Which accommodation document does your visa application need?

Visa checklists ask for proof of where you will stay, but they accept more than one kind of document. Three exist, they are not interchangeable, and picking the wrong one is a common reason paperwork is sent back. This page helps you choose between them.

Three Different Accommodation Documents

1. Hotel-issued confirmation: Generated after a genuine reservation is made with the hotel or booking provider.
2. Host invitation: Used when a relative, friend or sponsor provides accommodation, following the authority's instructions.
3. Planning itinerary: A summary of intended properties, dates, guests and estimated costs. It does not reserve a room.

How to Obtain the Right Document

For a confirmed reservation, book directly with a hotel or a recognised booking provider and retain the confirmation they issue. If staying with a host, follow the relevant invitation or sponsorship procedure. If the checklist permits an intended travel plan, prepare a truthful itinerary and label it clearly as provisional.

Never copy a hotel logo, invent a property signature or stamp, or describe a planning reference as a confirmed hotel booking number.

Once you know which document applies to you, see the hotel confirmation letter format for the fields an accommodation document is normally expected to carry.

When a Planning Itinerary Is Appropriate

Use a planning itinerary only when it truthfully represents where you intend to stay and the authority's checklist allows that type of supporting information. CloseHotel can organise intended property, date, guest and estimated-cost details into an A4 PDF, but it does not contact the property or confirm availability.

If you also need to organise intended flight dates, keep them consistent with the accommodation plan. CloseHotel's related service CloseFlight creates flight-planning itineraries; it does not issue airline bookings.