Visa Invitation Letter Spain (Carta de Invitación para Visado)

A Visa Invitation Letter Spain (Carta de Invitación para Visado) is a formal document submitted by a person legally residing or holding Spanish citizenship — the inviting party (persona invitante) — to the Comisaría de Policía Nacional (Cuerpo Nacional de Policía) of the province where the inviting party resides, for the purpose of supporting a foreign national's application for a Schengen short-stay visa (visado de corta duración tipo C) or, in limited cases, a national visa (visado de larga duración tipo D), at a Spanish diplomatic mission (Consulado de España) abroad.

The Carta de Invitación in Spain is governed by Ley Orgánica 4/2000 de 11 de enero sobre Derechos y Libertades de los Extranjeros en España y su Integración Social (LOEx) Article 25 — which establishes the requirement that non-EU nationals seeking entry to Spain demonstrate sufficient means of subsistence and accommodation — and by Real Decreto 557/2011 de 20 de abril (Reglamento de Extranjería), which develops the procedural requirements for the carta de invitación. The Carta de Invitación Spain is a specific Spanish administrative instrument distinct from a simple private letter of invitation — it must be officially filed at the Comisaría de Policía Nacional, which processes the document and provides an official stamp (sello policial) that authenticates the invitation for use at the Spanish Consulate.

Spain is a Schengen Area member state under the Convenio de Schengen of 1985 and the Reglamento (UE) 2016/399 (Código de Fronteras Schengen). Schengen short-stay visas (Category C) allow stays of up to 90 days within any 180-day period in the Schengen Area. The Visa Code (Reglamento (CE) 810/2009 as amended by Reglamento (UE) 2019/1155) harmonizes the Schengen visa application procedure — the Carta de Invitación Spain is recognized as evidence of accommodation and purpose of visit under Annex I of the Visa Code.

The procedure for obtaining a Carta de Invitación Spain requires the inviting party to attend in person at their local Comisaría de Policía Nacional (specifically the Extranjería or Extranjeros section) with: their own identity document (DNI for Spanish nationals, TIE or NIE for resident foreigners); proof of their legal residence in Spain (empadronamiento certificate from the Ayuntamiento — a mandatory registration in the Padrón Municipal); proof of accommodation capacity (housing documentation — lease contract, property deed, or habitability certificate); and the completed application form. The Policía Nacional verifies the inviting person's legal status and issues the official carta, typically within a few days to two weeks depending on the Comisaría's workload.

The Carta de Invitación Spain should not be confused with the standard private invitation letter used in other Schengen countries — in Spain, only the officially issued Carta de Invitación stamped by the Policía Nacional is accepted as proof of invitation by Spanish Consulados for Schengen visa applications. A private letter without the official police stamp is insufficient for Spanish visa purposes under Real Decreto 557/2011.

The legal framework governing the Visa Invitation Letter Spain (Carta de Invitación para Visado) in Spain draws on several key statutes and regulatory bodies. Under Spanish law, the Código Civil governs marriage (Article 66), divorce (Article 81), custody (Article 92), and maintenance (Article 142). The Ley Orgánica 1/1996 (LOPJM) protects minors. The Registro Civil records births, marriages, and deaths. The Ley 15/2015 de Jurisdicción Voluntaria governs non-contentious proceedings. The Ley Orgánica 1/1982 protects fundamental rights including image and privacy. Parties executing a Visa Invitation Letter Spain (Carta de Invitación para Visado) in Spain should confirm the document reflects current law, including any amendments enacted since the original drafting date. The Ley Orgánica 4/2000 de Extranjería, Article 25; Real Decreto 557/2011 sets the foundational requirements.

A Visa Invitation Letter Spain is needed whenever a person legally resident in Spain wishes to formally invite a foreign national — a family member, friend, or business acquaintance — who requires a Schengen visa to enter Spain, and the Spanish Consulado in the visitor's country of residence requests documentary proof of accommodation and means of subsistence.

The document is required when a Spanish national (ciudadano español) or a legal resident holding a valid Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero (TIE) wishes to invite a non-EU national family member — such as a sibling, parent, or adult child — who holds a passport from a country subject to Schengen visa requirements, including Morocco, India, China, Pakistan, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and many others.

A Visa Invitation Letter Spain is needed when the invited person cannot demonstrate independently sufficient economic means (medios económicos suficientes) or hotel accommodation bookings to satisfy the Schengen Visa Code requirements, and relies on the inviting party to provide accommodation in their home and financial support during the visit.

The document is required by the Spanish Consulados in countries where Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores, Unión Europea y Cooperación) requires proof of accommodation as a mandatory supporting document for tourist or family visit visa applications — the list of required documents varies by country and is published on each Consulado's website.

A Visa Invitation Letter Spain is needed when a foreign national is invited to Spain for a short-term business visit — a conference, trade fair (feria), or commercial meeting — by a Spanish company (empresa española), and the company's representative acts as the inviting party, providing documentation of the business relationship and the company's legal status in Spain.

The document is also needed when a foreign national who was previously refused a Schengen visa wishes to reapply with stronger documentary support — the Carta de Invitación stamped by the Policía Nacional substantially strengthens the visa application by demonstrating that the accommodation and subsistence elements are guaranteed by a legal Spanish resident.

A Visa Invitation Letter Spain is required when Spanish nationals abroad (españoles en el exterior) registered in the Registro de Matrícula Consular wish to invite family members from their country of residence to visit them in Spain during holiday periods — the carta must be obtained by the inviting party from the Spanish Comisaría de Policía Nacional in the province where the inviting party's Spanish domicile is registered.

Under Spanish law, the Código Civil governs marriage (Article 66), divorce (Article 81), custody (Article 92), and maintenance (Article 142). The Ley Orgánica 1/1996 (LOPJM) protects minors. The Registro Civil records births, marriages, and deaths. The Ley 15/2015 de Jurisdicción Voluntaria governs non-contentious proceedings. The Ley Orgánica 1/1982 protects fundamental rights including image and privacy.

A valid Visa Invitation Letter Spain as required by the Policía Nacional under Real Decreto 557/2011 must contain the following information and must be submitted with the supporting documentation described below. Note that the official carta is issued by the Policía Nacional — the pre-submission letter prepared by the inviting party contains all the information needed for the Comisaría's processing.

Identification of the Inviting Party: Full name, date of birth, nationality, DNI (for Spanish nationals) or TIE/NIE number and expiry date (for foreign residents), address of habitual residence in Spain (domicilio habitual) as registered in the Padrón Municipal, occupation (profesión), and contact telephone number. The inviting party's legal status in Spain must be clearly established.

Identification of the Invited Person: Full name, date of birth, nationality, passport number (número de pasaporte) and passport expiry date, current address in the country of residence, family or personal relationship (relación) with the inviting party, and the purpose of the planned visit (turismo familiar, visita de amigos, negocio, etc.).

Details of the Planned Visit: The intended arrival and departure dates of the visit; the address in Spain where the invited person will reside during the visit (domicilio donde se hospedará); confirmation that accommodation is available in the inviting party's home (mi domicilio); and a statement of who will bear the costs of accommodation and subsistence (gastos de alojamiento y manutención) during the stay.

Financial Commitment: A statement by the inviting party committing to bear the economic costs of the visit — accommodation (alojamiento) and daily subsistence (manutención). The Comisaría de Policía Nacional may require supporting documentation of the inviting party's financial means — typically the last three months' payslips (nóminas), tax returns (declaración de la renta — Modelo 100 AEAT), or bank statements (extractos bancarios).

Accommodation Documentation: Proof that the inviting party has sufficient accommodation — a lease agreement (contrato de arrendamiento) or property deed (escritura de propiedad) for the dwelling where the visitor will stay; and a certificado de empadronamiento (certificate of registration in the Padrón Municipal) issued by the Ayuntamiento of the inviting party's municipality, typically within three months of the carta application.

Signature and Oath: The carta submitted to the Policía Nacional must be signed by the inviting party and may require signature before a Policía Nacional official — the inviting party swears or affirms the truthfulness of all information. Providing false information to the Policía Nacional constitutes an administrative offence under Real Decreto 557/2011 and a potential criminal offence under the Código Penal (falsedad en documento público).

Police Stamp: After processing, the Comisaría de Policía Nacional issues the carta with an official stamp (sello oficial) and a reference number. This stamped carta is the document submitted to the Spanish Consulado as part of the visa application package alongside the Schengen visa application form (Form VIS), photographs, passport, travel insurance (seguro médico de viaje covering minimum €30,000), and other required documents.

Forms-legal.com provides this Visa Invitation Letter Spain template as a drafting aid for the information to be presented to the Comisaría de Policía Nacional. The carta must be personally submitted at the Comisaría by the inviting party — it cannot be submitted remotely or by a representative in most provinces. Always check the specific requirements of the local Comisaría and the Spanish Consulado in the visitor's country before preparing the application.

Under Spanish law, the Código Civil governs marriage (Article 66), divorce (Article 81), custody (Article 92), and maintenance (Article 142). The Ley Orgánica 1/1996 (LOPJM) protects minors. The Registro Civil records births, marriages, and deaths. The Ley 15/2015 de Jurisdicción Voluntaria governs non-contentious proceedings. The Ley Orgánica 1/1982 protects fundamental rights including image and privacy.