Who can sponsor a visa? Rules for document preparation. Persons covered by the sponsorship letter

Applying for a Schengen visa is a sequence of simple and understandable steps. Sort of. I went to the official website of the country's embassy, ​​downloaded a list of documents, collected them, submitted them to the visa center and received a visa.

How much easier can it be? - think Europeans, who do not know that salaries come in three colors, and money can be stored in three-liter jars of compote.

Confirmation of financial solvency is a sore point for many Russians planning to travel abroad.

Methods

Who needs a sponsorship letter?

You should include a sponsorship letter for a visa in your must-have package of documents:

• to all unemployed citizens - freelancers, housewives
• employed citizens with a salary approaching 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 official sources 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 categories listed above. A sponsor is needed when a tourist own funds no for staying 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 - put it into the account and make a statement. Afterwards you can immediately remove it and return it :)

You can download it in the article below

Documents for Schengen visa

To minimize the risks of being denied a visa, a potential tourist must prepare a standard set of documents:

• questionnaire
• foreigner - current + old, if he has had Schengen visas for the last 5 years
• internal passport (copy)
• accommodation and ticket reservations
• medical insurance for the period of entry and stay in the European Union
  (it’s more profitable to buy it online – at or)
• certificate from work/educational institution/pension certificate
• financial guarantees – most often this is a bank account statement or a sponsorship letter
• birth certificate for children under 14 years of age
• consent for 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 accompanies the child only partially, for example, the father is already abroad, and the child and mother join later, consent is still required.

Who can become a sponsor?

Different countries adhere to different rules regarding who can act as a sponsor. Visa centers Italy, France and Germany insist on a mandatory relationship between the sponsor and the applicant.

Spain, Greece, Czech Republic more loyal: any person with financial capabilities, including NOT a relative, can become a sponsor.

United Kingdom considers as a sponsor the organization, relatives and friends of the visa applicant, who will also be in the country during his stay in GB.

Requirements for a sponsorship letter

How to write a sponsorship letter? The statement is made in free form and is issued in printed form. The 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 a sponsorship letter:

• Sponsor's full name and passport details
• A phrase about readiness to pay all expenses for the upcoming trip
• Destination country
• Travel dates
• Full name and passport details of the sponsored person
• Date of sponsorship letter
• Sponsor's signature

Does a letter from a sponsor need to be notarized? No, it's not necessary. Schengen countries do not put forward such requirements for the document.

Sample sponsorship letter for Schengen visa

Sponsorship letter for a visa to Spain it may look like this:

Title: Sponsorship statement
Text: I, ***, passport ***, issued by ***, date of issue ***, expiration date ***, residing at address ***,
I sponsor the trip of my son/sister/parent/friend ***, passport ***, issued by ***, issue date ***, expiration date ***, residing at address ***, in Kingdom of Spain from *** to ***.
I undertake to bear all expenses associated with the trip in full.
Number.
Signature.

You can provide a sponsorship letter to Spain in Russian or Spanish. In the Czech Republic and Greece, the sample will look the same, with the exception of the country name.

Where to look for inexpensive visa insurance?

A common mistake many tourists make is purchasing insurance directly in front of the visa center or inside, where the cheapest offers are far from being available. Making insurance online is a matter of 5 minutes and several hundred rubles. You can also go to the website, select the desired option and enter your data via your smartphone.

There are three proven services on my list; Every time I compare where the conditions are more favorable:

Insurance for 7-10 days costs 500-800 rubles. I usually make a choice in favor of reputable companies that have no problems with payments in insurance cases. For example, AlfaStrakhovanie. At the same time, their price is completely average. Uralsib offers a more economical option. Of course, anyone is suitable for a Schengen visa, the main thing is that the coverage is at least €30,000.

List of documents for the sponsorship letter (attachments)

In addition to the sponsorship letter for a visa, the 2019 sample of which is presented above, the sponsor must provide the following attachments to the visa center:

• certificate from the place of employment on the official letterhead of the organization, indicating the position and level wages
• bank account statement for the last 3 months
• copy of passport
• document confirming relationship with the sponsored person (birth certificate, marriage certificate), if required

Features of writing in different Schengen countries

Despite the general visa control area, the policy different countries The European Union has different requirements for sponsors.

🇮🇹 You can issue a sponsorship letter to Italy only if traveling together the sponsor and those whom he sponsors. This must be confirmed by booking tickets and accommodation. Relation is required. The sponsor must be either a parent or spouse of the person requesting the visa. Written language: English or Italian.

🇫🇷 Travel to France by 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 accompanying documents should be on English or French.

🇬🇷 🇨🇿 🇪🇸 The sponsorship letter to Greece and the Czech Republic is similar to the Spanish one. These countries do not insist on relationship with the sponsor. A non-relative may pay for the trip. We accept a document in Russian.

🇬🇧 The UK, which may cease to be a member of the European Union in the foreseeable future, does not belong to the Schengen zone. The British require a separate visa. And you need to take on this business, 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.

Sponsorship letter for a child

One of the most common cases when a sponsorship letter is written is to obtain a Schengen visa for a child. The peculiarities of Russian reality are such that minors rarely have a bank account. Although some European countries(in particular, Norway) emphasize the priority of their own financial guarantees for each traveler, including children; most often in these cases one of the parents acts as a sponsor.

If the child still has an account with enough funds for the trip, a sponsorship letter is not needed. In addition, the parent may not issue letter if the child is under 14 years old travels with both father and mother. Which is 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 the sample above, adding a phrase about relationship with a minor.

If one of the family members sponsors several people, then you can write one letter, listing everyone who needs sponsorship.

Personal example: in November 2017, I applied for a Spanish visa for myself and my child. I don’t work, neither I nor the child have a bank account. My husband wrote us a sponsorship letter (one for two), provided a certificate of income from work, a bank account statement for the last 3 months and a copy of a foreign passport with an open Schengen visa. They gave us visas.

Sponsorship letter in English

In a number of countries - Italy, France, Great Britain - the sponsorship letter must be drawn up either in the native language of the country issuing the visa or in English. There is no need to be afraid of this and there is no need to order a translation from a specialized bureau. You can easily find a sample sponsorship letter for a visa in English on the Internet.

Example in English

I, ***, passport ***, guarantee full financial support to my wife/husband/daughter/son/ect. *** during his/her visit to Italy from *** till ***. Contact phone number ***.
Number.
Signature.

The application must be filled out using your passport data.

✓ If you have doubts regarding the need to provide a sponsorship letter for Schengen, it is better to clarify the information at the consulate of a particular country. The policies of different countries on this issue may vary slightly.

✓ Anyone with access to the Internet and appropriate motivation can figure out what’s what. You should not think that agencies offering their services for obtaining visas have any special knowledge or powers. The system is designed primarily for private tourists.

✓ Life hack about the benefits of preparing documents in advance. Never (!) take pictures at the visa center without good reason. There is no photographer there who will tilt his head in the right direction. There is a machine gun. It takes only the third time to take the desired photo. And not everyone! Unsuccessful attempts are paid.

✓ The main points on which a “beginner” tourist can “cut short” are:

• medical insurance and photos not purchased in advance;
• registration, notarization and translation into English of documents that are not necessary.

By spending a couple of hours of time studying the issue, you can save not a fabulous, but a pleasant amount of money. And spend it on an extra bottle of wine on the same trip.

Copying of materials is permitted only with the obligatory indication of a direct, active and indexable hyperlink to the site.

Every day more and more Russians decide to travel to one of the European countries. It is important to consider that the majority of them signed the Schengen Agreement, indicating the need to obtain a Schengen visa.

To obtain it, you will need to prepare a document confirming your ability to pay. Availability of a certain amount of money is one of the main criteria according to which the Consulate staff makes a decision.

Applicants who have reached the age of majority usually attach to the package of visa documents a certificate from the place of official employment indicating the amount of wages or other documents confirming their financial solvency. If children are applying for permission to cross the border, then a sponsorship letter will serve as confirmation of the availability of the necessary amount for the trip.

Important! If the purpose of the trip is tourism or accommodation of relatives and friends living abroad, then only close relative(for example, one of the parents or children).

Rules for document execution

The sponsorship letter is drawn up in Russian or English, the writing form is free. Before registration, it is recommended to study the conditions of the Consulate of the state to which the child plans to go. Some of them impose requirements on the choice of writing language or the need for a certified translation of the document. It is important that the letter is not required to be certified by a notary office.

• Name of the Consulate;
• Full name of the originator, person paying for the trip;
• Foreign passport number of the visa applicant, civil passport number of the person sponsoring the trip;
• An indication of the relationship between the originator and the sponsoring person;
• Travel dates and country(ies) of departure.

The essence of the sponsorship letter is that the citizen undertakes to accept all the costs necessary for the departure and stay of the child in a certain country.

What documents will be required?

If a sponsorship letter is drawn up, it is documented:

1. A photocopy of the first page of the civil passport of the person who will sponsor the trip. It must include a photograph and personal information.
2. Original certificates from the bank account and workplace of the sponsor.
3. A photocopy of a document confirming the existence of family ties between the visa applicant and the sponsor (if any).

The sponsorship letter itself can be compared to a statement where the citizen indicates an obligation to reimburse travel expenses. The list of expenses includes:

• Nutrition;
• Excursions;
• Guide services (if used);
• Accommodation (hotel room, living space rental);
• Medical services, etc.

When issuing a sponsorship letter to obtain a Schengen visa, it is recommended to follow the advice of experts:

1. Recording can be carried out without observing a clear order of presentation of information - in any form.
2. To draw up a document, you do not need a special form; you just need to use a sample.
3. Indicating the dates of the planned trip and destination is mandatory, otherwise the visa will be refused.
4. Mandatory notarization is not required, but if the travel will be sponsored by someone other than a close relative of the child, it is recommended to have it notarized.

Interestingly, one letter of sponsorship can be obtained for several children at once. For example, if you are planning a trip with the whole family, then it is convenient to draw up one document for everyone at once.

Who can sponsor the travel of a minor child?

A sponsorship letter for a Schengen visa can be drawn up by a close relative, guardian or trustee, or another citizen of the Russian Federation. If we consider the issue of choosing a sponsor with legal point point of view, the main condition is the availability of payment ability - the ability to guarantee payment for the financial part of the trip.

A sample sponsorship letter for obtaining a Schengen visa is presented in open access, so every user can use it. Using the sample will allow you to avoid making mistakes when drawing up the document, which increases the chances of it being approved by the Consulate staff.

And many other countries' consulates require documents confirming the applicant's solvency. The availability of sufficient funds for the trip is one of the main criteria influencing a positive or negative response from the consulate.

Adult applicants in most cases provide a certificate of employment and a bank statement or other documents confirming their financial solvency.

In cases where a visa is issued for minors, as well as students, unemployed citizens or pensioners, as confirmation of the availability of sufficient cash A letter of sponsorship is accepted for the trip.

Attention: if the purpose of the visit is tourism or visiting relatives or friends, a sponsorship letter can only be issued by the closest relative: 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 at whose consulate the visa is requested, if there are separate requirements for this at a particular consulate. You can also attach a translation of the letter if it was originally written in Russian. Today, such requirements are imposed by the consulates of Austria, Australia, Great Britain, the USA, Switzerland, and Thailand. Moreover, the consulates of Australia and Switzerland require a certified translation.

The letter must contain the following information:
- name of the consulate;
- Full name of the applicant and sponsor;
- passport numbers (for the applicant - international passport);
- degree of relationship;
- dates of travel and country/countries of destination.
In the letter, the sponsor undertakes to bear all expenses associated with the applicant’s stay in the specified country.

To the sponsorship letter in mandatory enclosed:
- a copy of the first page of the sponsor’s passport with personal data and photograph;
- originals of account statements and certificates of employment from the sponsor;
- a copy of a document confirming relationship.

Examples of sponsorship letters in English

Example No. 1

Sponsorship Letter

This letter is to verify that I, __(1)____ (passport №), am willing and capable of financially supporting my _(2)_ ___(3)_______ (passport №) during visit to __(4)_ from_( 5)_ till _(6)_.

Date, signature

Example No. 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) Last name and first name of the sponsor in Latin transcription, Russian passport number;
(2) Degree of relationship (father/mother, spouse, son/daughter);
(3) First and last name of the sponsored person in Latin transcription, his passport number;
(4) Host country/countries;
(5) Trip start date;
(6) Travel end date.

Example of a sponsorship letter in Russian

Sponsorship letter

I, ________________, confirm that I will fully finance all expenses associated with my/my (indicate the degree of relationship, full name of the sponsored person, passport number) to (indicate the country) during the period from ______ to ________. To confirm my financial solvency, I am enclosing a certificate from my place of work and a bank statement about the status of my account.

Date, signature

A letter of sponsorship when applying for a Schengen visa is required if the person for whom a Schengen visa is issued cannot independently confirm the availability of the necessary financial resources and level of income, namely:

Unemployed spouses

For pensioners,

Incapacitated or disabled people.

In case of obtaining business visas, the sponsor of the trip may be the organization in which the applicant works or the inviting company. In the case of a trip by private invitation to some countries, the inviting person assumes sponsorship obligations. However, as a rule, in these cases, the applicant must still show the availability of personal minimum amounts for stay in the territory of the Schengen countries, as a rule, this amount is 50 euros per day of stay. An exception is the case of issuing visas to Italy, visas to the Czech Republic and some other Schengen countries, when special guarantees are allowed.

In the visa sponsorship letter, the sponsor states that he/she undertakes to cover all travel-related expenses (transportation, food, accommodation, medical care, etc.) of the sponsored person.

Who can sponsor a Schengen visa?

In case tourist trip In Schengen countries, only close relatives in the ascending and descending line can act as sponsors: parents, children, grandparents. Officially appointed guardians and trustees may also be sponsors. In some cases, sibling sponsorship is permitted, but in this case the likelihood of obtaining a visa is greater if the sponsor travels with the sponsored person. A stranger (including common-law spouses) cannot act as sponsors for obtaining a visa to Schengen countries. In this case, it is assumed that the "unsuitable" sponsor can provide money to the "sponsored" person to open a bank account, which will be evidence financial opportunities visa applicant.

In the case of obtaining a visa by private invitation, the inviting person is a sponsor in the understanding that he covers possible unforeseen expenses associated with the applicant’s stay in the territory of the Schengen countries. For most countries, such confirmation does not guarantee that the applicant has the necessary funds for the trip and requires the provision of a certificate of employment for a Schengen visa or a bank account statement for a Schengen visa. An exception is Italy, when obtaining a visa, it is possible to issue a bank or insurance guarantee on behalf of the inviting person or company (the original documents confirming receipt of such a guarantee are submitted along with the entire package of documents when applying for a visa to Italy).

In case of obtaining a multiple visa based on a business invitation, most countries require proof of income in the form of a bank account statement; for some countries this is not required: for example, when applying for a visa to Lithuania or a visa to Estonia.

Sample sponsorship letter

The sponsorship letter is written by hand or on a computer (with a mandatory signature) according to the following model:

Documents to be provided in support of the sponsorship letter

In addition to the sponsorship letter itself, you must provide copies (and when receiving a visa to Italy, originals) of documents confirming the relationship between the sponsor and the sponsored person. Such documents may be: guardianship documents, birth certificates, marriage certificates and other documents. In the case of different surnames, it is necessary to provide documents showing the change in surname: for example, if a brother is the sponsor of his married sister, it is necessary, in addition to the birth certificates of the brother and sister, to provide a marriage certificate of the sister, in the case of a change of surname to the husband's surname.

A sponsorship letter for a Schengen visa serves as a financial guarantee to ensure travel for persons who do not have sufficient funds in their bank account. The person who issued it bears all expenses associated with the trip to the Schengen countries. In this article, we will look at what a sponsorship letter should look like and what are the basic rules for drafting it. The sample provided in Russian and English will allow you to prepare this document yourself.

A sponsorship letter is a free-form document reflecting the obligations of a third party to pay travel expenses.

It is drawn up in free form, the main thing is to reflect the intention for financial support. Required elements in a sponsorship letter include:
Full passport details of the sponsor and visa recipient;
Place of travel;
Travel dates during which sponsorship is provided;
Phrase guaranteeing payment of financial expenses;
Date of issue of the letter;
Sponsor's signature and contact details (phone, email).

Any person, not necessarily a relative, can issue a sponsorship letter. Many consulates do not require confirmation of relationship when submitting a sponsorship letter, but there are also those who require confirmation family ties necessary. For example, the Italy visa center outlined such requirements on its official website. It is better to clarify this information before applying for a visa. Most often, relatives - parents, brothers and sisters - act as sponsors. The presence of family ties in the eyes of the consulate is preferable, since close person will not leave the traveler without support and will fulfill his obligations in the letter. An organization can also act as a sponsor.
The letter is drawn up on paper in printed or handwritten form, the sponsor’s signature is original. You cannot submit a photocopy of the letter, but there is no need to notarize it. You can prepare a sponsorship letter very quickly. Along with the letter, the sponsor must provide the visa applicant with proof of income and a bank statement. The consulate must be sure that the sponsor has the necessary funds to finance the trip. The statute of limitations for all documents must not exceed 30 days.

A sponsorship letter will be required:
Children under 14 years old traveling alone. When obtaining a visa jointly, a bank statement from the parents will be sufficient;
Students and students;
Unemployed;
Persons retirement age;
Other persons who cannot confirm their solvency.

Previously, some consulates required a letter of sponsorship from persons who are not officially employed and are unable to provide a certificate of employment. Now they just need to confirm a sufficient level of financial resources for the trip.
Most often, consulates provide sponsorship letters in Russian, but some may require English version. Below you will find a sample sponsorship letter in these two languages.

Sample sponsorship letter for a Schengen visa in Russian

Here is a sample sponsorship letter. Based on it, you can create your own. The text of your letter may differ slightly, since the consulates of Schengen countries do not have strict requirements for wording. If the trip involves visiting several countries, this must be reflected in the letter.

To the consular section
Embassy of Spain (Italy\France – select the one you need)\
or Upon presentation

Sponsorship letter

I, Petrov Ivan Sergeevich (born on August 15, 1984, Russian passport 9905 732006, issued by the Federal Migration Service of Russia for Moscow, Tverskoy district, unit code 770-090, registered at the address: Moscow, Lesnaya st., 7, apt. 15) I am the sponsor of my wife’s trip and with this letter I guarantee the payment of all expenses associated with the stay of Olga Borisovna Petrova (born September 23, 1985, passport 0709187980, issued by the Federal Migration Service of Russia in Moscow, Tverskoy district, unit code 770-090, registered under address: Moscow, Lesnaya st., 7, apt. 15) in Spain from August 24, 2018 to September 10, 2018.
I am attaching a bank account statement and a certificate from my place of work.

"__" _________ 2017 _______________ / Last name I.O. /

Contact phone: 8–___–__________
Address: Moscow, st. Lesnaya, 7, apt. 15
Email: [email protected]

Sample sponsorship letter in English

In English, a sponsorship letter may look like this:

Letter of sponsorship

I, Petrov Ivan Sergeevich holding passport No. 9905 732006, date of issue: 05/01/2003. Issued at police department of Moscow city. I take over the liability regarding all trip financial expenditures of my wife Petrova Olga Borisovna (passport No. 257181, issued at police department of Moscow city) for the trip to Spain during the period from 24.08.18 till 10.09.18. I understand that the above statement made by me are true and correct.

Ivanov Ivan Ivanovich
12.07.2018

Phone
Address
Email

Now preparing a sponsorship letter for a Schengen visa will be a simple formality for you. The sample provided is suitable for applying for a visa to the most popular countries among tourists - France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Czech Republic, Poland and others.
Have a nice trip!

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