Letter of invitation in Barcelona: who applies, requirements and steps

Who can apply

You, the host, apply for it, not the person you are inviting. You can apply if you live in Spain and one of these applies to you (Order PRE/1283/2007, section one):

• you have Spanish nationality;
• you have the nationality of an EU (European Union) country or are covered by the EU regime (régimen comunitario);
• you are a foreign national with residence in Spain.

With the letter, you commit to paying for your guest’s accommodation during their stay.

What it is for and what it is not for

• It proves accommodation on a tourist or private trip (RD 1155/2024, art. 8.2.c). Your guest can take it to the consulate if they need a visa, and they may be asked for it at the border.
• It does not replace the other entry requirements. At the border they may be asked for a return ticket (art. 8.2.a) and sufficient financial means (art. 9).
• Financial means. The general rule is 10 % of the national minimum wage (salario mínimo interprofesional) per person per day of stay. The minimum is 90 % of that wage per person (Order PRE/1282/2007, section two).
• It is not an authorisation to live in Spain. If your family member wants to come and live with you, the procedure is a different one.

Steps

1. Book an appointment on the online appointment system (cita previa), under the police procedures. The letter of invitation is one of the police station procedures that require an appointment.
2. Prepare the application. Use the police form and fill in all the details (Order PRE/1283/2007, section two):
   • Your details: first name, surname, place and date of birth, nationality and address. And your document: DNI (Spanish national identity card), passport, TIE (foreigner identity card) or NIE (foreigner identity number).
   • That you wish to invite and host the person: in your home or in a second home, stating which.
   • Your relationship with your guest.
   • Their details: first name, surname, place and date of birth, nationality, address and passport number.
   • The approximate dates of arrival and departure.
   • Your declaration that the information is true.
3. Prove that you can use the home. For example, with the title deed or the rental contract.
4. Pay the government fee. It is form 790, code 012: 75.05 € for the authorisation and 6.54 € for issuing the letter (Order PJC/617/2025, headings 5.14 and 5.15). Check at the police station when each one is paid.
5. Go to your police station with the application, your identity document, the proof of the home and the fee receipt. The police may call you to a personal interview. If you do not go within the time they give you, 15 days at most, your application is closed (section three).
6. Collect the letter when you are notified that it is favourable. Then send the original to your guest.
7. If it is refused, the police state that an appeal for reconsideration (recurso potestativo de reposición) is possible. If the refusal is explicit, you have 1 month to file it (Law 39/2015, art. 124).

What is specific to Barcelona

• You apply at the police station where you live. The Order says so and the police repeat it.
• In Barcelona city, letters of invitation go to Calle Guadalajara, 1-3. It is an office of the Provincial Immigration and Borders Brigade (Brigada Provincial de Extranjería y Fronteras). It is open Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 14:00 (police office finder).
• In the rest of the province, many police stations have the letter of invitation on their list: for example, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Badalona, Sant Cugat del Vallès or Sant Feliu de Llobregat. We cover them in immigration procedures in Barcelona and its province.

Common mistakes

• Thinking the letter ensures entry. It only proves accommodation. The decision at the border belongs to the police.
• Applying too close to the trip. It is not immediate: it goes through decision, issue, collection and sending.
• Copying your guest’s passport details wrongly. Check the number, name and date of birth.
• Not proving the home, or not stating that the stay will be in a second home.
• Going to the wrong police station. It is the one where you live.
• Giving false information. The Order itself reminds you that facilitating clandestine immigration is a crime (Criminal Code, art. 318 bis) or a very serious offence.

Can we help you with the procedure?

The letter of invitation is for visits. If you want your family to live with you in Spain, the procedure is a different one. And there we can help: we review your case, prepare the file and follow it up.

• To bring your family if you have residence, see family reunification.
• If you have Spanish nationality, see residence for family members of Spanish nationals.
• If you have the nationality of another EU country, see the card for family members of EU citizens.

We work from Barcelona and online: find out about our immigration procedures service in Barcelona.