hand over the PNR number and let staff verify it directly in their system.
If you have a week before you travel
You've got room to do this properly. Confirm your e-visa's exact permitted-stay length first, since onward ticket dates that fall outside that window can trigger extra questions even when everything else is in order. Then decide between three routes:
| Option | Cost | Validity risk |
|---|---|---|
| Real refundable airline ticket | Highest, fully refundable fare | Lowest, matches PNR in airline systems exactly |
| Get Dummy Ticket onward booking | Low flat fee | Low, real PNR held for your visa validity window |
| No onward proof, hope it's not checked | Free | Highest, risk of denied boarding or entry refusal |
Booking through a dedicated service means you're not carrying a refundable fare you'll have to cancel and chase a refund on later. That's the entire point of a dummy ticket versus a full-price backup flight, the same logic that applies whether you're headed into a Schengen country or, as with the Thailand tourist visa, an equivalent proof-of-exit rule elsewhere in Asia.
Action: lock in the onward booking at least 3 to 4 days before your consulate or airport deadline, so there's slack for corrections.
If immigration on arrival asks for it
Indian immigration counters vary in how often they ask, but when they do, they generally want the same two things the e-visa form asked for: a confirmed exit or onward date and, often, proof of accommodation. Keep both as printed copies and as a saved PDF on your phone. Don't argue policy with the officer. Hand over the document, answer the stay-length question plainly, and let them wave you through.
Action: carry a printed copy of the onward ticket in your on-person bag, not checked luggage.
Frequently asked questions
Does an India e-visa actually require a return ticket?
The e-visa application process typically asks for proof of onward or return travel as part of the standard documentation, alongside accommodation details.
Can I use a one-way ticket instead?
You can try, but airlines and immigration staff frequently expect a return or onward document, and a one-way ticket alone has caused boarding delays for other travelers on similar visa types.
How far out should the onward ticket be dated?
Match it to your e-visa's permitted stay length; a mismatch between your stated trip and your document dates is what draws extra questions.
Is a dummy ticket the same thing as an onward ticket?
Yes. Both terms describe a real, bookable reservation used only to satisfy visa or check-in proof requirements, not a ticket you intend to fly.
Book your India-bound onward ticket through Get Dummy Ticket before you finish the e-visa form.