Carta de Invitación | Invitation letter
What you need to know
When planning a visit to Spain, particularly for non-EU citizens, it is often necessary to obtain a visa through the Spanish embassy or consulate. In many cases, along with the visa application, applicants are required to provide a carta de invitación (invitation letter). This article serves as a comprehensive guide to understanding the appointment carta de invitación process in Spain, including its purpose, requirements, and how to obtain one.
An appointment carta de invitación is an official invitation letter issued by a host residing in Spain to invite someone from another country to visit. It serves as supporting documentation for visa applications, demonstrating the purpose and duration of the visit, as well as providing proof of accommodation and financial support.
Purpose of an Appointment Carta de Invitación:
Visa Application Requirement: The appointment carta de invitación is often a mandatory document for obtaining a visa to enter Spain. It verifies that the visitor has a legitimate reason for the visit and a place to stay while in the country.
Accommodation Confirmation: The letter confirms that the invitee will be staying at the host’s residence during their visit. This can be rented accommodation, or the host’s own home.
Financial Responsibility: The carta de invitación ensures that the host is financially responsible for the visitor during their stay in Spain. It demonstrates that the host will provide support for accommodation, meals, and any other necessary expenses.
Requirements for an Appointment Carta de Invitación:
Host's Details
Invitee's Details
Purpose and Duration of Visit
Clearly state the purpose of the visit, such as tourism, business, or family visit, as well as the expected duration of the stay. Include specific dates of arrival and departure.
Accommodation Information
Financial Support
Who can request the letter of invitation to Spain?
It must be requested by the host. That is, by the Spaniard or foreigner with legal residence in Spain who is going to welcome the foreigner into his home. In this way, they may request a letter of invitation in favor of a foreigner who are:
- Spanish citizens.
- Nationals of a member country of the European Union or beneficiaries of the community regime.
- Non-EU foreigners who have legal residence in Spain. Remember that non-EU foreigners are those who are not nationals of a country of the European Union, the European Economic Area or Switzerland.
How to get?
The first step is to make an appointment (cita previa ) on the SEDE – Administraciones Públicas administracionespublicas.gob.es in the province where you reside.
What documents are needed?
- Completed invitation form
- Tasa 790 012 printed, paid and stamped by the bank. As we can see on the website of the Ministry of Justice, the fee to pay to request the letter of invitation currently amounts to €75.05. Keep in mind that this is not the only fee to pay. However, once they call us after a few days to come back and pick up the official document, we will have to pay an extra amount. This amount varies depending on the police station in question, but it usually revolves around €6 and €7.
- Empadronamiento.
- Certificado de convivencia .Volantes de residencia y convivencia del Padrón municipal de habitantes. (Coexistence certificate. Residence and cohabitation flyers from the Municipal Register of Inhabitants).
- Document that certifies that it is the owner of the house or the holder of the rental.
- Copy and original of the DNI, or in case of being a resident foreigner, of your TIE.
- Copy of the passport of the invited foreigner (the one who will stay at your home).
- Sometimes, depending on the police station, they may ask for documents to prove financial means. The procedure is now much simpler than it was years ago. There is no requirement to provide this document on the website of the Ministry of Justice.
Resolution
Once the request has been resolved, the competent authority will notify the interested party of the resolution adopted which, in the case of being an estimate, will contain the notice to collect the Letter of Invitation.
The notification of the favorable resolution of the request for Letter of invitation will take effect so that the corresponding fee can be paid, in the terms provided in the current provisions. The payment of the fee must be made within one month from the aforementioned notification, and proof of said payment must be provided to collect the Letter of invitation.
The refusal, if any, of the request for a letter of invitation must be motivated and will express the appeals against it, the administrative or judicial body before which they should be presented and the term to file them.
How long does it take to process an invitation letter?
The truth is that the law does not establish a fixed or exact term for the processing of the invitation letter, but rather establishes that it will be processed in the shortest possible time. In practice, this means that it will depend to a great extent on the police station in which We request the document, taking into account that those located in large cities tend to have more work and therefore it may take a little longer. However, it usually does not take more than 20 days to arrive. Since the weather It will vary, our advice is simple: plan ahead and request it as soon as possible. Do not wait until the date of the trip approaches, and if possible, request this document 2 months before the foreigner has his plane to Spain.
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We can help you with completing the forms and accompany you to the appointment.