How does a host in Spain get an official invitation letter (carta de invitación) for a visitor?

Checked on 2026-10-25

The host, who must be Spanish, an EU citizen or a foreigner legally resident in Spain, applies at the police station (Comisaría de Policía) where they live. They give their details and the guest's, prove they have the home, and state the dates. If approved, they pay the fee within a month and collect the letter. It only proves accommodation.

Key facts

What	The law says	Source
Who can invite	A Spanish citizen, an EU national or someone covered by the EU regime, or a foreigner legally resident in Spain	Orden PRE/1283/2007, apartado primero 1
Where to apply	The police station (Comisaría de Policía) of the host’s place of residence	Orden PRE/1283/2007, apartado segundo
Proof of the home	Title deed, rental contract or similar	Orden PRE/1283/2007, apartado segundo 2
Interview	Possible; not turning up within the period set (max. 15 days) counts as withdrawing	Orden PRE/1283/2007, apartado tercero 2
Fee	Paid within one month of the favourable decision; receipt needed to collect the letter	Orden PRE/1283/2007, apartado cuarto
What it proves	Only that accommodation is available; it never replaces other entry requirements	Orden PRE/1283/2007, apartado primero; RD 1155/2024, art. 8(2)(c)

Who applies, and where

The host, not the visitor, applies. The order lets a Spanish citizen, a national of an EU member state or someone covered by the EU regime, or a foreigner legally resident in Spain invite a foreigner and commit to paying all the guest’s accommodation costs during the stay. The application goes to the police station where the host lives, which handles and issues the letter.

What the application contains

The host’s full name, place and date of birth, nationality, ID or passport number (or foreigner ID number), and address.
An express statement that the host invites and will put up the guest, at their main home or at a second home, which must be named.
Documents showing the home is available, such as a title deed or rental contract.
The relationship between host and guest.
The guest’s full name, place and date of birth, nationality, address and passport number. Exceptionally, one letter can cover several people.
The planned stay, with the approximate first and last day.
A declaration that the information is true, and an acknowledgement of the legal warnings about facilitating illegal immigration.

After applying

The police may call the host to an interview to check identity, documents and information. If the host doesn’t come within the period set, which can’t be more than 15 days, the application is treated as abandoned unless there is force majeure. If the application is approved, the host is notified, pays the fee within one month, and shows the receipt to collect the letter. A refusal must give reasons and say how to appeal. The grounds include missing or untrue information.

What the letter does, and doesn’t, do

The order says the letter may be asked for at the Spanish border and can be given to the Spanish consulate to support a visa application. Spain’s immigration regulation lists it as one way to prove accommodation for a tourist or private trip, and says that in no case does it replace the other entry requirements (RD 1155/2024, art. 8(2)(c)). The visitor still needs, for example, enough money for the stay and a return ticket.

Money to show at the border: 10% of the gross minimum wage per day, at least 90% of it in total per person (Orden PRE/1282/2007).

Sources

Change history

2026-10-25: Page created

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