Federal Department of Justice and Police FDJP
State Secretariat for Migration SEM
State: July 2018
Factsheet on letter of invitation
Foreign citizens planning to travel to Switzerland in order to visit family or friends or for business
reasons you may need to provide a letter of invitation as part of the visa procedure or on entry.
What information is required in a letter of invitation?
A letter of invitation is written by your prospective host in Switzerland. It must be written in an official
Swiss language (German, French or Italian). If the letter is written in another language, a translation
may be required. It does not need to have any particular form and does not require to be officially certi-
fied. To ensure that the diplomatic or consular representation, border control authority, etc., obtains
the information that it needs, you should make sure that the letter contains at least the following de-
tails:
a statement from your host (company or private individual) saying that they have invited you;
your host’s and your own full details (surname, first name, date of birth, address, telephone
number, email address and nationality);
the length of the stay;
the date on which the letter was written;
your host’s signature (in the case of companies, the letter should be signed by a person autho-
rised to sign according to the commercial register).
If the costs of travel, accommodation and food are being met by your host, this can also be mentioned
in the letter of invitation. The letter of invitation can also contain further details of and reasons for the
stay in Switzerland. Additional information may be requested at any time, either when you enter to
Switzerland or during the visa application procedure.
What is the purpose of a letter of invitation?
The letter of invitation serves as proof of the reasons for your visit. Although your host may pay the
costs of the visit, the letter of invitation does not constitute proof of any binding financial commitment
to pay.
Where must the letter of invitation be produced?
If you require a visa to travel to Switzerland, the Swiss diplomatic or consular representation con-
cerned may request a letter of invitation as part of the visa application procedure. You may be able to
submit a scan or copy of the letter of invitation during the visa application procedure; however, the
Swiss diplomatic or consular representation may also require your host in Switzerland to send it the
letter directly. You should consult the relevant diplomatic or consular representation’s website before
submitting your application (www.swiss-visa.ch).
If you do not require a visa and you wish to travel to Switzerland in order to visit family or friends or
for business reasons, it may still be useful to have a letter of invitation that you can produce when
entering Switzerland.
Who can provide further information on the letter of invitation?
If you have any questions about the letter of invitation, please contact the nearest Swiss diplomatic or
consular representation via the Swiss online visa system (www.swiss-visa.ch) or the State Secretariat
for Migration SEM using the contact form or by telephone (058 465 77 60).
Cornelia Ming
Bahnhofstrasse 55
3314 Schalunen
Tel. 077 731 00 00
Zu Handen der Schweizer Ver-
tretung in Stadt, Land
Bern, den xx.xx.20xx
Einladung für Herrn André Ming, Rue des St. Honoré 13, 4000 Stadt, Land
(Tel. 0047 88 96 96 96, Andre[email protected])
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren
Required (as a minimum): Gerne bestätige ich hiermit, dass ich, Cornelia Ming, geb. am
11.5.1980, Schweizer Staatsangehörige, Herrn André Ming, geb. am 26.12.1984, Staatsan-
gehöriger von Land wohnhaft in Stadt vom 15.3.2018 bis und mit 19.3.2018 zu einem Be-
such eingeladen habe.
Optional (e.g. to explain relationship, further details of and reasons for the stay in
Switzerland, offer to pay the costs of the stay and travel costs, etc.): Herr Ming ist mein
Bruder. Ich freue mich, ihn nach so vielen Jahren wieder zu sehen. Ich werde sowohl für sei-
ne Reise als auch für seinen Aufenthalt vollumfänglich aufkommen.
Für Rückfragen zu dieser Einladung stehe ich Ihnen selbstverständlich zur Verfügung.
Mit den besten Grüssen
Unterschrift!
Cornelia Ming
Important note: For an example in another official Swiss language please consult the Fact-
sheets in French or Italian!
