Buying a plane ticket while applying for a visa?

[selenacw]

Hi all!

I have an appointment to submit my application for a Family Reunification Visa coming up. I'm a Canadian citizen moving to join her UK husband in Florence. Apparently I need to show I have a plane ticket at the time of the application.

Do I need a return ticket or can I purchase a one way only? I intend on reapplying for the visa for another 365 day period next year from Italy and don't really want to buy a return ticket I won't be using.

Also, how do you buy a plane ticket prior to knowing when you will be issued your visa? If something goes wrong and the application gets held up, I risk losing the ticket. Am I missing some crucial information here?

Any help on the matter would be wonderful!

Cheers, selenacw

—
Selena Cristo

[Giacomina]

Yep, that is how it is. You do risk not getting the visa and ending up with an expensive ticket in hand. I found that plane fare was not much reduced for one way flights any way and that you are probably sure to get your visa as your situation is simple in that your husband is a citizen of the EU so they really can't deny you the visa.

The really big problem as I see it is the timing. Things to do with Italy can take two to three times longer than you would expect so be sure to take that into consideration when you apply. Even if they tell you at the embassy that it will take, for instance, 6 weeks at the most, don't believe them. Because its very comman that they will drag their feet and if they don't get your visa to you, or require more documents or some small thing goes wrong with the mail or its summer holidays etc. then you could just go ahead and use your ticket and go to Italy for only three months. When you reunite with your husband you can just go to the questura and get a permesso di sorgiorno in FLorence instead of going through the hassel of the other visa and then apply for residency and then for European Union family status with your husband which allows you to stay for good.

It may be a helpful to purchase a ticket with the return date 3 months from departure date in case you have to do it that way it will make sure that you get to go and there won't be complications at the airport on either side.

Have fun!