Why and who needs a cover letter, a sponsorship letter for a Schengen visa: sample 2019. Who can become a sponsor? How to write a sponsorship letter for a Schengen visa?
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Applying for a Schengen visa is a sequence of simple and understandable steps. It seems to be. I went to the official website of the country's embassy, downloaded a list of documents, collected them, submitted them to the visa center - received a visa.
Where is it easier? - Europeans think, not knowing that salaries come in three colors, and money can be stored in three-liter cans of compote.
Confirmation of financial viability is a sore point for many Russians who are going abroad.
Who needs a sponsorship letter
To include a sponsorship letter for a visa in your must-have package of documents, you should:
- to all unemployed citizens - freelancers, housewives
- employed citizens with a salary tending to the subsistence level in the Russian Federation
- pensioners
- students
- minor children.
It is widely believed that a sponsorship letter for a Schengen visa is an alternative to official sources of income. That is work. In fact, the letter is a substitute for a bank statement, i.e. financial guarantees.
Important
If you have a good bank account (from 100,000 rubles), a sponsorship letter is NOT NEEDED for any of the above categories. A sponsor is needed when a tourist does not have his own funds to stay in another country.
LIFE HACK: if the account is empty / there is little money, and it is inconvenient to look for a sponsor, perhaps your good friend / relative will lend the missing amount - throw it into the account and make an extract. You can then immediately remove and return.
Documents for a Schengen visa
To minimize the risks of being denied a visa, a potential tourist must prepare a standard set of documents:
- questionnaire
- foreigner - valid + old, if he had Schengen visas for the last 5 years
- internal passport (copy)
- booking accommodation and tickets
- medical insurance for the period of entry and stay in the European Union
(it is more profitable to buy it online - on Cherehap or Sravni.ru) - certificate from work / from an educational institution / pension certificate
- financial guarantees - most often this is a bank statement or sponsorship letter
- birth certificate for children under 14
- consent to the departure of a minor child from a parent (or both parents) who does not accompany him on the trip. This document must be notarized. If the parent only partially accompanies the child, for example, the father is already abroad, and the child and mother join later, consent is still required.
Why and who needs a cover letter
- Children under 14;
- Students without work or low income;
- pensioners;
- Persons with a small salary;
- Unemployed.
Who can act as a sponsor depends on the visa itself:
- When applying for a tourist Schengen visa, obligations are assumed by parents, brothers, sisters, children (if the visa is for a pensioner relative), spouses;
- When applying for a business visa, the employer or inviting party can act as a sponsor;
- In the case when a guest visa is made, the responsibility (including financial) is assumed by the inviting party.
Who can become a sponsor
Different countries have different rules regarding who can act as a sponsor. Visa Application Centers in Italy, France and Germany insist on mandatory kinship between the sponsor and the applicant.
Spain, Greece, the Czech Republic are more loyal: any person with financial capabilities, including NOT a relative, can become a sponsor.
The UK considers as a sponsor the organization, relatives and friends of the visa applicant, who during his stay in the GB will also be in the country.
How to write a sponsorship letter for a Schengen visa
Sample sponsorship letter for a Schengen visa in Russian.
If you need to write a sponsorship letter, you should pay attention to the following nuances:
Sponsor identity
Most Schengen countries have a negative attitude towards financial guarantees from a person who is not a relative of the traveler. Although in extreme cases this is theoretically allowed.
But you should be prepared for failure in this state of affairs. The ideal option would be a sponsor, kinship with which can be easily documented. Sometimes a letter from the employer or the host (including a legal entity - a university or enterprise) is sufficient.
Writing language
The text of the sponsorship letter for a Schengen visa is allowed to be submitted in the native language - in Russian, but it is preferable to have a translation into English. Some consulates refuse to accept only the Russian version.
This can be clarified on the website of the representative office of the country to which the trip is planned. A form of a sponsorship letter for a Schengen visa in English is searched via the Internet or directly on the websites of the representative offices of the Schengen Union countries in the Russian Federation.
In addition, visa officers have more confidence in a notarized document. If the sponsor is not a relative, only a paper signed in the presence of a notary has legal force.
Mandatory supporting documents
These include:
- a photocopy of all completed pages of the passport of the sponsor-citizen of the Russian Federation,
- confirmation of the availability of work and a stable source of income (individual entrepreneurs provide a certificate of registration and registration with the tax office),
- certificate or statement from a personal bank account.
The minimum amount of the sponsor's earnings in each case is different, but usually it is 500-600 euros per month. It is this amount that is considered sufficient for a trip abroad.
If such funds are not available, you can ask the bank for data on the movement of funds. All documents must be wet stamped and signed by the relevant persons.
Separately, there are papers confirming the fact of kinship (marriage certificate, birth certificate). If the applicant wishes to receive back the originals, copies should be made and certified by a notary.
Some embassies put forward additional requirements for the documents provided. This can be clarified directly at the consulates or visa centers of the countries to which you plan to travel.
Sponsor for multiple people
The sponsor can be one person for several travelers. At the same time, the letter is also drawn up in a single version with a list of all citizens of the Russian Federation who will be sponsored. This is convenient when traveling as a family, where only one person has a stable income.
Important
A sponsorship letter for a Schengen visa for a child under 14 is not required.
If he travels with his parents, then, naturally, the costs fall on mom and dad. And if a minor travels with third parties or only with one of the parents, then a notarized exit permit serves as a guarantee of financial security.
For teenagers over 14, sponsorship is required. Parents, grandparents, as well as adult brothers and sisters who have sufficient funds in their bank account can act as a guarantor of payment of all costs. At the same time, parental permission to travel remains mandatory.
List of expenses
The list of expenses depends on the purpose of the trip. It mainly includes:
- flight;
- accommodation and hotel accommodation;
- nutrition;
- transport.
Additionally - excursions, purchase of clothes, shoes, and other goods. If a tourist or a future employee of the company has no funds at all, then the sponsorship letter states that the guarantor pays all expenses associated with the stay of someone who seeks to obtain a Schengen visa in the country.
Additional requirements
The main requirements are put forward to the sponsor. The first is its ability to pay, that is, the ability to pay off the migrant's future expenses. Also, the consulates of countries may put forward additional conditions for sponsors and the procedure for issuing a document.
Interesting
Although there are no special strict requirements for the design of the document, its presence must be taken carefully.
List of required references
In addition to the sponsorship letter itself, a package of documents and references should be submitted with it. Among them:
- Sponsor income statement. A bank statement is allowed. It is valid for 30 days from the date of issue. For businessmen, it is allowed to provide a certificate of registration of individual entrepreneurs and tax registration as proof of income.
- Copies of passport pages with registration and personal data.
- A copy of the passport. It is optional and is requested from individual consulates when submitting a sponsorship letter.
- Document confirming relationship. This may be a marriage certificate, birth certificate, etc.
Important
All certificates have a certain period of validity, so you should not order them in advance.
In order for the guarantor to ensure that another person travels to the Schengen country, his income per month must be at least 500-600 euros. But it all depends on the country, the limit in euros for each day of travel and the number of days of travel.
Help from the place of work
One of the most important references is from the place of work. That is a document confirming the level of income. It has the following requirements:
- the information must be on the letterhead of the organization;
- it is obligatory to indicate the position occupied by the sponsor, the phone number of the head;
- availability of details - seal and signature of the chief accountant, general director.
It is valid for 30 days, this should be taken into account when collecting the rest of the package of documents.
Requirements for a sponsorship letter
How to write a sponsorship letter? The application is made in free form and issued in printed form. Sponsor signs personally. Before writing a letter, you need to check on the website of the visa center of a particular country in which language they accept documents for consideration.
General points that should be reflected in the sponsorship letter:
- Name and passport details of the sponsor
- A phrase about the willingness to pay all expenses for the upcoming trip
- Destination country
- Travel dates
- Full name and passport details of the sponsored
- Date of sponsorship letter
- Sponsor's signature
Does a letter from a sponsor need to be notarized? No no need. Schengen countries do not put forward such requirements for the document.
Features of writing in different Schengen countries
Despite the common visa control area, the policy of different EU countries regarding the requirements for sponsors is different.
It is possible to issue a sponsorship letter to Italy only if the sponsor and those he sponsors travel together. This must be confirmed by booking tickets and accommodation. Required relationship. The sponsor must be either the parent or spouse of the person applying for the visa. Writing language: English or Italian.
Travel to France of the visa applicant and his sponsor does not have to be joint. However, the French also insist on close family ties (parents, children, grandparents, spouses). All supporting documents must be in English or French.
The sponsorship letter to Greece and the Czech Republic is similar to the Spanish one. These countries do not insist on being related to the sponsor. A non-relative can pay for the trip. We accept a document in Russian.
The UK, which in the foreseeable future may cease to be a member of the European Union, does not belong to the Schengen area. The British require a separate visa. And you need to take on this matter, armed with knowledge of the English language. Because all the information on the official website is in English. Of course, the sponsorship letter is written in the language of Shakespeare.
Sample sponsorship letter in Russian
I, Sergeev Sergey Sergeevich (date of birth, number and series of passport, address of registration), sponsor the trip and guarantee payment of all expenses related to the stay of my daughter Sergeeva Olga Sergeevna (date of birth, number and series of passport, address of residence) in the territory of the Republic of Lithuania and Schengen countries in the period from 09/11/2019 to 09/24/2019. An extract from the official place of work or from a bank account is attached.
Date, signature with decoding.
Sample sponsorship letter in English
I, Sergeev Sergei (passport No…, date of issue: 3.09.15), take over liability regarding all trip financial expenditures of my daughter Ivanova Olga Ivanovna (passport No…) for the trip to the Republic of Lithuania during the period since 12.09. 2019 till 24.09.2019.
Signature with transcript, date.
At the end of the sponsorship letter, it is desirable to indicate the sponsor's contacts: phone number or e-mail.
The sponsorship letter is usually asked to attach:
- a photocopy of the sponsor's passport with basic information,
- an extract from the sponsor's bank card with the movement on the account for 3 months
- a certificate from the place of work indicating the position, date of employment and salary (often - for the last 3 months). The certificate must be issued on the letterhead of the organization, sealed, signed by the director and chief accountant.
- if possible, other documents confirming that the person has enough money to pay for the trip.
Individual entrepreneurs must provide a certificate of registration of IP (original and copy) and a registered tax return (original and copy) or certificate of taxes paid (original).
sponsorship letter for a child
One of the most common cases when a sponsorship letter is written is obtaining a Schengen for a child. The peculiarities of Russian reality are such that minors rarely have a bank account. Although some European countries (notably Norway) emphasize the priority of their own financial guarantees for each traveler, including children, most often in these cases one of the parents is the sponsor.
If the child does have an account with sufficient funds for the trip, a sponsorship letter is not needed. In addition, a parent may not issue a letter if a child under 14 travels with both his father and mother. As confirmed by booking tickets and accommodation.
Sample sponsorship letter for a child
A sample sponsorship letter for a Schengen visa for a child in 2019 is not much different from the same document for an adult. You can download a sample above, supplementing it with a phrase about kinship with a minor.
If one of the family members sponsors several people, then you can write one letter, listing everyone who needs sponsorship there.
Personal example: in November 2017 I applied for a Spanish visa for myself and my child. I don't work, neither I nor my child have a bank account. My husband wrote us a sponsorship letter (one for two), provided us with a certificate of income from work, a bank statement for the last 3 months and a copy of the international passport with an open Schengen visa. Visas were given.
Reasons for refusal to obtain a Schengen visa
The Schengen Agreement provides for all members to fulfill certain requirements and conditions when issuing an entry permit. As practice shows, the presence of a sponsorship letter is not a guarantee of visa approval.
The most common reasons for rejection include:
- The applicant is a national of a country where the host country has diplomatic disputes.
- There is a suspicion that the purpose of the trip is illegal employment.
- The tourist has active ties with terrorist groups, or served a sentence in his country under "terrorist" articles.
- The applicant has been refused entry to one of the Schengen countries, and cannot prove the absence of reasons in the form for which he was denied the last time.
- The validity of the passport is coming to an end. For a successful trip, it is required that the validity expires at least 3 months after returning to your home country.
- The sponsor is not ready to provide proof of full payment of the traveler's expenses. Partial payment is not suitable, the migration authority will refuse entry.
- The applicant was recognized as a person of bad character. This status is received by all foreigners who have quarreled with representatives of customs services and consular offices. This reason is quite weighty, even if the insult was made in another language.
- The user has provided deliberately false data, which is recognized as fraud in the Schengen countries.
- The applicant cannot prove the availability of funds for living during the trip. Any payroll or bank statement is missing, and the sponsor refused to write the letter.
- Consular officers establish the absence of real reasons and grounds for the trip.
All these reasons are spelled out in the Schengen Agreement and are binding on all customs and migration authorities of the participating countries. In addition, similar refusal rules are available in consular instructions.
Error examples
Typical mistakes that annually deprive thousands of people of traveling to the Schengen area due to the absence or incorrect compilation of a sponsorship letter:
- Probably the most common shortcoming is an indecently large and unnecessary amount of text. You need to write briefly and to the point, which is why any well-written sponsorship letter never contains more than two hundred words.
- The division into paragraphs is also an important point. Even small text needs to be well structured.
- It is worth writing in an accessible language for everyone, not abusing professional vocabulary, expressions that are incomprehensible to people in other fields of activity. It also does not hurt to avoid dialectisms and jargon (profanity).
Make no mistakes and the sponsorship letter will turn out to be really worthwhile, it will be pleasant to read it, which means it will form that very important “emotional plus” in the head of the Consulate employee who decides whether to issue a visa or not.
Additional questions
Where to find cheap visa insurance
A common mistake of many tourists is buying insurance directly in front of the visa center or inside, where offers are far from the cheapest. Making insurance online is a matter of 5 minutes and several hundred rubles. You can also go to the site, select the desired option and enter your data through a smartphone.
There are three proven services on my list; each time I compare where the conditions are more profitable:
- Turtle
- Compare.ru
- Strahovku.ru
Insurance for 7-10 days costs 500-800 rubles. I usually opt for reputable companies that have no problems with payments in insurance claims. For example, AlfaStrakhovanie. At the same time, their price is quite average. Uralsib offers a more economical option. Of course, any Schengen visa is suitable, the main thing is that the coverage is from €30,000.
Sample sponsorship letter for Schengen countries
sponsorship letter for spain visa
Free form is not the best option. It is easy to forget to enter some information, because of which the letter may not be accepted or considered insufficient grounds for issuing a visa. It is better to write it, adhering to the following pattern.
- I, full name, date of birth, passport data, including its series and number, date of issue, expiration date, place of registration, am a sponsor.
- Sponsored persons - a list of full names, with data from passports or birth certificates, if they are children.
- Country of stay, duration of stay, dates of departure and return.
- The following documents are attached to the letter - a list.
- Date and personal signature.
sponsorship letter
In the annexes to the document: financial papers, statements, certificates of income, salary, IP certificate and so on.
By the way. It should be noted that the consular officer has the right to require additionally any documents confirming the information you have declared, so there should be no doubt about its reliability.
Also, consular staff can change the rules for submitting a sponsorship letter at their discretion, setting time limits. Before asking a sponsor to issue a letter, check with the consulate or on the website for current requirements for its content and form.
Conclusion
It doesn’t matter your place of work, even the unemployed can get a Schengen visa - the main thing is to confirm solvency. The more funds you have indicated in the attached certificate, the less likely it is to be refused.
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What and how should be written in a sponsorship letter for obtaining a visa, Schengen and not only.
One of the documents that may be required when obtaining a visa, including any Schengen visa, is a sponsorship letter. It is necessary only for those applicants who do not have the opportunity to pay for the trip themselves, who do not have a stable, constant and sufficient income. That is, the unemployed, students, schoolchildren and kids, non-working people with disabilities and pensioners.
If children go on vacation with their parents and all visas are issued at the same time, it is required that the money in the bank statement of mom or dad is enough to finance the trip for both adults and minors.
What is a sponsorship letter
A letter from a sponsor is a document that replaces a certificate of employment and other financial guarantees for those who do not have an income. This is a document confirming that the other person undertakes to pay for all expenses that arise during the trip. Not any relative can act as a sponsor, but only a close one: husband or wife, parents, children of the elderly.
In some cases, they accept a sponsorship letter from a common-law husband, but the chances of refusal are high. It is better to clarify this before visiting the consulate.
The sponsor can be a foreign company if the person is traveling for business purposes, or friends and relatives from the country issuing the visa, when the main motive for the trip is meeting with loved ones.
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What should a sponsorship letter look like?
The paper is drawn up on an A4 sheet, it indicates:
- dates of the proposed trip;
- country of visit;
- who the sponsor is related to the applicant;
- the series and number of the passport of both, while it is better to indicate both foreign and general passports;
- sponsor's income;
- his contacts;
- free-form text stating that the sponsor bears all costs associated with the tour, including flights, accommodation, meals, etc.
It is very important, in addition to the letter itself, to take a certificate from the place of work of the person who pays for the trip, as well as a document confirming the relationship with the traveler. In addition, you can take an extract from a bank card or sponsor's account, which indicates a sufficient amount of funds.
Having a sample sponsorship letter for a child for a Schengen visa, you can significantly reduce your time for compiling it and not miscalculate the information that needs to be indicated in the document, and the data that is better to be omitted so as not to be denied a visa.
Obtaining a Schengen visa involves the provision of papers at the consulate confirming the financial situation of the applicant and his permanent employment, which indirectly guarantees that the applicant will return to his homeland. Such documents are a 2-NDFL certificate, a 3-NDFL certificate for entrepreneurs or a certificate of a bank account with sufficient funds.
A minor cannot have such certificates. When applying for a Schengen, the child's solvency is confirmed by the parents with their income and their work. At the same time, a minor must either have his own passport, or his photo and data about him must be in the passports of his parents.
However, if the child travels with at least one of the parents, the security of which can be documented, neither he nor the guardian need to have a sponsorship notice in this case.
A sponsorship letter for a visa is needed when a minor goes abroad on his own, and he will be provided by a sponsor located in the Russian Federation or abroad.
Attention! The sponsor himself must write the paper for the child, and the parents or guardians of the minor will have to provide it to the consulate or visa center, since they are responsible for the child at home, and they are interested in obtaining a Schengen visa for him. The children themselves cannot process their own visas.
In addition, even after receiving the coveted stamp at the customs office, or passing through customs control at the airport of their city, parents must have with them and present to the employees permission to export their child or a power of attorney. If a minor under 12 years of age travels alone in the airspace, an escort is assigned to him by the airline. You need to inquire about the availability of such a function in the airline in advance, and, if necessary, inform its employees when buying a ticket that the child will be without parents.
What is a sponsorship letter for a child
A sponsorship letter is an official evidence that all the expenses of the applicant during his trip abroad are covered by the sponsor. Expenses can relate to accommodation, food, shopping, medical care, and even transportation. All possible expenses incurred by the sponsor should be clearly indicated in the document itself.
What does a sponsorship application look like?
The document is a standard A4 sheet, drawn up in free form, which indicates the name of the sponsored person, the name of the sponsor himself, the time the Schengen applicant has been abroad, his address of residence, passport details and registration of the sponsor, the date of writing the paper and the personal signature of the sponsor.
In addition, it is necessary to indicate to whom the application is addressed, in particular, the Consul General or the representative of the visa center. It is necessary to take care in advance in whose name the document will have to be drawn up. You should look at the name of the consul or ask at the visa center of the applicant's city, in whose name such documents are usually written.
The following example can be used as an example.
To the Consular Section of Spain
sponsorship letter
I, Ivanova Yana Alexandrovna, born on March 3, 1992, passport series 6015 010201, issued by the Interdistrict Department of the Federal Migration Service of Russia for the Rostov Region. in the mountains Bataysk 05/21/2015, living at the address: Rostov region, Bataysk, st. Komarova 132 sq. 121, I confirm that all the expenses of my daughter Ivanova Ilona Veniaminovna, born on December 12, 2001, passport: 6017 010101 issued by the Interdistrict Department of the Federal Migration Service of Russia for the Rostov Region. in the mountains Bataisk on 01/01/2018, including accommodation, meals, medical examination and treatment throughout the trip to Spain from 05/01/2018 to 05/10/2018, I undertake to undertake in full.
04/01/2018 Ivanova
A package of documents attached to the sponsorship paper
The very statement of sponsorship does not mean anything to the consular staff, since it is not proven by the case. In order to confirm your security and the ability to sponsor a child, in addition to the application, you must provide the following papers:
- a document confirming the relationship between the sponsor and the applicant (for the consulates of some countries it is fundamentally important that the sponsor be a relative of the applicant, especially the child). It can be a birth certificate, passport or any other document;
- a copy of the sponsor's passport;
- if the child goes for treatment abroad at the expense of the organization, it is necessary to provide the TIN of this enterprise;
- a certificate from the place of permanent employment or a certificate from the bank on the availability of an account with a sufficient amount of funds.
The certificate of employment must contain information about the position held and the monthly salary. It is desirable that the certificate be printed on company letterhead. It is obligatory to have the signature of the head or responsible person, as well as the seal of the enterprise.
A certificate from the bank must show the movement of funds in the account over the past three months to confirm its reliability and relevance. The bank statement is valid for one month.
The language of the letter is Russian, sometimes the consulate requires an appeal in English.
Where can I get a sponsorship application form?
As such, there is no form of a sponsorship letter for a child or an adult. The document does not have a strict wording and therefore is drawn up in a free form in accordance with the rules adopted in an official business style. It is important to adhere to the following structure:
- to whom the paper is addressed (in the upper left corner of the sheet);
- "Sponsor letter" in the center of the page;
- I, full name of the sponsor, 01/01/2001 (the year of birth);
- passport data of the person, by whom and when the document was issued (or these data can be indicated in the header in the “from whom” paragraph);
- “sponsoring the trip…”;
- name of the child;
- passport details of the child, by whom and when the document was issued;
- date of travel of the child;
- cities that the child will visit;
- date of writing the paper;
- sponsor painting.
Attention! The letter may be typed or handwritten. It is recommended to certify the paper with a notary, as some consulates require a notarized letter.
The presence of a sponsorship letter is a mandatory moment in obtaining a Schengen if parents send their child abroad alone. Writing the document itself is elementary, it is much more important to prepare all the papers confirming the legality of the sponsor's residence in the Schengen area and its viability.
To apply for a visa to visit the states included in the Schengen area, you may need a variety of documents. One of them is the so-called sponsorship letter. It is necessary for those who cannot pay for their trip in full, and will be a confirmation of the tourist's solvency. True, someone else will pay for his trip. Making it is quite simple, and a sample sponsorship letter for a Schengen visa will help you do it quickly.
Why and who needs it?
What kind of letter is this and when is it indispensable? This is a document, a kind of statement written by a person who is interested in another person's trip abroad. In some cases, it is simply necessary to obtain it. The fact is that only solvent citizens can obtain permission to enter a number of states. That is, they must provide some evidence that they will be able to provide for themselves while they are on a trip, as well as immediately return to their homeland when the trip ends. Thus, a person must have a certain permanent source of income or a bank account.
But sometimes a third party can pay for the trip in full. And it is obliged to confirm its intentions with a document, which will be a letter from the sponsor.
Attention! A document from a sponsor will be required for a number of certain categories of the population: students, schoolchildren, children under 14, the disabled or pensioners, as well as those who do not have an official job or an impressive cash account. If the child goes on tour with their parents, then this letter will not be needed.
Thus, this letter is a document confirming that the traveler has the funds to complete the tour. By the way, a small amount in the account equal to 50 euros per day per person.
Who can sponsor a trip?
However, not everyone can become a sponsor. As a rule, they can be relatives, usually close ones. For example, it can be parents, brothers or sisters, husband or wife, guardians, children, if we are talking about retired parents. Less commonly, but sponsorship provided by a common-law spouse is allowed. But in this case, it is quite possible to refuse to issue an entry permit.
To obtain a business or work visa, you must be sponsored by an organization. It can also be the company inviting you to work. For those who go to visit the country, the sponsor is the one who invites and without fail undertakes to take full care of the tourist. But in the latter case, the traveler will still need an account with a certain (at least minimal) amount of money.
By the way, if a close person sponsors the trip, then the relationship with him will definitely have to be documented. For example, provide a certificate of official marriage or birth, etc.
In certain situations, a completely third-party person can be a sponsor. But then he is obliged to confirm officially and documented that he takes full responsibility for the tourist in the country. He must have an officially confirmed source of income. There are many nuances and often the possibility of obtaining a visa will depend on which state the tourist is going to. Sometimes you can face a complete rejection - for example, in the case of a trip to Germany or France.
Schengen countries
Writing a letter from a sponsor is easy. But it must include:
- travel date;
- the country in which it is planned;
- communication between the sponsor and the applicant;
- passport details of the sponsor and the one who will go on the trip. Moreover, data of both civil and foreign documents are needed;
- the amount of the sponsor's income;
- contact information.
Attention! The most important requirement for a sponsor is his ability to pay. It must be documented.
The sponsoring person must state on the paper that they take full financial responsibility for the traveler. That is, it is ready to pay for accommodation, meals, excursions and other expenses.
Such a statement must be written in Russian, but in certain cases it may be required to translate it into English. It may even require translation into the language of the country you are traveling to. It is also recommended that the document be certified by a notary, although this is not necessary. But such a paper will cause much more confidence among representatives of the consulate.
The letter itself is written by hand in free form, the main thing is to enter all the necessary data into it. There are no special forms for such a document.
List of additional documents
One sponsorship letter will not be enough for a person to be able to get a visa thanks to it. A number of other documents will be required. They are listed in the table below.
Table. Documents in addition to the sponsor's letter.
| Document | Information |
|---|---|
| It is issued to the sponsor at work, drawn up in accordance with all the rules and on the letterhead of the organization, with a seal, signatures, indicating the position of a specialist and contact details of the director of the enterprise. You can also provide a bank statement as proof of income. The certificate must be as fresh as possible (no later than 30 days), so you do not need to order it in advance. Those who have their own business can provide copies of the certificate of registration of individual entrepreneurs and tax registration. |
| It is required to make copies of certain pages of the passport (as a rule, this is a page with registration data and personal data). You can also provide a copy of your foreign passport. |
| It can be anything - the main thing is that it be an official document. For example, for children this is a birth certificate, for spouses it is a document confirming marriage, etc. |
All collected papers, along with a sponsorship application, must be delivered to the embassy, which will issue a visa.
How to write this letter?
Let's try to write a sponsorship letter to get permission to travel. By the way, in 2018, the requirements for its design have not changed.
Step 1. To begin with, you should write the name of the document at the top of a blank sheet - a sponsorship letter.
Step 3 After specifying this information and contact details, it is worth registering a guarantee of all costs.
Step 5 Now in the letter it remains only to indicate the country of destination, the duration of the guest's stay, put the date of registration and signature.
Video - Sponsorship letter
Features of the design of the "Schengen" in 2018
In 1985, in the city under the name, an agreement was signed between five countries, which were the first to enter the zone of the Schengen agreement on a visa-free regime. Now the document has been signed by 27 countries and negotiations are underway to include several more in this agreement. All states belong to the European part of the world.
This document assumes and regulates the implementation of four so-called freedoms - migration of people and money, trade, provision of a number of services between countries. The idea of tourism is especially relevant. That is, now, in order to visit a number of countries included in this agreement, you need to get only one visa, which is called the Schengen one. The only restriction is the need to enter the first country that issued this permit. Since the signing of the Schengen Agreement, the requirements for issuing a permit document have changed, but only slightly. In 2018, there were not so many changes.
The main required documents for issuing a travel permit remain the same. The list includes:
- valid international passport(its validity period must be more than 90 days from the moment the visa expires);
- traveler's passport, or rather, copies of all its pages;
- children will need to provide birth certificate and travel authorization from parents;
- special questionnaire, which must be filled in according to all the rules;
- documentary photographs on requirements that may differ depending on the country that will issue the visa;
- if necessary - invitation from those who will receive a foreign guest;
- information about the place of residence in the country(for example, hotel reservation);
- medical insurance covering a certain amount;
- documents confirming the availability of funds for the trip(certificate of employment, account statement, sponsorship letter, etc.);
- transport tickets who will enter and leave the country.
The processing time for a visa application is usually only 10 days, but, as a rule, the decision on whether to issue a travel permit or not appears earlier. You can apply for a visa up to six months before the planned trip. Sometimes a visa can be issued urgently - the period for consideration and issuance of a permit is reduced to 3 days. In general, the period for issuing a visa is determined based on:
- activity of tourists and workload of consulates;
- order of treatment (general or urgent);
- the completeness of the package of documents (you may have to bring some more papers);
- correctness of filling
Fortunately, not everyone needs a sponsorship letter. But if a person is unemployed and does not have an impressive personal bank account, then it is better to take care of having such a document. Otherwise, he may be denied a visa.
And many other countries of the consulate require to provide documents confirming the solvency of the applicant. The availability of sufficient funds for the implementation of the trip is one of the main criteria affecting the positive or negative response of the consulate.
Adult applicants in most cases provide a certificate of employment and a bank statement or other documents confirming financial solvency.
In cases where a visa is issued for minors, as well as students, non-working citizens or pensioners, a sponsorship letter is accepted as confirmation of the availability of sufficient funds for the trip.
Attention: if the purpose of the visit is tourism or visiting relatives or friends, the sponsorship letter can only be issued by the next of kin: spouses, children or parents.
Rules for writing a sponsorship letter
The sponsorship letter is written in free form in Russian or English. Sponsorship letters are not notarized.
The letter is written in the language of the country in whose consulate a visa is requested, if there are separate requirements for this from a particular consulate. You can also attach a translation of the letter if it was originally written in Russian. To date, such requirements are presented by the consulates of Austria, Australia, Great Britain, the USA, Switzerland, and Thailand. Moreover, for the consulates of Australia and Switzerland, a certified translation is required.
The letter must contain the following information:
- the name of the consulate;
- full name of the applicant and sponsor;
- passport numbers (the applicant has a passport);
- relation degree;
- dates of travel and country/countries of destination.
In the letter, the sponsor undertakes to bear all costs associated with the applicant's stay in the specified country.
The following must be attached to the sponsorship letter:
- a copy of the first page of the sponsor's passport with personal data and a photo;
- originals of the account statement and reference from the sponsor's work;
- a copy of the document confirming the relationship.
Examples of sponsorship letters in English
Example #1
Sponsorship letter
This letter is to verify that I, __(1)____ (passport no.), am willing and capable of financially supporting my _(2)_ ___(3)_______ (passport no.) during visit to __(4)_ from_( 5)_ till _(6)_.
date, signature
Example #2
Sponsorship letter
I, ___(1)_______ (passport no.) hereby declare:
1. I wish to sponsor my __(2) (3)____ (passport no.)
2. I hereby undertake that I will be responsible for the travelling, accommodation, food, health and all other expenses of my __(2)___ throughout the period of hes/her stay in __(4)__ from _(5)_ till__(6)__.
date, signature
Explanations
(1) Name and surname of the sponsor in Latin transcription, Russian passport number;
(2) Relationship (father/mother, husband/wife, son/daughter);
(3) Name and surname of the sponsored person in Latin transcription, number of his international passport;
(4) Host country/countries;
(5) Travel start date;
(6) End date of trip.
An example of a sponsorship letter in Russian
sponsorship letter
I, ________________, confirm that I fully finance all expenses associated with the trip of my / my (indicate the degree of relationship, name of the sponsored person, passport number) to (indicate country) from ______ to ________. As confirmation of my financial viability, I enclose a certificate from my place of work and an extract from the bank on the state of my account.
date, signature
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