A UK Standard Visitor visa does not require an invitation letter. The Home Office says supporting documents are recommended, not mandatory, and a missing document is not by itself a ground for refusal. The one exception is a Permitted Paid Engagement, where you must have a written invitation from a UK-based organisation or client.
That does not make the letter pointless. When a UK host is paying for the trip, housing the visitor or vouching for the reason for the visit, a short, specific letter gives the caseworker a clear account that matches the application form. This guide shows what to put in it and gives three full samples: a family visit, a friend visit and a Permitted Paid Engagement invitation from a UK organisation.
It also lists the documents the host and the visitor should gather. The Home Office updated its Visit guidance and its guide to supporting documents on 8 October 2026, so the wording below follows those current versions. The Standard Visitor visa fee is £135 and lets you stay up to 6 months, with a decision usually within 3 weeks.
Citizens of the United States, Canada, Australia and many European countries do not need a visa for a short visit. They need a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation instead, and an ETA does not involve an invitation letter. Our UK ETA guide covers that route, and the Home Office page says an ETA costs £20.
If you only need generic templates for other destinations, see our Visa Invitation Letter Templates: 10 Free Samples by Scenario and the Schengen visa invitation letter guide. The samples here are UK-specific and do not repeat those.
Throughout, text in [square brackets] is a placeholder to replace with your own details. Do not copy a sample word for word. A letter that repeats a template and contradicts the visa application form does more harm than no letter.
Decide whether a letter is needed
Start with the visa category. Most visitors apply online for a Standard Visitor visa. The application asks for travel dates, accommodation, estimated trip cost, home address and annual income, and depending on your situation it may also ask for 10 years of travel history, employer contact details and details of anyone paying for the trip.
| Situation | Letter? | Who writes it |
|---|---|---|
| Family or friend visit, visitor pays own way | Optional but useful | UK host |
| Host pays travel, housing or living costs | Strongly advised, with proof | UK host (the sponsor) |
| Business meeting or conference | Advised | Event organiser |
| Permitted Paid Engagement | Required | UK organisation or client |
| Visa-exempt nationals with an ETA | Not part of the ETA | Carry one for border questions |
The Home Office says you may be asked questions at the UK border about your eligibility and activities. Even on an ETA, a short printed letter from your host can help you answer them.
What the letter should contain
The Home Office does not publish a fixed template. Its guidance says that where someone else provides travel, maintenance or accommodation, the applicant should show what support is being provided, how it is being provided, that the sponsor has enough funds to support themselves and their dependants, the relationship between sponsor and visitor, and that the sponsor is legally in the UK. Build the letter around those points.
- Host full name, UK address, phone number and email
- Visitor full name, date of birth, passport number and home address
- Exact relationship and how long you have known each other
- Purpose of the visit and planned arrival and departure dates
- Where the visitor will stay, and for how long
- What you will pay for, if anything (flights, housing, food, spending money)
- A statement that the visitor will return home, with the reason they have to (job, studies, family)
- Your immigration status in the UK, signed and dated, with a note of the enclosed proof
Home Office guidance says supporting documents must correlate with what is written on the visa application form (a point it clarified on 29 January 2025). If the letter says you pay for everything but the form says the visitor pays, the mismatch is what a caseworker will notice.
Sample 1: family visit
Use this when a parent, sibling, adult child or other relative is visiting and you are hosting or helping with costs. Home Office guidance says there is no provision in the visitor route for family members other than as dependants of a visitor, but they can visit as long as they are not making frequent or successive visits, so keep the stay temporary and explain the return plan.
[Your UK address, postcode]
[Phone] | [Email]
[Date]
To: Entry Clearance Officer, UK Visas and Immigration
Re: Visit visa application for [visitor full name], passport no. [number], date of birth [DD/MM/YYYY]
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing to invite my [mother/father/sister/brother] [visitor full name], who lives at [home address, country], to stay with me in the United Kingdom from [arrival date] to [departure date], a total of [number] days.
I am a [British citizen / person with indefinite leave to remain / person with settled status] and have lived at the address above since [year]. I work as a [job title] at [employer] and I enclose a copy of my [passport / biometric residence permit or eVisa share code], my last [number] payslips and my bank statements for the same period.
The purpose of the visit is to spend time with family, including [occasion, for example my daughter’s graduation on date]. [Visitor] will stay at my home, where [he/she] will have [their own room]. I will pay for [return flights / accommodation, food and local travel], and I have enclosed evidence of my ability to do so. [Visitor] will pay for [anything else] from [his/her] own savings.
[Visitor] works as a [job] at [employer] and has [family / property / a job] in [country] to return to. [He/She] has agreed to leave the UK before [departure date]. [He/She] has previously visited [countries or earlier UK trips] and returned on time.
I confirm that all of the information above is true. Please contact me on the details above if you need anything further.
Yours faithfully,
[Signature]
[Printed name]
Sample 2: friend visit
A friend is not a relative, so the caseworker has less to go on. Spell out how you met, how long you have known each other and what the visit is for. Home Office guidance says maintenance and accommodation support can come from a third party, including family members and friends, and a friend who offers it must show they have enough money to support themselves.
[Your UK address, postcode]
[Phone] | [Email]
[Date]
To: Entry Clearance Officer, UK Visas and Immigration
Re: Invitation for [friend full name], passport no. [number], date of birth [DD/MM/YYYY]
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am inviting my friend [friend full name] of [home address, country] to visit me in [UK city] from [arrival date] to [departure date].
We met in [year] while [studying together at / working at / through], and we have stayed in regular contact since. I have attached [a few message or photo examples, optional] to show this. [Friend] is a [job] at [employer], and I know [he/she] is planning the trip around [his/her] annual leave.
During the visit we plan to [sightsee in London and Edinburgh / attend my wedding on date / spend the holiday together]. [Friend] will stay in the spare room at my home. [Friend] will pay for [his/her] own flights and spending money. I will provide accommodation at no charge and will cover [meals], and I have enclosed my payslips and bank statements to show I can do this.
I have lived in the UK as [a British citizen / a person with settled status / a visa holder valid until date], and I enclose proof of my status and a recent tenancy agreement or council tax bill showing my address.
[Friend] has told me [he/she] has to be back at work on [date] and I will be glad to help with any questions.
Yours faithfully,
[Signature]
[Printed name]
Home Office guidance says that if the third party is in the UK, they must not be in breach of immigration law at the time of the decision. A host whose own permission has expired is a weak sponsor.
Sample 3: Permitted Paid Engagement invitation
For a Permitted Paid Engagement, the invitation is not optional. GOV.UK says you must be 18 or over, be an expert in your profession, have a written invitation from a UK-based organisation or client, and the engagement must relate to your expertise, qualifications and main job in your home country. You can stay up to 6 months, but you must do the engagement in the first month.
Who sends the invitation depends on the activity. GOV.UK lists UK creative organisations, agents or broadcasters for artists, UK sports organisations for sportspeople, a client for qualified lawyers, a UK higher education, research or arts organisation for lecturers and examiners, the conference organiser for speakers, and a UK-based approved training organisation regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority for air pilot examiners. Staff guidance adds that the invitation should show why the individual was chosen and set out how the engagement links to the venue and how long it lasts.
[Address, postcode] | [Phone] | [Email]
[Date]
To: Entry Clearance Officer, UK Visas and Immigration
Re: Invitation to [invitee full name], passport no. [number], for a Permitted Paid Engagement
Dear Sir or Madam,
[Organisation name], a [university / festival / sports club / law firm / broadcaster] based in [UK city], invites [invitee full name] to deliver [a lecture series / a keynote talk / a performance / a series of fixtures] on [date or dates] at [venue].
We have chosen [invitee] because [he/she] is [a professor of X at Y University / an established musician with published recordings and reviews / a qualified lawyer with a right of audience in country]. [His/Her] work in [field] directly matches the subject of this engagement, and [he/she] is not being engaged to fill a teaching post or any other position at our organisation.
The engagement will take place on [dates], within [number] days of [his/her] arrival on [arrival date]. [He/She] will be paid [fee] by [organisation / bank transfer] for it, and we will cover [travel / accommodation] of [amount]. A copy of our contract is enclosed.
[Invitee] will leave the UK on [departure date]. We are a registered [charity / company / institution], number [number], and can be reached on the details above.
Yours faithfully,
[Signature]
[Printed name, job title]
Lecturers and examiners cannot take a full or part-time teaching post for the host organisation, and GOV.UK adds that some may need a letter from their employer, examples of published work or evidence of past lectures. Attach those with the invitation.
Documents the UK host should provide
The host is the one asking the caseworker to trust the visitor, so the host’s papers matter most when the host pays or houses the visitor. Home Office guidance says documents should show the sponsor’s ability to support themselves and any dependants, and that the sponsor is legally in the UK, for example with a British passport or residence document.
- Signed and dated invitation letter
- Proof of status: British passport, or residence document / eVisa share code
- Recent payslips and a letter from the employer, or self-employment records
- Bank statements showing where funds come from (see the note on months below)
- Proof of address: tenancy agreement, mortgage statement or council tax bill
- Accommodation details: spare room or sleeping arrangements, and the number of people in the household
- Proof of relationship for family visits: birth certificate, marriage certificate or photos
The Home Office sets no fixed number of months. Statements should show the origin of funds, and the guidance warns that money not held for long may prompt further checks. Many applicants include around six months, which is common practice, not a rule. Statements issued more than a year before the application are not good evidence.
Documents the visitor should provide
The visitor carries the application. You must hold a passport or travel document valid for the whole stay, and any document not in English or Welsh needs a certified translation. The Home Office guide adds that documents are a personal choice and the list is not exhaustive, but it suggests letters from inviting or sending organisations, an employer letter on headed paper with role, salary and length of employment, and financial documents showing access to funds.
- Valid passport, plus copies of previous passports showing travel
- Employer letter on headed paper, or student enrolment and leave letter
- Own bank statements and proof of earnings showing the source of funds
- The host’s invitation letter and the host’s supporting documents
- Travel plan: dates, flights and where you will stay
- Proof of ties to home: lease, family, job, business registration or recent invoices
- Confirmation of legal residence if you apply from a country that is not your own
- Certified translations of anything not in English or Welsh
Everything must agree with the online form. The guidance says supporting documents should back up what you declared on the application, so if the form shows your income and who is paying, the paperwork should show the same figures.
Submit and what happens next
Apply online before you travel, up to 3 months before your trip. You then attend an appointment to prove your identity, give fingerprints and a photo, and present the documents showing you are eligible. The application centre may keep some documents and will tell you what it needs.
| Standard Visitor visa (up to 6 months) | £135 |
| 2-year long-term visit visa | £506 |
| Electronic Travel Authorisation (visa-exempt nationals) | £20 |
You usually get a decision within 3 weeks. Fees are refunded only if the application has not been processed when you cancel. For the application walkthrough see our step-by-step UK visitor visa guide.
Who pays, how long the stay is and where the visitor sleeps must match the application exactly. Check the form before the host signs.
Saying you will fund the trip without payslips or statements adds nothing. Attach the evidence.
An invitation that only says “come and work with us” will not do. State what, where, when and why this person.
Frequent or successive visits, or a visit that looks like childcare for pay, raise questions. Caring for a child or relative is allowed if temporary, informal and not employment.
Statements issued more than a year before applying are poor evidence, and a large recent deposit invites questions about where the money came from.
After your visa is granted
Keep the letter and the host’s documents with your passport when you travel, as a border officer can ask about your plans. If you plan other destinations as well, our invitation letter templates for other visa types cover the scenarios not repeated here. Volunteering during a visit is a separate question, covered in our guide to volunteering on a Standard Visitor visa.
Check the official pages before you file, since rules and fees change: GOV.UK Standard Visitor visa and the Home Office guide to supporting documents.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an invitation letter for a UK visitor visa?
No. The Home Office says supporting documents are recommended, not mandatory, and a missing document is not by itself a ground for refusal. The exception is a Permitted Paid Engagement, which needs a written invitation from a UK-based organisation or client.
What should a UK visitor visa invitation letter include?
Host and visitor names, addresses and passport details, their relationship, travel dates, where the visitor will stay, who pays for what, the return plan, and the host’s UK immigration status. Sign and date it and attach proof of the host’s status and funds.
How many months of bank statements for a UK visitor visa?
The Home Office sets no fixed number of months. Statements should show where funds came from, and those issued more than a year before applying are poor evidence. Around six months is common practice among applicants, not a rule.
Does my host’s immigration status matter?
Yes. Home Office guidance says a sponsor in the UK must be legally in the UK, for example with a British passport or residence document, and must not be in breach of immigration law when a decision is made.
Do documents have to match the visa application form?
Yes. Since a January 2025 clarification, guidance says supporting documents must correlate with what is written on the application form, including income and who is paying. A letter that contradicts the form can hurt an otherwise sound application.
Who can write the invitation for a Permitted Paid Engagement?
It depends on the activity. GOV.UK lists UK creative or sports organisations, a client for lawyers, a UK university or research body for lecturers, or the conference organiser for speakers. The engagement must start within the first month of arrival.
Do I need an invitation letter with a UK ETA?
An ETA, which costs £20 and covers stays up to 6 months for visa-exempt nationals, does not involve an invitation letter. You may still be asked about your plans at the border, so carrying a short host letter is sensible.
How much is a UK Standard Visitor visa and how long does it take?
The Standard Visitor visa costs £135 and allows a stay up to 6 months. You can apply up to 3 months before travel, and you will usually get a decision within 3 weeks.
