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Procedure · Carta de invitación

Letter of invitation in Spain (carta de invitación)

The official letter proving where a visitor will stay, applied for by the host at their local police station. It costs €81.59 in total, not the €75 usually quoted, and it can involve a personal interview.

Checked at source ·

Official fee
€81.59 in total
Official name
Carta de invitación
Forms
790-012
Steps
7
Documents required
5

Source: Ministerio del Interior — Tasas — Extranjería. Checked .

Every immigration fee, with the official Spanish wording

Who needs one

People living in Spain who are hosting a foreign visitor coming for tourism or private reasons, where that visitor may be asked at the border to prove where they will be staying. The host applies, not the visitor.

Step by step

  1. Understand that this is a decision, not a form

    Under Order PRE/1283/2007 the letter depends on a favourable decision by the head of the police station where you apply. They open a file and assess the truthfulness of what you have declared, the validity of your documents and your identity, and they may call you in for a personal interview. It is not a certificate issued on demand.

  2. Apply at the police station where you live

    The host applies at the Comisaría de Policía for their place of residence, booking an appointment where one is required. That station is the one competent to process and issue it — you cannot choose a quieter one elsewhere.

    Where: Comisaría de Policía of the host's place of residence

  3. Prove you actually have the accommodation

    You must state expressly that you intend to invite and host the person, and where: your main home, or a second property, in which case you name the exact place. Then you have to prove the property is available to you — public deed or title of ownership, a rental contract, or an equivalent document under civil law. This is the requirement that stops most applications.

  4. Give the visitor's details and the exact dates

    Full name, place and date of birth, nationality, exact place of residence and passport number of the person being invited, together with your relationship to them, and the period of the stay with an approximate first and last day. Where circumstances justify it, one invitation can cover several people, but then every one of those details is needed for each of them, plus accommodation for all.

  5. Read the warning before you sign

    The application states that you declare the information to be true, and that you have been informed of what a false one means. Article 318 bis of the Criminal Code punishes anyone who directly or indirectly promotes, favours or facilitates illegal trafficking or clandestine immigration with four to eight years in prison. Separately, Organic Law 4/2000 treats facilitating clandestine immigration for profit as a very serious infringement, with a fine of €6,001 to €60,000 or expulsion with a three to ten year ban on entry.

  6. Pay both fees, not one

    The application for authorisation to issue a letter of invitation costs €75.05. Issuing the letter itself is a further €6.54. Certified copies are €1.09 per document. The €75 figure that circulates is only the first of these.

  7. Get the letter to your visitor before they travel

    The letter can be demanded of the visitor at the border, which means the physical document has to be with them, not with you. Once it is issued you have to send it to them, and how long that takes depends on where they are. Build that time into your planning on top of the processing time, which the police themselves say varies with the circumstances of each application.

Documents you need

  • Your own identification

    Spanish nationals: national identity document or passport. Everyone else: passport, foreigner identity card, or NIE. Plus your full home address.

  • Proof that the accommodation is available to you

    Public deed or title of ownership, a rental contract, or an equivalent document under current civil law. If you are hosting them at a second property rather than your main home, the proof has to cover that property.

  • The visitor's details

    Full name, place and date of birth, nationality, exact place of residence, and passport number — for each person if the invitation covers more than one.

  • The dates of the stay

    The approximate first and last day of the visit.

  • Proof of payment of both fees

    790-012

    €75.05 for the application and €6.54 for issuing the letter.

Common questions

How much does a carta de invitación cost?

€81.59 in total. The application for authorisation is €75.05 and issuing the letter is a further €6.54, and they are charged separately. Certified copies are €1.09 per document. Guides that quote €75 are giving only the first fee.

How long does it take?

The police do not publish a fixed period. They say the time to notify the decision and hand over the letter depends on the circumstances of each application. On top of that you need time to physically send the letter to your visitor, since it can be demanded of them at the border.

Can I be refused?

Yes. It depends on a favourable decision by the head of the police station, taken after assessing the truth of your declaration, the validity of your documents and your identity. You may be summoned for a personal interview as part of that.

Can one letter cover a whole family?

Exceptionally, where the circumstances justify it, an invitation can refer to several people. You then have to give the full details for every one of them and show you have accommodation available for all of them.

Does the visitor apply, or do I?

You do, as the host, at the police station for where you live. The visitor cannot apply for it themselves from abroad.

What happens if the information is not true?

You sign a declaration that it is. Article 318 bis of the Criminal Code carries four to eight years in prison for facilitating clandestine immigration, and Organic Law 4/2000 sets fines of €6,001 to €60,000, or expulsion with a three to ten year entry ban, for doing so for profit.

Which office, in your province

Not every police station handles every procedure, and the assignment differs from province to province — in Alicante the residence card is issued at one address and the NIE at another. Pick your province to see the offices that actually do this one, with addresses and phone numbers.

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from one of these. We do not cite other guides, because a copy gives us no way to notice when the original changes.

This is information, not advice

Your own case depends on your nationality, your current status and your history with the administration — none of which a web page can see. Confirm anything that matters with the responsible authority or a qualified professional before you act on it.