If you choose to stay in a hotel, hostel or Airbnb, just present the proof of reservation. If you are going to rent an apartment, you must present the contract with the tenant. Finally, if you are going to stay at a friend's or family member's house, the necessary document is the invitation letter.
The invitation letter is an informal document that confirms that you are going to visit a person in a particular country and have accommodation for the period. That is, the invitation letter works as proof of hosting. Also called the Term of Responsibility, this is a document in which the resident is formally responsible for the accommodation, assuming full responsibility for the foreigner during the entire period of his stay in Portuguese territory. This term is provided for in art. 12 of Law No. 23/2007 (law regulating the entry, stay, exit and removal of foreigners from the national territory).
Some people also use the invitation letter as a document in which the host will also be the financial responsible of the traveler. In this case, it is necessary to express this clearly in the letter.
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The invitation letter has no cost. It must be written by your host, printed and signed by him. However, it is indicated to authenticate the letter at a notary's office. Therefore, you should bear this cost.
Who can make an invitation letter?
Only legal residents of a particular country can make an invitation letter to you. That is, either the person is a native of the place or he lives there, even if temporarily (due to studies or work, for example).
Is it necessary to authenticate?
There is conflicting information about the letter, because although they indicate the need for registration, most of the time immigration accepts the informal letter, that is, only signed, scanned and sent by email. Although there is no express provision for this, recognizing the invitation letter in a notary's office is an additional guarantee of the validity of the document. So, if you are a purchased ticket to Portugal you can risk the invitation letter without registration, but it is important that all other documents necessary to go through European immigration are correct.
Invitation Letter Language
If you are going on a direct flight to Portugal, just be written in Portuguese. But if your plane connects somewhere, please have an English version of the same letter.
Do I need any host documents?
It is interesting to attach to the letter a copy of the person's passport or any identity document.
EXTRA TIPS
🌟 Before the host sent the letter by mail, ask him to scan or photograph and send the letter by e-mail as well. It is a guarantee of your that you will have the document at the time of boarding.
🌟 The invitation letter is only required if you do not have a reservation for accommodation in Portugal. Therefore, when it is filled in, you must indicate the date you will stay at the host's house, only.
🌟 Immigration can call the person who wrote the invitation letter and ask questions about the relationship between you. Therefore, we should never lie to the agent about the nature of this relationship.
🌟 There is no single format for the preparation of the letter, but we recommend that you use the model made available by the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF), so as not to run the risk of forgetting any important information.
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