Invitation letter for visit visa: what to include, by country

An invitation letter for a visit visa is a signed letter from the person you will visit, stating who they are, how you know each other, why you are coming, how long you will stay, where you will stay and who will pay. It supports your application but never guarantees a visa. Canada and Australia publish what it should say, and Germany and the Netherlands use official sponsor forms.

What is an invitation letter for a visit visa?

Three different papers get called an invitation letter in Pakistan:

• An invitation letter from a relative, friend or company explains the visit: who is inviting, why, for how long and where you will stay.
• A sponsor letter is a promise by someone to pay your costs, backed by their financial documents. Often one letter does both jobs.
• An official sponsor form is a government form some Schengen countries use, such as Germany's Verpflichtungserklärung (often typed Verpflichtungserklaerung) or the Dutch proof of sponsorship.

Whatever the format, the real host writes and signs it, and every word must be true.

What should an invitation letter include?

IRCC's guidance is the most detailed, and works as a checklist anywhere:

• About you: full name, date of birth, address and phone number, and your relationship to the host.
• About the visit: the purpose, how long you will stay, where you will stay, how costs will be paid and when you will leave.
• About the host: full name, date of birth, address and phone number, job title, immigration status, and a copy of a document proving that status.

What should a Canada visitor visa invitation letter say?

IRCC's letter of invitation page lists the details above, and adds that the host should give details of their family, such as the names and dates of birth of their spouse and dependants. As proof of status, the host can attach a Canadian birth certificate, citizenship card, PR card or IMM 1000, or a certificate of Indian status.

Writing the letter does not make the host legally responsible for you in Canada, but IRCC says they must write it in good faith and keep the promises in it. IRCC's online application tool asks people visiting family to show proof of the relationship, such as a birth or marriage certificate, and those visiting for compassionate reasons to include a letter of invitation. Our Canada visit visa guide covers the full file. This is general information only: personalised Canadian immigration advice is given through Via Nova's licensed RCIC partner, a regulated Canadian immigration consultant.

What does a UK visit visa invitation letter from a relative need?

The UK has no set format. The application form asks for the name and address of anyone paying for your trip, and the name, address and passport number of family members in the UK. GOV.UK's supporting documents guide says that if a sponsor pays for travel, living costs or accommodation, you should show:

• what support is being given, and how;
• that the sponsor has enough money to support themselves, their dependants and you;
• your relationship;
• that the sponsor is legally in the UK, for example with a British passport or residence document.

Under paragraph V 4.3 of Appendix V: Visitor, the sponsor must have a genuine personal or professional relationship with you and must not be breaching immigration law. The caseworker guidance says officers may check where and how you met and how often you talk, and treats differences between your answers and your sponsor's as a reason for doubt. See our UK visit visa guide.

What is a Schengen invitation letter or Verpflichtungserklärung?

Article 14(4) of the Visa Code lets each Schengen country require its own sponsorship or accommodation form, showing the sponsor's identity, your identity, the address, the length and purpose of the stay and any family ties.

• Germany: the German Missions in Pakistan accept a formal obligation letter, issued by the host's foreigners office under sections 66 to 68 of the Residence Act, which checks the host's finances and makes them liable for your costs. In Munich, for example, the host applies in person, an employed host brings three months of salary statements, the fee is €29, and the host posts you the original. Instead, the host can send a signed informal invitation with copies of their passport, residence permit and certificate of residence.
• Netherlands: a sponsor must live in the Netherlands, be 18 or older, have a citizen service number and have steady, sufficient income for at least the next 12 months. They sign the proof of sponsorship form, have the signature legalised by the municipality where required and post you the original.
• France: a host can provide a welcome certificate, which lowers the funds you must show to €32.50 a day.

Our Schengen visa guide explains which country to apply to.

Do the USA, Australia and UAE need an invitation letter?

USA: USTravelDocs Pakistan does not list one. If you are visiting a relative, it suggests photocopies of their US status papers, such as a Green Card, naturalization certificate or visa. The officer decides on your own ties, purpose and funds, so a letter cannot make up for weak ties. See our USA visit visa guide.

Australia: Home Affairs suggests a letter from your relative or friend in Australia stating your relationship, the purpose and length of the visit and whether you will stay with them. If they will pay for your stay, include proof of their funds. See our Australia visit visa guide.

UAE: for a family or friend visit to Dubai, the UAE resident applies to GDRFA Dubai with proof of the relationship and their salary certificate or employment contract. Pakistanis also need a CNIC copy. Our Dubai visit visa guide covers the options.

What documents should the host attach?

• A copy of their passport or ID, and proof of immigration status abroad.
• Proof of address.
• Proof of income if they are paying: recent payslips, bank statements or tax documents.
• Proof of your relationship, such as a NADRA FRC, birth certificate or marriage certificate.

Your own job, income and family ties in Pakistan still matter most. Our guide to the bank statement for a visit visa covers the money side.

What does an invitation or sponsor letter format look like?

Not sure where you stand?

Send who is inviting you, their country and immigration status, your relationship, your travel dates, who is paying and a summary of your own job and income to a Via Nova counsellor on WhatsApp at +92 316 4448062. You will get an honest check of whether the letter and your documents tell one consistent story, through our visit visa service. Our counsellors are in Lake City Meadows (Ex State Life), next to DHA Phase 5, Lahore, and also advise online. A visit visa never allows you to work, and Via Nova does not arrange jobs, job offers or work visas. Only the embassy decides your visa.