If your mother or father wants to visit you in the United States, a well-written invitation letter can help their B-2 visitor visa application. The letter explains who you are, why you want your parents to come, how long they will stay, and who pays for the trip. It gives the consular officer a clear, human picture of the visit.
Here is the single most important thing to understand before you write a word: the invitation letter is optional and supplementary. It is not required for a B-2 visa, and it does not guarantee approval. Thousands of parents get visitor visas every year without any letter at all. What actually decides the case is whether your parents can show strong ties to their home country and a clear intent to return.
That said, a clean, honest letter still helps. It shows the officer that a real, identifiable person in the United States is expecting the visit, that the purpose is genuine, and that your parents will have a place to stay. When it is paired with proof of your status and, if you are paying, evidence you can cover the costs, the letter rounds out a strong file.
Free toolDS-160 Form Filling Online Helper ToolThis guide is written for the U.S.-based host: a U.S. citizen, a green card holder, or a person on a valid work or student visa who wants to invite their parents. It walks through exactly what the letter should say, which documents you should attach, and how the letter connects to your parents’ B-2 interview at the consulate.
You will also find three full sample letters below that you can adapt: one inviting both parents together, one inviting a single parent, and one where the host is covering all the costs. Change the names, dates, and addresses to your own details and you have a finished draft.
| India | China | ROW | |
|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | Oct 15, 2022 | Jul 01, 2023 ▲30d | Current |
| EB-2 | Unavailable | Sep 01, 2021 | Current |
| EB-3 | Jan 01, 2014 | Jan 01, 2022 ▲10d | Sep 01, 2024 ▲31d |
| F-1 | Dec 15, 2018 ▲317d | Dec 15, 2018 ▲317d | Dec 15, 2018 ▲317d |
| F-2A | Jul 22, 2026 ▲567d | Jul 22, 2026 ▲567d | Jul 22, 2026 ▲567d |
Finally, this guide clears up the most common myth about these letters, the belief that they must be notarized. They do not. Read on for why, and for everything the letter actually needs.
Understand what the letter can and cannot do
The invitation letter is a supporting document, not a golden ticket. A U.S. visitor visa is refused or approved under Section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which presumes every visitor intends to immigrate until they prove otherwise. Your parents overcome that presumption by showing ties that will pull them back home: a job, a business, property, a spouse who is staying behind, dependents, or a pension.
Your letter cannot create those ties. What it can do is confirm the purpose of the trip, the length of stay, and the fact that your parents have somewhere to live and someone to receive them. It signals that this is a genuine family visit with a defined end date, not an open-ended relocation.
Keep the tone factual. Officers read thousands of these letters, and an over-emotional or exaggerated letter can hurt more than help. State the facts plainly and let your parents’ own documents carry the weight.
A letter never overrides weak ties. If your parents cannot show a reason to return home, no invitation letter will fix that. Focus their file on ties first, the letter second.
Put the right information in the letter
A strong invitation letter is short, usually one page. It is addressed to the consular officer at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate where your parents will interview, and it answers the officer’s basic questions before they are even asked: who you are, who is visiting, why, for how long, where they will stay, and who is paying.
Use the checklist below as your outline. Each line becomes a sentence or two in the letter.
- Your full name, U.S. address, and phone or email
- Your immigration status in the U.S. (citizen, green card holder, H-1B, F-1, and so on)
- Your relationship to the visitor, stated plainly (“my mother,” “my father”)
- Each parent’s full name and passport number, exactly as printed
- The purpose of the visit (family reunion, a graduation, the birth of a grandchild, sightseeing)
- Proposed arrival and departure dates, or an approximate duration
- Where they will stay, usually your home address
- Who covers the costs (your parents themselves, you, or a mix)
- A clear statement that your parents will return home at the end of the visit
- Your signature and the date
Never inflate or invent anything. If you say you will pay all expenses, be ready to prove it. A letter that contradicts the rest of the file, or your parents’ own answers at the interview, does real damage.
Gather the documents that back up your letter
The letter is only as convincing as the proof behind it. Attach copies of documents that confirm you are who you say you are, that you live where you say you live, and that you are related to the visitor. If you are paying for the trip, add evidence you can afford it.
- Proof of U.S. status: U.S. passport bio page, green card (front and back), or your visa plus most recent I-94
- Proof of address: a lease, mortgage statement, or a recent utility bill in your name
- Proof of relationship: your birth certificate showing your parents’ names, or a family register or equivalent
- If you are sponsoring the trip: recent pay stubs, an employment letter, bank statements, or a tax return
If you plan to cover your parents’ costs, you can also file Form I-134, the Declaration of Financial Support. It is a formal promise that you will be financially responsible during the visit. For a B-2 visitor visa, Form I-134 is optional, not required. Many families skip it and simply attach the host’s bank statements and pay stubs instead. Consider it when your parents have limited funds of their own and you want to document that you will cover the trip.
The officer weighs your parents’ own funds and ties first. Even a signed Form I-134 does not guarantee a visa. It documents that support exists; it does not replace your parents’ need to show they will return home.
Skip the notary: the notarization myth
One belief spreads through family group chats more than any other: that the invitation letter must be notarized to count. It does not. The U.S. Department of State does not require a notarized invitation letter for a B-2 visitor visa, and a notary stamp adds no legal weight to what you have written.
A notary only confirms that the person who signed the letter is who they claim to be. It says nothing about whether the contents are true, and the consular officer knows that. A typed letter with your handwritten signature and the date is enough for virtually every consulate.
Some applicants still choose to notarize for peace of mind, and that is fine, it does no harm. But do not pay for a notary, or delay your parents’ application, in the belief that an un-notarized letter will be rejected. It will not.
Form I-864, the Affidavit of Support, is a binding legal contract used for immigrant (green card) cases. It is not the same as a B-2 invitation letter or Form I-134, and it is not needed for a tourist visit. Do not let anyone tell you a visitor needs an I-864.
Copy and adapt a sample letter
Below are three complete letters you can use as templates. The names, addresses, passport numbers, and dates are fictional. Replace every detail with your own, keep the letter to one page, sign it by hand, and give it to your parents to carry to the interview. Do not copy the sample details as-is.
Anjali Sharma
482 Maplewood Drive, Apt 5
Austin, TX 78745
Phone: (512) 555-0142 | Email: [email protected]
March 3, 2026
Consular Officer
U.S. Consulate General, Mumbai
India
Dear Consular Officer,
I am writing to invite my parents, Mr. Rakesh Sharma (passport no. Z1234567) and Mrs. Sunita Sharma (passport no. Z1234568), to visit me in the United States. I am a U.S. permanent resident (green card holder) and I live at the address above, where I work as a software engineer.
The purpose of their visit is to spend time with our family and to attend my daughter’s first birthday celebration in June 2026. I would like them to stay for approximately six weeks, from around June 5 to July 18, 2026. During their visit they will stay in my home, and I will help with their day-to-day arrangements. My parents will cover their own airfare and travel expenses.
My parents are retired and live in their own home in Pune. My father receives a monthly pension and my mother helps care for my younger brother’s children, and they intend to return to India at the end of the visit as their life is settled there.
I have enclosed a copy of my green card, proof of my address, and my birth certificate showing our relationship. Please let me know if any further information would help. Thank you for considering their applications.
Sincerely,
Anjali Sharma
David Okafor
1170 Birchfield Lane
Columbus, OH 43220
Phone: (614) 555-0178 | Email: [email protected]
April 12, 2026
Consular Officer
U.S. Embassy, Abuja
Nigeria
Dear Consular Officer,
I would like to invite my mother, Mrs. Grace Okafor (passport no. A09876543), to visit me in the United States. I am a U.S. citizen and I live and work in Columbus, Ohio, as a registered nurse.
My mother was recently widowed, and I would like her to spend time with me and my children for a short holiday. I propose that she visit for about four weeks, from approximately September 8 to October 5, 2026. She will stay in my home for the full duration of the trip.
My mother will meet her own travel costs from her savings, and she intends to return to Nigeria at the end of her stay. She owns the family home in Enugu, is closely involved in her church community, and helps look after her grandchildren there.
Enclosed are a copy of my U.S. passport, proof of my residence, and documents showing our relationship. Please contact me if anything further is needed. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Yours faithfully,
David Okafor
Mei-Ling Chen
78 Harborview Court
Seattle, WA 98109
Phone: (206) 555-0193 | Email: [email protected]
February 20, 2026
Consular Officer
American Institute in Taiwan, Taipei
Dear Consular Officer,
I am writing to invite my father, Mr. Wei-Chung Chen (passport no. 310456789), to visit me in the United States, and to confirm that I will be financially responsible for his trip. I hold H-1B status and work as a research scientist in Seattle; a copy of my visa, most recent I-94, and an employment verification letter are enclosed.
My father would visit for approximately five weeks, from around May 10 to June 14, 2026, to see my new home and to recover with family following a minor surgery earlier this year. He will stay with me throughout the visit.
Because he is retired, I will cover the full cost of his trip, including his round-trip airfare, accommodation in my home, and daily living expenses while he is here. To document this, I have enclosed my three most recent pay stubs, bank statements, and Form I-134. My father owns his apartment in Taichung, is under the ongoing care of his local physician, and plans to return to Taiwan at the end of the visit.
Please let me know if I can provide anything further. Thank you for considering my father’s application.
Warm regards,
Mei-Ling Chen
If you are inviting both parents but they will interview separately, you can still use one letter that names them both, or write a short individual letter for each. Either approach is accepted.
Connect the letter to the B-2 interview
Once the letter is signed, send your parents a printed copy plus copies of your supporting documents. They should carry these to their visa interview, but they should not expect the officer to read the whole file. Most B-2 interviews last two to three minutes, and the decision turns on your parents’ own answers.
Make sure your parents’ story matches the letter exactly. If your letter says they will stay six weeks, they should say six weeks. If it says they are paying their own way, they should not tell the officer that you are paying everything. Contradictions between the letter and the spoken answers are a fast route to a 214(b) refusal.
Prepare your parents for the handful of questions officers actually ask: why are you visiting, who is in the United States, how long will you stay, who is paying, and what do you do back home. Their answers about work, property, and family at home are what prove they will return.
Run a mock interview with your parents over a video call. Ask the five questions above and listen for answers that line up with the letter. Confidence and consistency matter more than any document.
Some hosts pour effort into a long, emotional letter and neglect their parents’ ties documents. The officer decides on ties, not on how heartfelt your letter is. Keep the letter short and put the energy into your parents’ proof of a life to return to.
Notarization is not required and adds no weight. Spending money and time to notarize the letter buys nothing. A signed, dated letter is enough.
If your letter says you will cover the trip, you must be able to show it with pay stubs, bank statements, or Form I-134. An unsupported promise of money can raise more doubt than it removes.
The single most damaging mistake is a mismatch between the letter and what your parents say at the window. Share the final letter with your parents and make sure everyone tells the same story on dates, purpose, and who pays.
After you finish the letter
With the letter written and your documents copied, your parents are ready to complete their DS-160 forms, pay the visa fee, and book their interview appointments. For a deeper look at wording, structure, and more templates across visit types, see our full U.S. visa invitation letter guide with sample letters.
The interview is where the case is won or lost, so spend your remaining prep time there. Walk your parents through the most common questions in our roundups of visitor visa interview questions for parents visiting the USA and the specific interview questions Indian parents are asked. If approved, review the documents parents should carry at the U.S. port of entry so the arrival goes smoothly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does an invitation letter for parents need to be notarized?
No. The U.S. Department of State does not require a notarized invitation letter for a B-2 visitor visa, and notarization adds no legal weight. A typed letter with your handwritten signature and the date is enough. A notary only confirms who signed it, not that the contents are true.
Is an invitation letter required for a B-2 visitor visa?
No. The letter is optional and supplementary. Many parents get B-2 visas with no letter at all. The consular officer decides under INA 214(b) based on whether your parents show strong ties to their home country and intent to return, not on the letter itself.
Who should write the invitation letter for parents?
The U.S.-based host writes it, whether a U.S. citizen, green card holder, or someone on a valid work or student visa like H-1B or F-1. The letter states your status, your relationship to your parents, the purpose and length of the visit, where they will stay, and who pays.
Can both parents be on one invitation letter?
Yes. You can name both parents in a single letter with each of their full names and passport numbers, or write a separate short letter for each. Both approaches are accepted, even if your parents attend their visa interviews separately.
Does an invitation letter guarantee the visa will be approved?
No. The letter is a supporting document, not a golden ticket. Approval rests on your parents demonstrating ties home such as a job, property, a pension, or dependents. If they cannot show a reason to return, no invitation letter will overcome a 214(b) refusal.
Should I include Form I-134 with the invitation letter?
Only if you are paying for the trip. Form I-134, the Declaration of Financial Support, is optional for a B-2 visa. Many families instead attach the host’s bank statements and pay stubs. Consider I-134 when your parents have limited funds and you want to document that you cover costs.
What documents should the host attach to the letter?
Attach proof of your U.S. status (passport bio page, green card, or visa plus I-94), proof of address such as a lease or utility bill, and proof of relationship like your birth certificate. If you sponsor the trip, add pay stubs, an employment letter, or bank statements.
How long should a parent invitation letter be?
Keep it to about one page. State the facts plainly: who you are, your status, your parents’ names and passport numbers, the purpose and dates of the visit, where they will stay, who pays, and a clear statement that they will return home. Then sign and date it.
