Do you wish to invite friends, family members or business partners to Germany? For third-country nationals to get a visitor visa, they need a letter of invitation on top of many other documents. With the invitation letter, you confirm that you want to invite a specific person to Germany. An invitation letter must meet particular requirements, which we describe in more detail below. You can find out more about other requirements of a visitor visa in our chapter "Visitor Visa".
The letter of invitation does not have to be written in any particular form. So it can be formulated as a completely normal letter, but must contain all the necessary information. You will learn about the information needed in the following sections.
Important: An invitation letter for a business trip must contain the official company letterhead, the company stamp, and the managing director's signature.
An invitation letter for a private visit must contain at least the following information:
- Your full name and address, as well as your phone number and email address
- Your identity card number or the number of your residence permit
- A copy of your ID or residence permit
- Full name, date of birth, passport number, and complete address of the person you wish to invite
- Evidence of your relationship or acquaintance with the person you wish to invite. These can be, for example, marriage or birth certificates or proof of previous meetings or letters, emails, etc.
- Purpose of the trip: e.g., to attend a wedding or a birthday. You should also describe the type of kinship or friendship you have, how long you have known each other, etc.
- Time frame and planned course for the scheduled visit
- Date and location
- Your signature
The invitation letter for a business visit must contain at least the following information:
- Your full name and address, as well as your phone number and email address
- Full name, date of birth, passport number, and complete address of the person you wish to invite
- If the person invited is an employee: A letter from the person's employer explaining the reason and duration of the visit
- Purpose of the visit, i.e., description of what the visit is for and the objective behind it
- Period and the planned course of the visit, including flight numbers
- Information on where the invited person should be accommodated, e.g., the address of the hotel, etc
- Date and location
- Your signature
The host writes the invitation letter. So if you want to invite your relatives, acquaintances or business partners, write the invitation and then send it to the person you wish to invite to Germany. Then, they can present the invitation letter at the German embassy when applying for a visa.
A letter of invitation is not the same as a letter of commitment or "Verpflichtungserklärung". If the person you wish to invite does not have enough money to pay for the trip and their stay in Germany, they would need a so-called declaration of commitment ("Verpflichtungserklärung") in addition to the letter of invitation. You can learn more in our chapter "Declaration of commitment for a Visitor Visa".
Visitor Visa
Foreign citizens who want to travel to Germany need a visa, except for citizens of other EU and Schengen countries - and some other third countries whose citizens are allowed to travel to Germany visa-free. You can find out whether you need a visa for Germany at auswaertiges-amt.de.
Here you can find information about the visa for visiting Germany, i.e. the visa for a (short-term) trip to Germany, which is officially known as "Schengen Visa Type C", "tourist visa" or "visitor visa".
Declaration of Commitment for a Visitor Visa
To obtain a visitor visa for Germany, third-country nationals (non-EU citizens) usually have to prove that they have enough money to support themselves during their stay, even if they only want to visit family or friends for a short time. But if someone cannot prove they have enough money themselves, someone living in Germany can vouch for the visitor(s). This can be a relative or acquaintance - or a company or institution in Germany that can prove they have enough money. Such a guarantee is known as a "Verpflichtungserklärung" or "declaration of commitment", and visitor(s) can present it to the embassy as proof of funding when they apply for their visa(s).
Here you can learn whether and how you can submit a declaration of commitment for a visitor visa. You can find all the other details about visitor visas in our chapter "Visitor Visa". And, you can learn more about the declaration of commitment for long-term stays in our chapter "Declaration of commitment for a national visa".
Travelling within Germany
Germany is vast and has many attractive cities and regions worth visiting. Even if you do not have a car, there are still many alternative ways to travel within Germany to see new places or visit old friends.
Types of housing
In Germany, there are different types of housing that are adapted to different living situations. Here is an overview of some types of housing that may be relevant for you, depending on your individual needs.
Here is where and how you can apply for a Schengen visa for a stay of up to 90 days.
Here are the requirements you need to meet to obtain a Schengen visa.
Here you can find the contact information of the German embassy in your country.