Invitation letter for a visitor visa (Germany)
Published byDocMuse
This document is in German
The PDF you download is in German — that is the language it has to be filed in, so it is not translated. Everything on this page is here to tell you what it says.
The letter in which you invite a relative or friend from a country whose nationals need a visa to visit you in Germany, addressed to the German embassy or consulate-general: details of the person invited and of you, the purpose and dates of the visit, where they will stay and who bears the costs. No form is prescribed for it. It is not a formal guarantee of costs (Verpflichtungserklärung) under § 68 of the German Residence Act (AufenthG): that is made separately at the foreigners' authority, on its official form, if the mission asks for one. In German.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Sender
- Sender's address
- German embassy or consulate-general
- Address of the German embassy or consulate
- City
- Date
- Person invited
- Invited person's passport number
- Invited person's date of birth
- Invited person's nationality
- Invited person's home address
- Relationship to the invited person (e.g. relative, friend)
- Purpose
- Travelling from
- Travelling until
- Where the invited person will stay
- Who bears the costs of the visit
- Host's date of birth
- Phone
- Attachments
Preview
This document is produced for you. Your answers are typed into it and the finished PDF is yours to keep.
Common questions
- Is this invitation letter a formal guarantee of costs (Verpflichtungserklärung) in Germany?
- No. The Verpflichtungserklärung under § 68 of the Residence Act (AufenthG) is made at the foreigners' authority or a German mission on its official form, as a rule in person with ID and by appointment; since 12 June 2026 the Act also allows it to be made electronically where the authority offers an electronic form. The authority checks that you can afford it, and the fee is €29. You are then liable for five years from entry for the invited person's living costs. It is needed only if the person cannot show their own means.
- What should an invitation letter for a German Schengen visa contain?
- No form is prescribed. It should give the host's name, address and contact details, the invited person's name, address and date of birth, the purpose and length of the visit, the date and a signature — all of which this letter contains, together with accommodation and costs. What else must go with the visa application is listed in the checklist of the competent German mission.
- Does a person visiting Germany on a visa need travel health insurance?
- Yes. For a Schengen visa the EU Visa Code requires travel medical insurance with cover of at least €30,000 for the whole stay. The invited person takes it out, or you take it out for them; the proof goes with the visa application, not into this letter.
- How does the invited person get the invitation letter for the German visa, and is a copy enough?
- Sign the letter by hand and send it to the invited person, who submits it with the visa application at the German mission or its external service provider. Whether the original, a copy or a scan is enough is stated in the mission's checklist; if in doubt, post the original and keep a copy.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
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