Reservation letter. Letter templates to the hotel (English) - will be updated
Form 3-G of the accounting document has long been invalid. Hotels are allowed to use an independently developed document containing mandatory details. What document can confirm that a posted worker is staying in a hotel?
Employees bring documents of various forms from different hotels; they do not look like the sample 3-G form, which operated according to the old instructions. But they all contain mandatory details, which are regulated by the accounting regulations required for primary documents. The list of such details is regulated by the legislation on cash registers, and not by accounting rules. Only then can the document serve as an exculpatory "primary".
Own forms
The organization recalled the previously existing strict reporting form used as primary accounting forms for domestic hotels. However, the accounting document form 3-G, approved by Order of the Ministry of Finance of Russia dated December 13, 1993 N 121, has long been invalid. It was allowed to be used only until December 1, 2008.
According to the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated 05/06/2008 N 359 "On the procedure for making and (or) settlements using payment cards without the use of cash register equipment" strict reporting forms certain types of services provided to the population are approved by federal executive authorities. In those areas of services to the population where the forms of primary documents are not approved when making cash payments and (or) payments using payment cards without the use of cash register equipment, it is allowed to use self-developed document. No additional approval at the federal level of the form of such a document is required.
Required details
Of course the developed form must contain mandatory details. In the above-mentioned procedure for settlements with the population without the use of cash register systems (Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation of May 6, 2008 N 359), the list of mandatory details of the forms is fixed in clause 3.
In turn, Federal Law No. 129-FZ of November 21, 1996 “On Accounting” obliges the use of primary accounting documents drawn up according to unified forms as supporting documents. And only if there are no unified forms, it is allowed to use your own primary forms. Mandatory details for such documents are established in paragraph 2 of Art. 9 of the Accounting Law.
However, compliance with CCP legislation is one thing. It can be much more problematic to justify expenses that reduce the taxable base for income tax.
Let’s compare both lists of required details, omitting the conditions for individual entrepreneurs (see table).
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the federal law |
Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated 05/06/2008 |
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Title of the document |
name of the document (six-digit number and |
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name of company |
Name of company; |
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Location of the organization/responsible persons |
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TIN of the organization |
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type of service |
|
|
economic meters |
cost of service in monetary terms |
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amount of payment (cash or using |
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document date |
document date |
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Job titles |
Position, full name the person who issued the |
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other characteristic details |
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As you can see, the requirements of the legislation on cash register systems for independently developed forms of primary documents are much greater than those required by the legislation on accounting. For example, it is mandatory to indicate the organization’s tax identification number and its address.
The company believed that for accounting purposes it is sufficient to comply with the minimum required details for primary documents, which are enshrined in the Accounting Law. But during the tax audit, the inspector refused to take into account expenses in the form of payment for hotel accommodation for the company’s seconded employees, since the documents did not contain all the details required by the standards required for settlements with the population without a cash register.
Despite some conflict on this issue, the editors support the position of the financiers. Indeed, the Tax Code of the Russian Federation does not contain any indication of the type and form of the document on the basis of which one can accept as expenses the accommodation of an employee on a business trip. But a strict reporting document, which is allowed to be used when making payments for services to the public without a cash register, is equivalent to a cash receipt (clause 1 of the Regulations approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of May 6, 2008 N 359). This means that such a document is mandatory when making settlements with the population and serves as a supporting document evidencing the expenditure.
A business trip is required to resolve pressing issues for the employer’s company. Therefore, when sending an employee on a trip, the company reimburses him for expenses, including accommodation. Often the most convenient option for an employee is a hotel located close to the business trip.
At the end of the client’s stay, the hotel issues reporting documents for business travelers to confirm the fact of their stay at the hotel on certain days. Letter of the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation dated February 25, 2015 No. 03-07-11/9440 indicates that in the case when the hotel does not use cash register payments, the accommodating party is obliged to draw up a strict reporting form, which is developed independently. This form can have any name, for example, a voucher or a hotel check.
Upon returning from a business trip, you must provide documents issued by the hotel to the accounting department, which confirm your accommodation there. A cash receipt is also required for the advance report. The basic requirements for the form provided by the hotel enterprise are as follows:
- The strict reporting form must necessarily contain the following details: name of the document, six-digit number and series of the document, full name of the organization providing the services, address, TIN of the organization and seal.
- It is necessary that the strict reporting form be printed or generated using automated systems. System requirements: mandatory protection from unauthorized access, identification and preservation of the number and series of the form for at least 5 years (Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation of May 6, 2008 No. 359). Forms printed on a computer without the use of automated systems will not be accepted by the organization as confirmation.
Sample receipt confirming hotel accommodation
Payment for accommodation on a business trip in a budgetary organization and in a commercial one is equally made on the basis of a hotel invoice or an invoice and a cash receipt.
It is important to note that if a seconded employee provides his organization with a document on hotel accommodation that does not meet the specified requirements, and the organization takes these expenses into account in tax reporting, the Federal Tax Service may have claims. In this case, the company can defend its expenses in court. To do this, we recommend that you read the Resolution of the Federal Antimonopoly Service of the North-Western District dated November 1, 2010 in case No. A52-3413/2009.
In a situation where a hotel-type enterprise uses cash registers, the reporting includes a check and invoice or other documentation about the employee’s stay at the hotel.
If there is no account
Payment for hotel accommodation on a business trip in the absence of supporting documents is made on the basis of a request to a hotel-type enterprise to confirm the fact of the employee’s residence during the specified period of time and obtain a certificate.
Please note that in Moscow this request is allowed to confirm an employee’s expenses, which is confirmed by letter from the Federal Tax Service for Moscow and the Moscow Region dated August 26, 2014 No. 16-15/084374. The certificate must contain details of the services provided and confirmation of payment. And the company must have other documentation confirming the employee’s business trip, for example, a business trip order, travel documents, etc.
Payment for a hotel on a business trip based on a certificate received upon request may not be accepted by the tax authorities. It is important to note that clause 1 of Art. 252 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation allows for indirect confirmation of expenses to be taken into account, so the company can appeal the decision of the tax authorities.
Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation 1085 of October 09, 2015 approved new Rules for the provision of hotel services. This resolution indicates the obligation to issue a strict reporting form or check.
Also, documents on hotel accommodation may be missing if a company rents residential premises to accommodate employees during a business trip. In this case, payment for the premises is made by the employer himself, so payment of expenses and reporting documents for living in an apartment on a daily basis are not provided.
Is it possible to include breakfast on the bill?
If breakfast costs are included in the bill as a separate item, it is not recommended to include them in accommodation costs. Subclause 12, clause 1, art. 264 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation indicates that additional services may be included in the cost of accommodation, with the exception of service in bars and restaurants, in the room, and use of recreational and health facilities.
Also, the letter of the Ministry of Finance dated October 14, 2009 No. 03-04-06-01/263 explains that if the cost of food is allocated as a separate item, the employee receives income in kind. According to the Ministry of Finance, compensation for food does not apply to reimbursement of living expenses, and therefore may be subject to personal income tax and insurance payments.
If breakfast is not indicated as a separate item on the hotel bill, including it as an expense is fraught with tax risks. This situation has conflicting judicial precedents, so tax authorities can charge personal income tax on the specified amount. Insurance premiums in this case cannot be calculated, as indicated by letters from the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation dated 05.08.2010 No. 2519-19, FSS of the Russian Federation dated 17.11.2011 No. 14-03-11/08-13985
Other hotel services
According to paragraphs. 12 clause 1 art. 264 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation, additional hotel services are subject to payment, with the exception of meals in bars and restaurants and the use of recreational and health facilities. The most commonly used additional service is room reservations for employees. Some services may require proof of economic viability in order to be reimbursed.
Spending limits
The company has the right to set a limit on expenses for its posted employee. But it is not always possible to meet the specified amount, so a situation may arise when an employee has exceeded the limit of the allocated amount. In this case, if the employee exceeds the limit and provides an invoice from the hotel for the full cost of expenses, personal income tax is not withheld from him (paragraph 10, clause 3, article 217 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation).
Confirmation reservation
Booking confirmation- This a reservation confirmed by a special notice sent by the hotel to the client. Depending on availability, the hotel makes a reservation and sends a reservation confirmation containing information about the guest's name, length of stay, room category, price and additional services that can be booked in advance (for example, the cost of transfer, breakfast, etc. ). The booking confirmation text must be sent to the client on letterhead, which indicates the order confirmation number, the position and surname of the person in charge of the reservation department, as well as other hotel details. Confirmation is necessary so that the hotel can always prove that the customer was informed about the conditions of booking at this hotel.
Usually a specific room is not reserved, but only a room category is reserved (for example, single, luxury, apartment, etc.), but if a guest, especially from among regular or VIP clients, prefers a specific room, then his wish, is usually taken into account. In this case, if possible, you should provide the client with his favorite number.
Hotels may change their pricing policies, as well as the procedure for confirming reservations during the course of operation. Officially published rates for accommodation are subject to change without notice to the client, but the room rate indicated in the booking confirmation is not subject to change. The hotel should inform customers in writing about changes in tariffs for the accommodation services provided at least 30 calendar days before the date of introduction.
Booking conditions vary from hotel to hotel. To avoid misunderstandings, customers should explain them in detail when contacting the hotel.
It is strictly forbidden to send a booking confirmation form containing official resolutions, notes, signatures of employees of the reservation department or sales service to the client's company.
Clients who want the room to be specially prepared for check-in must provide: the method of payment, the name of the guest, the name and address of the person who pays for the additional service, a detailed description of what is needed: if gifts - what kind, if a postcard is needed - what content, etc.
All additional requests must be made on a special form and must be paid for.
The process of processing a letter requesting accommodation and issuing a booking confirmation is as follows.
1. Upon receipt of a letter requesting accommodation, an employee of the reservation department fills out the appropriate form (New Reseivation) or enters the most important data from the letter - application for accommodation in the room reservation log. Next, he registers this request in the hotel’s electronic reservation system and assigns a serial number to it. All reservations must be entered into the computer system within 1-2 hours.
Based on the entered information, a long-term hotel occupancy schedule is generated. When registering a reservation request, special attention should be paid to the type of reservation and form of payment. For a guaranteed reservation, the application must include payment document details guaranteeing receipt of payment for the room in the event of a guest's no-show or late cancellation of the reservation by the client (client's credit card number or bank transfer number). The more information is entered into the electronic booking system, the better and faster the process of checking in and checking out clients will be.
2. An employee of the reservation department prepares a reservation confirmation, where all the necessary data is entered. Confirmation number (Comfirmation number) will be the same number under which the application for placement was registered. As a rule, hotels already have booking confirmation forms. They can be forms, either embedded in the electronic booking system or printed. Reservation confirmation must be made in the same language in which the accommodation request was made. The main languages used in business correspondence when booking hotel rooms in Russia are Russian, English, German, and to a lesser extent French, Spanish and other languages. The text of the booking confirmation largely depends on the type of booking. For a guaranteed reservation, a waiting period for the guest is specified, after which penalties apply in case of late cancellation of the accommodation order or non-arrival at the hotel. For non-guaranteed reservations, the time until which the guest can expect to receive the room he has reserved is indicated. As a rule, the booking confirmation text begins with a thank you for choosing this hotel. The following options can be taken as the basis for confirmation texts:
The following texts can be used as a basis for confirmations regarding booking conditions and procedures in English:
The first confirmation refers to a reservation that is not yet guaranteed. The second is about guaranteed reservations.
In addition to the conditions and procedure for booking in the confirmation texts, guests can be informed about the procedure for visa support, food conditions, transfers, check-in time and check-out time at the hotel, as well as provide answers to any questions the clients may have.
- 3. An employee of the reservation department sends a reservation confirmation to the fax number specified in the letter - an application for accommodation from a company, firm or individual. The employee must ensure that the booking confirmation is received by the recipient in full, without distortion. In this case, confirmation of the successful receipt of the message will be the answer “OK” on a special report form (Transmission control receipt), issued by fax. If you receive an unclear message (blurred or unreadable text), the fax will respond Error or Poor line condition.(Fax responses vary by machine model and may vary.)
- 4. All registered letters - applications for accommodation, booking confirmations for these applications and positive confirmations of fax receipt by the addressee are sorted by arrival date and stored in the reservation department until the guest arrives at the hotel. This is necessary to clarify the details of accommodation upon arrival of the guest. After the departure of the guests, these
Rice. 10.
the documents are transferred to the hotel archives. This is necessary in case any details about the client’s past residence are clarified.
Sometimes there are changes to the reservation. Clients do not completely cancel the order, but only partially change the conditions. This applies, first of all, to the length of stay, number of persons, room category, and special wishes of guests. Such changes are recorded by the staff of the reservation department in a special form or notes are made in the journal for registering requests for accommodation.
All changes to the reservation must also be entered into the computer system.
If changes are possible, the reservation department employee makes changes to the existing confirmation, corrects individual details of the reservation and sends a fax to the client’s address marked “reconfirmation” (reservation reconfirmation). In Fig. 10 shows a sample text of a booking reconfirmation.
The reservations officer should notify the affected departments of any changes. If the reservation cannot be changed due to the hotel being busy on the requested dates, then you need to offer the client alternative numbers and room category, and also ask if he wants to be included in the waiting list. Live sheets
Rice. eleven.
Denmark is checked daily. If rooms become available, reservations staff will call customers on the waiting list. Priority is determined by the department manager. In Fig. 11 provides a sample form for changes to a reservation.
If the reservation is impossible for one reason or another, the reservation department sends an official refusal to accommodate, containing an apology, the reason for the refusal, informs about the period of improvement of the situation with available rooms and expresses hope for further cooperation. The text of such a refusal may look like this:
Sample refusal texts for placement in English are given below.
In this note in as much detail as possible describes the process of obtaining documents from hotels confirming accommodation, which are necessary for submission to the consulate when applying for a Schengen visa.
Sometimes they are also called the word “voucher” (although this is not entirely true, a voucher is a receipt, a guarantee). And the document for the consulate is called “confirmation of accommodation”. But you can call it a voucher...
Proof of residence is required when obtaining a Schengen visa on every day planned period of stay in the territory of the Schengen countries.
No options or exceptions.
If we are talking about obtaining a multiple visa, then documents must confirm accommodation for each day of stay in the first travel on this visa.
Confirmation of residence can also be an invitation (from friends, relatives or an organization), and some other documents, but here we discuss in detail the process of working with the staff of hotels (and other facilities) when receiving documents confirming accommodation from them.
I will also immediately note that there is no such thing as an “invitation from a hotel (hotel).”
The hotel cannot issue you an invitation (it can be done by your friends or relatives). But the hotel can confirm that your accommodation is provided (paid for).
This document received from the hotel (or several, depending on the travel plan), will serve as a document for the consulate confirming your accommodation during the trip.
General points when requesting documents confirming accommodation
Obtaining documents confirming residence is the most troublesome (but also the most interesting) moment in the entire process of preparing documents for obtaining a visa.
In the process, you will have to communicate by email, Skype, and sometimes by phone (they can call from the Baltics, they called me once) with the staff of the hotels where you plan to stay during the trip.
Sometimes the staff will have to explain what you want from them, or provide the hotel with some additional data necessary to draw up the required document.
As a general note, I will say that there is no need to be shy, afraid or worried. Hotel staff are always ready to meet you halfway and will try to help in every way possible. After all, the customer is (almost) always right.
Whether problems and questions will arise when obtaining these documents will largely depend on the hotel you choose to stay during your trip.
Working with hotels in matters relating to obtaining documents confirming residence - always individual.
No two hotels are alike in this regard. How lucky you are, how you get there. If something goes wrong, simply cancel your reservation at this hotel and look for another one who will understand you, or whose conditions will suit you more.
In large or chain hotels, as a rule, There are no problems with issuing documents confirming residence. Most likely, their staff has already encountered this problem (i.e. you are not the first who needs proof of residence to obtain a visa).
And if the staff has not encountered this issue, then often this point is spelled out in their job descriptions, and the employee can always look into them to find out what he needs to issue such a document to you.
On the other hand, with large hotels it is more difficult to negotiate payment terms (providing payment guarantees), because, as stated in their instructions, it will be so (the staff cannot violate the instructions, they do not have freedom of maneuver).
In medium-sized and small hotels, a request to provide documents confirming your stay at this hotel to submit them to the consulate will most likely cause a commotion among the staff and a lot of additional questions.
It may very well be that the staff of a small hotel (and this is often the hotel owner himself and his family members) have simply never encountered such a request, and have no idea what we are talking about. In this case, they will have to explain in detail what you specifically need from them.
But with small hotels it’s a good thing to negotiate payment terms or payment guarantees. They are more accommodating (for example, they write that “payment is guaranteed”), without demanding anything from you, and without setting you any additional conditions. It's valuable.
How and when to request a document confirming your stay from the hotel
You can book hotels for your vacation at least six months before your trip, or even earlier (for example, I book hotels for my vacation in August or November of the previous year).
It is necessary to request documents confirming residence before applying for a visa. The process of receiving confirmation itself takes from one day to one week (this is the worst case).
But usually it takes one or two days. It depends on the efficiency of the hotel staff. Documents are requested (and received) by email.
As your vacation approaches (when you are sure that your plans have not changed and you will go on vacation as planned), before submitting documents for a visa, contact the hotel and write to them at English language request that they send you confirmation of your stay and payment (payment guarantees) for your hotel room, on the hotel’s letterhead.
The hotel's email address will appear on the room reservation confirmation sent by the online reservation system. Or, the hotel can be contacted directly through the reservation system website. Both options are equivalent.
On the letterhead, this means that the “coordinates” of the hotel are indicated there, in the sense of address, phone number and other contact information. If the hotel does not have a letterhead (this is usually a problem for small hotels), then let them print all this information separately.
The request also states that this confirmation is needed to present it to the consulate in order to obtain a Schengen visa. (See below for a sample request).
Also immediately ask that the confirmation text be written in English (preferably) and that it indicatesurnames and names everyone guests, booking dates and prepayment amount, or to indicate that payment for the stay is guaranteed.
If the hotel was immediately paid for when booking it, then the situation is even simpler. You just need to ask the hotel administration to send a document that confirms that you paid for your stay at this hotel (an example request text is also given below).
When receiving a request for a hotel to provide documents confirming accommodation, the response of the hotels will be different each time (depending on the country and the size of the hotel).
The hotel staff, where they have an idea of what we are talking about, in response to such a request, will immediately (literally within an hour) check with you whether you really agree to make an advance payment (if it has not been made previously), and will provide you with the details for making payment.
Or they will ask permission to write off money for payment from your card (they have a card number, you indicate it when making a reservation).
If necessary (depending on the country and internal instructions of the hotel), the staff will request additional information necessary to draw up the requested document.
As a rule, there are no problems with large hotels. After making the payment, the documents confirming your stay will be in your hands in 1-2 hours (by the end of the day - maximum) and all you have to do is print them out.
But in small hotels, guest houses, apartments, the owners often have never heard of any requirements (this is my personal opinion, made on the basis of communication with the staff of such hotels on this topic).
Therefore, a request to provide documents may raise a lot of questions from them. In this case, you will need to explain to them what (and in what form) you want from them.
This is sometimes difficult, but quite possible. In the end, they are interested in your arrival, therefore, they try and meet you halfway.
FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: WHAT HAPPENS WITH SMALL HOTELS
In response to my request for confirmation of residence, the owner of a small hotel near Wroclaw, Poland, simply wrote back:
“Dzień Dobry! Potwierdzam rezerwację. Z poważaniem, Ariel"
(“Good afternoon! I confirm the reservation. Best regards, Ariel”)
Well, that was her idea of what proof of residence looked like. I had to explain to her for a very long time that I her specifically, it is necessary to explain, literally on the fingers (since she did not speak English, and I am weak in Polish).
I ended up spitting and made it myself for her the required confirmation (which I also made myself especially for this occasion, as a gift to the hotel), and sent it there.
There the hostess printed it out, put the hotel stamp and her signature, scanned it and sent it back to me. After that, I swore off staying in small hotels in case I needed proof of residence from them.
If you don’t need any documents from small hotels, then feel free to stay in them, I do it myself. This is both cheaper (as a rule) and more pleasant.
But this has never happened with large hotels. They request the information they need to draw up the document, ask to make the payment, and send the document the next (or the same) day after the payment has been processed.
But, I repeat, this point is strictly individual from country to country and from hotel to hotel. There is no single system here, and each case is unique - how you get there.
Based on the above, it is advisable not to postpone the request for confirmation of accommodation in a hotel (or hotels) until the last day, and do it a week or two before the planned sending of documents to the consulate.
HOW TO DISTINGUISH A BIG HOTEL FROM A SMALL HOTEL
There are two criteria: the total number of rooms in the hotel (this can often be viewed on the reservation system website), and the opening hours of the reception desk.
If the hotel check-in is open 24 hours a day, and the number of rooms in the hotel is 50-60 or more, then you can’t expect problems with receiving booking confirmation - this is a large hotel, and its staff is ready for such situations.
If the number of rooms in a hotel is from 20-30 to 50-60 - this is an average hotel, there shouldn’t be any special problems with receiving documents from it either (but this “seems like it shouldn’t be”).
But if the hotel you choose has only 5-15 rooms, and the reception desk is open only during the day, then you can expect everything there (problems with obtaining confirmation of accommodation, I mean).
The same applies to apartments (apartments) and guest houses. Their owners, as a rule, have no idea what they are talking about when they are asked for documents confirming their residence.
They will have to explain in detail what you want to get from them. Sometimes it's easier to do everything yourself (as described in the example above) and just send them the document for approval.
In what language should you make a request for documents confirming your residence?
A request to a hotel for documents confirming your stay must be made either in English or in the language of the country in which the hotel is located.
In general, if you require documents from a hotel, it is better to immediately (even at the stage of planning your trip) choose a hotel whose staff speaks English.
What languages the hotel staff speaks can be found out on the reservation system website (reputable systems provide such information, among other things).
Since I speak English more or less clearly, I always choose to stay in hotels where the staff also speaks English (it’s easier to live there, at least you have someone to ask if something happens).
In principle, if the hotel is large enough or a chain hotel, then, as a rule, the staff there speaks English at some acceptable level (even in such “collective farms” as Romania or Albania).
In small hotels (in any country), you may well encounter a situation where the hotel staff speaks only the language of their country. (This, by the way, was the case with the hostess of the hotel in Poland, for whom I myself made confirmation of accommodation).
Therefore, when choosing a hotel, pay attention to what languages the establishment’s staff speak. If possible, choose hotels where English is spoken (if, of course, you speak French, German, or another language - accordingly, those hotels where this language is spoken). It will be more convenient for you, definitely.
How many proofs of residence are needed?
Is it necessary to provide proof of residence for each participant in the trip, or is one document sufficient?
From the hotel it is enough to get one proof of residence. The main thing is that it listsAllparticipants of the upcoming trip (including even the smallest children).
One paper is enough(one document) from each hotel along the travel route.
The main thing is that all participants in the trip are listed (indicated).
For each participant of the trip, in addition to his last name and first name, the confirmation must indicate (at a minimum) the number of his international passport, and citizenship - i.e. data allowing the consulate to uniquely identify the person.
Also, the confirmation must indicate the dates of the planned stay, payment information (or payment guarantees), and must have the hotel’s stamp and the signature of the manager. A receipt for payment is not required. If it is attached - good. No - no problem, it will work like that.
Request to the hotel to obtain documents confirming your stay there
This section provides an example of a request to a hotel to receive documents confirming your stay there. Let me remind you that the request must be made in English, or in the national language of the country in which the hotel is located.
In Baltic hotels, you can try to write in Russian. True, they answer in English (they don’t have a Russian keyboard), but they answer.
Contents of the request for documents confirming accommodation
The text of the request for documents confirming your stay that you send to the hotel should be approximately as indicated below (in English - a little lower).
If the hotel is booked but not paid for:
"Good afternoon!
I booked a room at your hotel through the Booking.com reservation system, booking number 123456, dates of stay from ... to ... .
Please send me confirmation of accomodation at your hotel, which I need to obtain a Schengen visa.
In the confirmation, please indicate the names and passport numbers of the guests [here you need to provide a list of full names of the trip participants with international passport numbers], dates of stay, as well as information about payment for the room (payment guarantees).
If necessary, I am ready to make an advance payment or provide you with payment guarantees. Please issue the document on your hotel's letterhead.
Best regards, Name.”
If the hotel room was paid for immediately(when booking), then everything is even simpler. You just need to request from the administration documents confirming the fact of payment for the hotel on such and such dates, and for such and such (full name) of the residents.
An example request text would be:
"Good afternoon!
I booked and paid for a room at your hotel through the Booking.com reservation system, booking number 123456, dates of stay from ... to ... .
Please send me a document confirming that you paid for a room in your hotel(confirmation of accommodation), which I need to obtain a Schengen visa.
In the confirmation, please indicate the names and passport numbers of the guests [here you need to provide a list of full names of the trip participants with international passport numbers], dates of stay, as well as hotel payment information.
Please fill out the document on your hotel’s letterhead and attach a receipt for payment (if possible).
Best regards, Name.”
You send this request to the hotel's email address and wait for the reaction of its employees. They will definitely answer you, but what they will answer is impossible to predict in advance.
An example request text in English is given below.
Text of the request for documents confirming hotel accommodation, in English
If you do not speak English, then learn it by simply copying the text of the request for confirmation of accommodation posted below and sending it to the hotels along your route, previously correcting the data to yours:
IF THE HOTEL HAS NOT BEEN PAID AT THE RESERVATION
The situation here is a little more complicated: we would need (preferably) to persuade the hotel not to pay immediately (in case they don’t issue a visa), but to “press” it into making a decision to “freeze” the funds in our account, without actually debiting them.
In this case, the hotel will write “Payment guaranteed” in the confirmation, which will suit both us and the consulate. And the calculation will already be on site upon arrival.
Hotels sometimes do this (for some reason they often really like to receive payment in cash), but not always and not all of them. However, you can try.
To understand what is being discussed below, first just read the text using Google Translate (just click on the link, the translation of the text below will immediately open in a new window), there you can fix it right away“for yourself” and from there copy and paste into your letter.
Good afternoon! I booked a room at your hotel through “Booking.com” (No. 000.000.000), arrival 05/25/2018, departure 06/10/2018.
I need to get a confirmation of the hotel stay (confirmation of accomodation). This document is necessary for me to apply to the consulate of Latvia for obtaining a Schengen visa.
I am ready to prepay up to 100%, if necessary, or guarantee payment to you.
If this is acceptable, you can simply to hold the required amount on my bank card, if it is suitable as a guarantee of payment.
Confirmation of accommodation must contain at least the following information for consulate: arrival and departure dates, guest names, as well as payment details (or about a payment guarantee).
Please make this confirmation in English and on the letterhead of your hotel, if possible.
Information about guests: Guest number 1: Ivan Ivanov. Country: Russia, city: Orenburg. Passport 00№0000000
Guest number 2: Tatiana Ivanova. Country: Russia, city: Orenburg. Passport 00№0000000
If you need more details, write to me and I will give you all the necessary information.
Thank you very much in advance.
With best wishes, Ivan Ivanov.
Well, if the option with a guarantee of payment does not work (the hotel will inform you about this), then well... you will have to pay for your stay. But at least we tried. Then we simply pay and wait for a document confirming payment.
IF THE HOTEL HAS BEEN PAID IN ADVANCE
If the hotel has already been paid for by you at the booking stage, then the situation becomes extremely simple. We do not need to look for payment options, agree on the terms of prepayment and actions in case of cancellation, etc.
We just need to request documents confirming the fact of payment for the hotel. BUT this should not be just a receipt for payment, but a full-fledged paper that lists the data of all persons carrying out the trip (what was mentioned above).
But the check itself is not very obligatory. The manager's signature and the hotel's stamp on his letterhead are sufficient.
In this case, you can use approximately the following option for contacting the hotel, which is given below.
Hotel Optima, Krakow, Poland:
Hotel Aura, Prague, Czech Republic:
NOTE:
Carefully study the document you received from the hotel. Check the dates of stay indicated there, as well as the names and surnames of the guests (the spelling must match what is written in the passport) and other information specified in the document.
If something is written incorrectly (this happens), then immediately write to the hotel and demand that the mistake be corrected, they do it without any problems.
Prepayment of the hotel upon receipt of confirmation of accommodation
To receive documents confirming your stay from the hotel, in most cases you will have to prepay for your stay. In some cases, this is required by the consulate, in others - these are the requirements of the hotel.
If the prepayment is subject to the requirements of the consulate (as, for example, among the Poles), it must be fulfilled (otherwise, the consulate will not accept these documents as proof of residence).
If the consulate does not require mandatory full (100%) prepayment of the hotel, then its size depends entirely on your agreement with the hotel. Hotels, unfortunately, have learned from bitter experience (when tourists book rooms to obtain a visa, and then immediately cancel them).
Therefore, some hotels (not all - this is individual) insist that when issuing documents confirming accommodation, the rate will be changed to non-refundable, and that in case of cancellation of the reservation, the entire payment for the stay will be withheld in full, or part of it (usually , in the amount of one night's stay).
The amount of the required prepayment, as well as the conditions for its return in case of cancellation of the reservation, is a strictly individual matter for each hotel.
Please note the conditions for prepayment and refund conditions, if you cancel your reservation. At this point you need to pay attention BEFORE execution of the payment.
In general, as noted above, everything here is strictly individual. Each hotel decides for itself what conditions to set for you. Whether you agree with them (such conditions) or not is entirely your decision.
FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE:
I was asked to pay in full and without the possibility of a refund only once (the Optima hotel chain, Poland). In principle, almost all Polish hotels will only require 100% prepayment from you when it comes to providing documents for the consulate (for obtaining a visa).
But the conditions for a refund in case of cancellation of a reservation - here the requirements vary from hotel to hotel.
I (personally) consider acceptable conditions to be when, if you cancel your reservation, the hotel claims to withhold payment for one night’s stay. This is normal practice.
Although, you can find better conditions. Here the little ones, the so-called, are happy to meet you halfway. “family” hotels (where the owner of the hotel often sits at the reception desk).
In this case, he, of course, is not bound by any internal instructions for staff (unlike the staff of large hotels), and is free to make his own decisions regarding payment options and conditions for its return.
However, as I noted above, the decision on this issue is up to you. You are not satisfied with the conditions - cancel your reservation and look for another hotel that will offer more acceptable cancellation conditions if something happens. If you are 100% confident in your trip, pay and don’t even think about it.
I note that there are “specialists” who book hotels only to obtain a visa, and after receiving it, they immediately cancel the reservation. Don't do this. In any case, until you cross the border (that is, you enter the Schengen zone). Then you can.
This will not be a completely fair game, but such options exist, and they can (and sometimes, sometimes, need to) be used if necessary. But with caution.
Methods for obtaining documents confirming accommodation from the hotel
Documents confirming residence can be obtained any in a manner convenient for you and the hotel. In most cases, this will be a file in the format of a picture or a *.pdf document, which you must print out in good quality and attach to the set of documents sent to the consulate.
But different situations are possible here. For example, in the Optima hotel chain mentioned above, they happily informed me that they could send me the required document only(!) by fax and nothing else. (The 21st century is just around the corner...)
Moreover, all my persuasion led to nothing, and I still had to look for a fax to receive this document.
Do I need to receive proof of residence by fax?
Here I will make a digression on the topic of receiving documents confirming hotel accommodation by fax.
There is an opinion (described on some tourism websites) that consulates supposedly “love” (and almost require) confirmation of accommodation from hotels received by fax, since in this case it is difficult to fake them.
None From openly published official documents, as well as on consulate websites (and I reviewed a lot of them), there is no such requirement anywhere (I have not seen it).
Perhaps 10-15 years ago, when copying technology was not so developed, and when only a few people (hotel employees) knew how to make documents in *.pdf format, inserting both the hotel stamp and the manager’s signature into them, then this was also relevant .
But now, when a fairly decent camera is built into any smartphone, and a scanner is easier to find than a fax... receiving documents by fax is nonsense.
I know for a fact (based on personal experience) that of all the confirmations of accommodation I received from hotels to obtain a visa, only one was transferred to me using a fax machine.
The rest were sent to me via e-mail in the form of documents in *.pdf format, or in the form of drawings. And they all set up a consulate.
In what form should I submit documents from hotels confirming my stay to the consulate?
At the consulate, documents confirming your stay must be submitted exactly in the form in which you received them from the hotel. You will receive most confirmations in *.jpeg *.jpg or *.bmp format, or in *.pdf format.
After receiving confirmation, print it in good quality (this is a prerequisite), in the number of copies according to the number of visa applications submitted: one travel participant - one set of documents, and attach these papers to to each package of documents.
The main thing is that the terms of payment comply with the requirements of the consulate (if these requirements are published), and the contents of the document comply with the requirements for it (see above), i.e. so that it contains all the necessary information about accommodation.
With this, I will finish my note on the process of obtaining documents confirming accommodation from hotels to submit them to the consulate for obtaining a Schengen visa.
I hope that the topic of receiving documents from hotels has been fully covered by me. In any case, I told everything I knew. I believe that the information above is more than enough to guide you on the issue of obtaining confirmation of accommodation from the hotel, from how to request it to what it looks like and what it is.
To book a hotel room directly through the hotel and request confirmation of the booking via fax or email to the British Embassy, you must write a letter to the hotel as follows:
Dear Sir / Madame,
I would like to book a double / single room with your hotel for 2 persons (2 people).
The arrival date is HERE WRITE THE DATE OF ARRIVAL,
departure AND HERE IS THE DEPARTURE DATE (Please include breakfast)
Please confirm my booking via fax/e-mail: HERE WE INDICATE YOUR FAX NUMBER OR YOUR E-MAIL
Such a confirmation of the reservation made is a visa processing requirement in the embassy of HERE INDICATING THE COUNTRY WHERE THE UK EMBASSY IS LOCATED IN WHICH YOU ARE APPLYING FOR A VISA
Yours faithfully,
Original letter in Russian:
Dear Sirs!
I would like to book a single/double room in your hotel for two people.
Arrival date …
Check out… (including breakfast)
Please confirm my order via fax/email: ...
This is needed for the embassy... in...
Best wishes,
And here is a sample letter asking to send a confirmation of a reservation, which was made using the Booking.com website:
Dear Sir / Madame,
I have booked a room in your hotel via booking.com for ENTER THE FIRST PERSON'S NAME and ENTER THE SECOND PERSON'S NAME from ARRIVAL DATE to DEPARTURE DATE. Could you, please send me a confirmation of my reservation with stamp and signature by fax INDICATING YOUR FAX NUMBER? I have to present this confirmation to the Consular Dept. of the SPECIFY THE COUNTRY OF THE EMBASSY THAT ISSUES VISAS Embassy in SPECIFY THE CITY AND COUNTRY WHERE THE EMBASSY IS LOCATED in order to obtain the entry visas. Please indicate 2 the both names in this reservation confirmation: SPECIFY THE FIRST AND LAST NAME OF 2 PEOPLE.
Yours faithfully
SIGNATURE (NAME AND LAST NAME)
Another example with a request for available rooms and their prices:
Do you have a place for one night bet SPECIFY ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE DATE for 2 people?
What is the price for room (all you rooms are beautiful) with double bed and bathroom?
SIGNATURE (NAME AND LAST NAME)
Here is a sample letter if you need a discount on a hotel room when special rates do not apply to the required dates:
I saw you have special offers. Maybe you can offer to us some nice price to?
Also if you could give me price for 3 night between SPECIFY ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE DATE.
I will be happy to pay at advance)
SIGNATURE (NAME AND LAST NAME)
Well, if the hotel doesn’t have special prices, but you want a discount, then you can write this:
Me and my husband looking for nice place to stay for night 2 bet SPECIFY ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE DATE for 2 people? Do you have special offers? Maybe you can offer to us some nice price to?
