Carta de invitación: how a La Línea resident invites a visitor from outside the EU
A carta de invitación is the police-issued letter a resident of Spain gets so that a visitor from outside the EU can show, at the border, where they will be staying. You apply in person at the Policía Nacional station for where you live, it costs €75.05 to apply plus €6.54 when the letter is issued, and it is not quick: allow weeks, not days.
The short version
- Who this is for
- A resident of Spain inviting a visitor from outside the EU to stay in their home rather than in a hotel, for up to 90 days.
- What it costs
- €75.05 to apply, plus €6.54 when the letter is issued, plus €1.05 per document if the office certifies copies for you.
- Where you go
- The Comisaría de Policía Nacional at Avenida Menéndez Pelayo 2, La Línea, extranjería window. You may need a cita previa first.
- How long
- Weeks, not days. Between the appointment, the resolution and the collection, a month is not unusual. The approved letter then stays valid for nine months.
- What to bring
- The Solicitud form, your passport or DNI and your residence document, proof the home is yours to offer (escritura or rental contract), a photocopy of the visitor’s passport, and the paid 790-012 receipt.
On this page:
Who needs one, and who does not ·
Who can apply ·
What you take to the station ·
How it runs, and how long it takes ·
Three things people get wrong ·
Questions people actually ask
Who needs one, and who does not
The letter exists for a visitor who is coming to stay with you, in your home, rather than in a hotel. A Schengen border guard may ask any non-EU visitor for proof of accommodation, and the two accepted proofs are a hotel booking or this letter. Some nationalities are asked for it when they apply for a visa; others are only asked at the gate, if at all. It covers a stay of up to 90 days.
You do not need one to host an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, or a British visitor for a short holiday, though a Briton staying with you for weeks and crossing daily into Gibraltar can find the letter saves an awkward conversation at the frontier. Ask the visitor to check with their own consulate; the letter is about their entry, not your hospitality.
Who can apply
A Spanish citizen, a citizen of another EU state, or a foreigner legally resident in Spain. What you are signing is a commitment: the police site describes it as assuming “el compromiso de costear durante el periodo de estancia del beneficiario todos los gastos relativos a su alojamiento” — you undertake to house the person for the period you name. The form also carries a printed warning that helping someone stay on after their permitted period is a serious offence under the immigration law, with fines from €501 upwards. Invite people you know.
What you take to the station
- The application form (PDF, one page — the official Solicitud de expedición de carta de invitación). It asks for your details, the dates of the stay, the address, and the visitor’s details: full name, date and place of birth, passport number, nationality, home address, and your relationship to them. One form per visitor.
- Your passport or DNI and, if you are a foreign resident, your residence document (green certificate or TIE).
- Proof that the home is yours to offer: the escritura if you own it, the rental contract if you rent, or another document that shows you have the use of it. The form lists exactly these three options.
- A photocopy of the visitor’s passport, so the details on the form can be checked.
- The receipt for the tasa 790-012, paid at a bank. The line you need on the fee slip is Autorización de expedición de carta de invitación (solicitud), currently €75.05. The police site says the slip can be paid at any bank without being a customer.
| Fee | Amount | When you pay it | Line on the tasa 790-012 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application | €75.05 | Before the appointment, at any bank — no account needed | Autorización de expedición de carta de invitación |
| Issue of the letter | €6.54 | At collection, once the letter is approved and printed | Expedición de carta de invitación |
| Certified copies | €1.05 per document | At collection, only if the office certifies copies for you | Compulsa y desglose |
| Validity of the approved letter | 9 months | — | Orden PRE/1283/2007 |
Amounts set by Orden PJC/617/2025, in force since 16 June 2025 and the order that fixes these fees. Read at source and checked on 5 September 2026. The form shows you the live figure when you fill it in.
How it runs, and how long it takes
The station is the Comisaría de Policía Nacional at Avenida Menéndez Pelayo 2 in La Línea, extranjería window, and you may need an appointment first from the cita previa portal (the La Línea office lists the carta among its trámites). The official page is candid that this “no es inmediato”: the application is examined and resolved, then the letter is printed, you are told to collect it, you pay the second fee (Expedición, €6.54, plus €1.05 per document if they certify copies for you), and only then do you send the original to your visitor for the border. Under the 2007 order the approved letter stays valid for nine months, so apply early and keep the dates realistic.
Three things people get wrong
- Sending a scan. The visitor needs the original document from the police, not a photo of it and not a letter you wrote yourself.
- Applying for someone who will stay in a hotel. Then the hotel booking is the proof and the letter is not needed.
- Leaving it to the week before. Between the appointment, the resolution and the collection, a month is not unusual. The visitor may also need the letter in hand before applying for a visa.
Questions people actually ask
Who actually needs a carta de invitación?
A visitor from outside the EU who is coming to stay in your home rather than in a hotel. A Schengen border guard may ask any non-EU visitor for proof of accommodation, and the two accepted proofs are a hotel booking or this letter. You do not need one for an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen.
What does it cost?
€75.05 to apply, paid on the tasa 790-012 at any bank without needing to be a customer, and €6.54 more when the letter is issued. Certified copies are €1.05 per document. Amounts are set by Orden PJC/617/2025.
How long does it take?
The police site is candid that it is no es inmediato. Between the appointment, the resolution and the collection, a month is not unusual, so apply early.
Can I send my visitor a scan of the letter?
No. The visitor needs the original document issued by the police, not a photograph of it and not a letter you have written yourself.
How long is the letter valid?
Nine months from approval, under Orden PRE/1283/2007. It covers a stay of up to 90 days.
If you would rather not do this alone
Send us a message saying what you need and we will tell you what your options are. Somebody local handles the paperwork end of this for a living, speaks the language of the counter clerk that you and your translation app do not, and knows which window sends people home over a missing photocopy. Tell us what you are trying to do and we will come back to you.
Prefer a form? Tell us your situation →
- Getting the cita previa, which is the part that actually stops people, and retrying until one comes.
- Filling the forms properly and telling you exactly which papers to bring.
- Going with you to the office when it helps to have somebody who can argue in Spanish.
- Empadronamiento and the other small steps nobody warns you about.
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Message us on WhatsApp (English)
Tell us what you need and we will quote you before anything starts — and if it is not something we can help with, we will say so rather than take the work. Government fees (the tasa) are separate and are always paid to the bank, never to us. We are not lawyers and we do not handle visa applications; this is practical help with the in-Spain steps, not legal advice.
Fees and procedure checked on the Policía Nacional sede electrónica on 2 September 2026 (trámites 994254 and 994294, tasas page). Entry rules for a given nationality are set by Schengen visa policy and can change; the visitor’s consulate has the current list.
