For those of you applying for a visa with an invitation from a friend/relative/resident of the country you’re visiting, then you might see this ‘Invitation Letter’ listed as one of the requirements for your visa application. You might be stressing out on this one but you have to relax. It’s not as complicated as you think!

One of the most common questions I get is, “How do I write an Invitation Letter for my Visa Application?”

I still highly suggest you make a more personalized letter since this would help you to have a stronger application. If you don’t know how to do it, contact me here.

Other Articles You can Read:

For this post, I will:

Discuss the things that should be stated in your letter;
Share a sample Invitation Letter; and
Answer Frequently Asked Questions.

WHAT SHOULD BE IN YOUR INVITATION LETTER?

1. Date

This is the date when you’ve written the letter. It is better that you write the month in letters and the numbers in numbers. Example: May 9, 2019, not 5/9/2019 or 9/5/2019 as it gets confusing sometimes.

2. Name of the Recipient and Address

The recipient is usually the Consul/Ambassador of the Embassy where you’re applying at and his office address. If you’re applying at VFS France, then it should look like this:

Mr. Thierry Mathou

Ambassador

French Embassy in Manila, Philippines

Pacific Star Building - 16th floor, corner Sen. Gil Puyat Ext. and Makati Avenue

1200 Makati City, Manila, Philippines

3. Brief Explanation

And by brief, it shall only contain this:

RE: Invitation Letter for Mr./Ms. _________________ with Passport No. ____________

4. Body

This shall indicate your relationship, the length and dates of your stay, purpose of travel, what the inviting person shall be shouldering, proof of residency, as well as other proof to support that the inviting person is financially capable. Your relationship could be that of an employer and employee, friend, relative, etc.

5. Closing

6. Guest’s Details

This includes the name, address, contact number, relationship, and email address.

SAMPLE INVITATION LETTER FOR VISA APPLICATION

I still suggest you create a more personalized letter than below but you can also use it. Now to sum it up, your letter should look like this:

May 1, 2019

Mr. Thierry Mathou

Ambassador

French Embassy in Manila, Philippines

Pacific Star Building - 16th floor, corner Sen. Gil Puyat Ext. and Makati Avenue

1200 Makati City, Manila, Philippines

RE: Invitation Letter for Ms. Mary Silva with Passport No. 123ABC

Dear Mr. Mathou,

This is to formally invite my girlfriend, Ms. Katrina Howe to visit me here in France. We have been together for 4 years now and we personally met 8 times already. In fact, I have visited her in the Philippines myself and have met her beautiful family.

All expenses for this trip will be shouldered by me including flights, daily expenses, as well as accommodation. I work as a Systems Analyst in XYZ Company with a salary of 3,000 Euros/month and I believe that I can very well finance the expenses during her entire stay. The details of her trip are as follows:

Length of stay: From May 28, 2019 to June 15, 2019

Purpose of travel: To travel around France/Touristic Purposes

Accommodation: My apartment at 1234 Paris, France

Enclosed is a copy of my Passport, Identity Card, Billing Statements, Tax Certificate, as well as my Bank Certificate. We will be very happy if you can grant her the Schengen Visa.

For any questions or any further documents that you may ask of me, please do not hesitate to contact me at monsieur@gmail.com.

Best regards,

Monsieur Hallu

GUEST’S DETAILS:

Ms. Katrina Howe

4321 Bangkal St. Makati City, Philippines

09954526465; kach@mrandmrshowe.com

FAQS:

1. Can the invitation letter be in a language other than English?

Yes. It can be in the language of the Embassy where you’re applying at. As in the sample above, it can be in French.

2. Can I change the format?

Sure! There is no hard and fast rule on how your Invitation Letter should look like. You can change it but make sure all the details stated above are still there.

3. I met my partner online. Should I state this in my letter?

Yes because they might ask this in the interview too and they might think that you’re trying to conceal it.

4. I and my partner haven’t met personally yet. Should I state this in my letter?

Yes because they might ask this in the interview too and they might think that you’re trying to conceal it.

5. What font should I use?

Nothing in particular but I suggest you use a clean font like Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman. (Please do not use cursive!)

6. Do I need to provide Original Documents that are needed from the Sponsor?

It depends on the Embassy where you’re applying at but usually, they only ask for a printed copy of the scanned copy.

7. Can he/she only shoulder the accommodation?

Yes. Just state it in your letter.

8. What documents from my sponsor do I need to provide if he’s only shouldering the accommodation?

The copy of his/her passport, Identity Card, and Billing Statements. Make sure to ask the Embassy too if they need anything else.

9. Can I write a letter that’s longer than one page?

It’s up to you and it depends on your circumstances. Keep it as brief as you can and please do not write a 4-page letter. That’s too much! I doubt if the Consul will be happy to read it considering his workload.