Are you planning to visit a friend or a relative during your travel in the EU ? Are you going to Europe for business purposes or to study ? In all of these cases, having an invitation letter should help you obtain your Schengen visa. Schengen visa application is quite a long process and requires to gather many documents. Amongst them, the invitation letter for Schengen visa is extremely beneficial for applicants as it proves that you won’t stay illegally in any of the Schengen member countries.
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What is an invitation letter for Schengen visa ?
An invitation letter is a letter written and signed by someone you’re going to visit during your stay in the Schengen area. In this letter, your friend or relative invites you at their place and guarantees that you won’t illegally stay in the country. In The Complete Guide to a Schengen Visa, you can learn more about how to write an invitation letter for a Schengen visa.
For example, if you’re visiting your cousin in France, he may send you an invitation letter explaining his relationship to you and stating that he will support you financially if needed during your time in the country.
Invitation letters are requested for the Schengen visa to visit a friend or relative. In other cases, it’s only optional and you can just attach it to the rest of your application documents. Adding an invitation letter to your file will be of great support for your application as it will show the embassy or the consulate that you visit the Schengen zone with a purpose.
Even if the invitation letter is not mandatory, it will make it easier for the embassy or the consulate to grant you the Schengen visa as the authorities will have more control over the length of your stay.
The four different types of invitation letters for Schengen visa
The invitation letter doesn’t necessarily have to be written by a friend or a relative of yours. If you’re traveling to Europe for a different purpose than tourism, like business or studies for example, then your invitation letter will take a different form. You can learn how to write a Schengen Visa invitation letter that is suitable for the purpose of your trip.
Visa invitation letter from friends or family for tourism purposes
This is the most common type of invitation letter. If your plan is to go to Europe to visit friends or relatives, then you may ask one of them to write and sign an invitation letter stating the nature of your relationship, the duration and the purpose of your stay as well as your financial status.
Visa invitation letter for business purposes
If your plan is to go to Europe for business purposes, then you may ask for an invitation letter from the person / the company you plan to visit. The letter must specify the business relationship you have with this person/company, the duration of your stay and the details of the work you’ll be doing.
Invitation letter for Schengen visa from college or university
If you’re going to Europe to study in a college or a university, the embassy or the consulate will ask you to prove this. To do so, you may ask any supervisor of that college or university to write an invitation letter for you. The letter will have to specify the duration and dates of your studies, how they’re being financed, where you’ll be staying, etc.
Invitation letter for Schengen visa from a hospital or a clinic
If you’re going to Europe for medical purposes, then once again you’ll have to prove this with an invitation letter. If your plan is to receive medical treatment in the EU, then you need a letter from a doctor working at the hospital you’ll be going to and stating why you have to go to this specific hospital and explaining your medical condition. This letter will also have to state how your treatment will be paid and who will be responsible for you.
Invitation letter for Schengen visa from a sponsor
If you’re going to Europe in order to assist a conference or a sports game, for example, then you need to provide an invitation letter written by the organizer. The letter will have to state why you have to be at the event and other details such as the event’s dates and where you’ll be staying.
Writing a visa invitation letter step by step
No worries, writing a visa invitation letter is quite an easy and quick task. So there’s no need here to pay a lawyer or a visa expert as long as your letter contains the below information :
- Embassy name and contact information
- Inviting person’s name, status in the Schengen country and contact information
- Applicant’s name and passport number
- The date the letter was written
- Opening salutations and statements
- Purpose and dates of travel
- Relationship between inviting person and applicant
- Itinerary of travel
- Closing salutations
- Inviting person’s signature
- Additional documents attached to the letter
Tip: The visa invitation letter has to be written using formal language. It has to reflect all the respect one must-have for embassies. This is why there must not be any local expressions or colloquial language. Also, your flight itinerary is required to provide proof of your trip.
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Visa invitation letter samples
Sample invitation letter from friend for tourism purposes
To: Date:
Immigration Officer
[Embassy Name]
[Embassy Address
[Embassy Phone Number]
Re: Invitation Letter for [Applicant’s Name] with Passport No. __________________
Dear Sir/Madam,
I, [Inviting Person’s Full Name] currently residing at [Inviting Person’s Address], and a citizen/permanent citizen of [Country’s Name], am writing this letter to support the visa application of my friend, [Applicant’s Name].
The purpose of the visit of my friend, [Applicant’s Name] is to visit me and engage in tourism in [Country’s Name]. Our long-standing friendship has endured distance and time, and we have wanted to use the visit of my friend to reconnect and share old memories.
[Applicant’s Name] and I have been friends for [enter number of years or length of time]. We have [provide a description of activities or other events you have attended/done together]. This has led to us developing a close relationship and we have stayed in touch ever since.
[Applicant’s Name] will be visiting during the following dates: from [Provide starting date of visit in format DD/MM/YY] to [Provide ending date of visit in format DD/MM/YY].
During the specified trip dates above, we will be visiting [Specify city/place names]. In addition, [Applicant’s Name] will be staying at [Provide Inviting Person’s Address or Hotel Address]. The trip will be funded through [Provide means of funding].
Enclosures:
- Copy of inviting person’s Passport
- Copy of inviting person’s other ID
- Proof of relationship (you can attach pictures of events together or other supporting documents)
- Proof of accommodation
- Proof of return to home country (employment contract, property ownership, lease agreement, etc.)
- Other applicable documents
We sincerely request that you consider [Applicant’s Name] visa application and please do not hesitate to contact me for any questions or inquiries at [Inviting Person’s Phone Number] or [Inviting Person’s E-mail].
Kind regards,
[Inviting Person’s Signature]
[Inviting Person’s Name]
[Inviting Person’s Address]
[Inviting Person’s Phone Number]
[Inviting Person’s Email]
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Sample invitation letter from a relative for tourism purposes
To: Date:
Immigration Officer
[Embassy Name] [Embassy Address] [Embassy Phone Number]Re: Invitation Letter for [Applicant’s Name] with Passport No. __________________
Dear Sir/Madam,
I, [Inviting Person’s Name] currently residing at [Inviting Person’s Address], and a citizen/permanent citizen of [Country’s Name], am writing this letter to support the visa application of my parent [mother/father/brother/sister/etc.], [Applicant’s Name].
The purpose of the visit of my parent, [Applicant’s Name] is to visit me in [Country’s Name]. We have not seen each other in [Provide length of time] and would very much appreciate if we could spend time together. I have wanted to show my parent, [Applicant’s Name], the life I have built in [Country’s Name] for a very long time and would appreciate the chance to reconnect. We have a very close relationship and even from a distance, we continuously keep in touch.
[Applicant’s Name] will be visiting during the following dates: from [Provide starting date of visit in format DD/MM/YY] to [Provide ending date of visit in format DD/MM/YY].
During the specified trip dates above, we will be visiting [Specify city/place names]. In addition, [Applicant’s Name] will be staying at [Provide Inviting Person’s Address or Hotel Address]. The trip will be funded through [Provide means of funding].
Enclosures:
- Copy of inviting person’s Passport
- Copy of inviting person’s other ID
- Proof of relationship (birth certificate and other documents)
- Proof of accommodation
- Proof of return to home country (employment contract, property ownership, lease agreement, etc.)
- Other applicable documents
We sincerely request that you consider [Applicant’s Name] visa application and please do not hesitate to contact me for any questions or inquiries at [Inviting Person’s Phone Number] or [Inviting Person’s E-mail].
Kind regards,
[Inviting Person’s Signature]
[Inviting Person’s Name]
[Inviting Person’s Address]
[Inviting Person’s Phone Number]
[Inviting Person’s Email]
