question about plane tickets

niki-pooh · #1 02-05-2003, 08:35 PM

hello. it's been a long time since i don't post here. how are u all?

i'm planning to go to amsterdam on september. thing is, to apply for the dutch tourist visa (as they told me in a .doc file they sent me with all the requirements), i need to hand in a written proof of the reservation of the plane tickets but then they actually tell me not to buy them till i get a response from them. they ask this proof to ensure i will go to amsterdam and not madrid, for example.

is it true i can ask for a written confirmation of the reservation without actually paying for the tickets? if so, is there any travel agency u can recommend me? if i ever get this written proof, but i don't get the visa, will i have to pay any fee for not usign the booked tickets?

thx a lot.

aviastar · #2 02-05-2003, 09:28 PM

Well.

When you reserve your ticket you can ask operator to print you PNR, this is the confirmation of your reservation only. Consulates like to see real tickets. In case if you don't buy your ticket after reservation you don't have to pay any penalties at all.

You can get it from any travel agency or airline office.

I recommend you to buy the ticket, it is better. When the ticket is presented they see that you have your onward journey confirmed. In this case you should buy the ticket with fare basis which allows to refund without penalties, once visa is obtained you can refund it and buy another cheapest ticket.

What is the route for your jorney to Europe, how you plan to fly?

niki-pooh · #3 02-06-2003, 07:33 AM

oh i see. well, according to what i got from them, they say 'NEVER buy a ticket without having an answer from us', that's why i didn't get it. they let me know they send the documents to holland cuz they don't give tourist visas, so maybe ur right and i should show the ticket.

so far the planned route is going to amsterdam. i still dunno which airline is the best or have the best fares for flying sdq-ams-sdq.

what does fare basis mean?

this is the first time i ever apply for a visa. so if u have any recommendations at all, feel free to tell me

andy a · #4 02-06-2003, 02:01 PM

It's not clear to me where you stand concerning getting a visa for Holland. I suspect that there is no Dutch consulate in the DR, in which case you'll probably have to go to Caracas, Venezuela for the visa.

Caracas is where many/most of the consulates (except for the countries with close ties to the DR, which have them in Santo Domingo, of course) are for serving the DR.

niki-pooh · #5 02-06-2003, 02:07 PM

hello andy,

we do have a dutch consulate, it's just they seem to be an honorary consulate and they send all the visa applications to holland. they've asked, along with the other documents, a written proof of the confirmation of the plane tickets reservation. u can see their website @ www.holanda.org.do (if u speak spanish or dutch). i contacted them by email and they sent me the visa requirements updated.

andy a · #6 02-06-2003, 02:40 PM

Otherwise, you'd find yourself in the catch 22 position of having to go to Caracas for the visa, only to discover that you need a visa to go there, too. You can't send a Dominican passport through any public or private mail service in the DR.

I once helped someone do this. I solved the problem by helping a trusted Dominican friend go through the process of getting a visa to Venezuela. He then went there and waited a couple of days for it to be processed.

He likes Venezuela, especially the women, so much that he'll do it again anytime. In fact, he has done it since.

niki-pooh · #7 02-06-2003, 02:45 PM

and that consulate asks the same papers they ask here? if i'm going to do this, first i'd need someone going to caracas to do me that favor i guess...

andy a · #8 02-06-2003, 03:00 PM

Yes, I'm sure that the paperwork is the same, except that you have to add a notarized statement that he is allowed to handle your passport - so that the consulate there will give it back to him.

I found all this out the hard way at a lot of expense to myself.

Now, all he wants is the airfare (it used to be about $250) and other (small) expenses. He stays at cheap hotels for about $20 a night.

He really likes Venezuela - would probably stay there if not for his family in the DR. He says prices are comparable, but without the power outages, etc. in the DR. That was before the current problems though.

BTW, I might still have the address of a very helful paralegal Dominicana in Santo Domingo - much cheaper than a lawyer - to help with the paperwork.

aviastar · #9 02-06-2003, 05:14 PM

Well, direct flights from Dominicana to Holland are operated by Martin Air, service is so-so.

I recommend you to buy the ticket that you could refund in case if visa is not issued, later you can purchase another cheapest ticket.

Martin Air cheapest fare is 655 USD + 12% +taxes. If you will cancell your flight the penalty is 120 USD. If you will cancel your trip more than 30 days before departure - no penalty is collected.
Fare basis is HLAB1M

So buy your ticket before you will apply for visa.

niki-pooh · #10 02-07-2003, 07:47 AM

ok ty aviastar. andy i pmed u.