Carta de invitación — application to invite a foreign guest to Spain

“Solicitud de expedición de carta de invitación” is an application to the Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional) for an official invitation letter for a foreign national travelling to Spain for tourism or private reasons (Orden PRE/1283/2007). The host undertakes to pay for the guest’s accommodation for the whole stay.

The carta de invitación only proves accommodation: the guest can show it at the border or attach it to a visa application at the consulate, but it does not replace the other entry requirements. The form is in Spanish, one page.

• the host is a private person: a Spanish citizen, an EU citizen or a family member of an EU citizen (régimen comunitario), or a foreign national legally resident in Spain;
• the application is filed in person at the Comisaría de Policía (National Police station) for the host’s place of residence, with a prior appointment (cita previa) where required;
• the fee is paid with form 790, code 012; per the National Police fee table as of 2026-10: €75.05 for processing the application and €6.54 for issuing the letter; check the amounts on sede.policia.gob.es before paying;
• under Orden PRE/1283/2007 the fee is paid after a favourable decision, within one month, and the receipt is shown when collecting the letter; ask your police station how it works there;
• the letter is not issued on the spot: it needs a decision, issue and sending to the guest; the police may call the host for a personal interview.

• section 1 — the host: surnames, given name, sex, date and place of birth, DNI or NIE, country of birth, nationality, address in Spain box by box (street type, name, number, km, block, entrance, staircase, floor, door), phone, postcode, town, province;
• section 2 — the invitation: stay from … until … (no more than 90 days), where the guest will stay (the main home or a second home with its address), proof that the home is available (rental contract, title deed or other), remarks;
• section 3 — the guest: surnames, given name, sex, date and place of birth, passport number, country of birth, nationality, home address abroad, phone and relationship to the host;
• each additional guest goes on a separate copy of the form; the host signs, dates and writes the place by hand.

• the completed form, one per guest;
• the host’s identity document: DNI, NIE with TIE card, or passport;
• proof that the home is available: title deed (escritura, título de propiedad), rental contract or another document;
• the guest’s passport details;
• the receipt for fee 790-012 when it is requested;
• check the exact list of documents and copies with the police station in advance.

1. Tell the chat, in any language, about yourself, the guest, the travel dates and where the guest will stay.
2. The assistant writes the data in capitals, splits the dates of birth into boxes, puts the addresses into the form’s boxes and ticks the accommodation and document boxes.
3. Download the PDF, check it, print it, sign by hand and take it to the police station.

Procedure and form on the Spanish National Police website: sede.policia.gob.es — Autorización expedición de carta de invitación; rules — Orden PRE/1283/2007 (BOE). Checked 2026-10-09. This is not legal advice.