Question
When we move to Spain do we seriously need to provide all of our visiting UK friends & family with a carta de invitación every time they come over?
Answers
These are the answers of Spainguru’s Facebook group members:
“Technically yes but you can just send them an email inviting them with your details and theirs on it and get them to print it and carry it if they are asked at borders, it’s not likely they will be asked but now they could be and they can be asked to show that they have an address where they are staying and that they have funds of around 100 a day to support themselves.”
“Written into the Schengen rules is the carta de invitación. However, in my opinion, there is so much hype, mainly from the media, about this. Since Brexit, the media appears to want to cause panic and worry, really over nothing. Just like at the borders of any country many people pass through passport control without any problems.”
“The border from Gibraltar to Spain ask non EU/non resident travellers why they are travelling to Spain. They ask for return flight details and proof of accommodation. I have not got my visitors ‘Carta de invitacion’, however, I have written them a letter in Spanish detailing their passport numbers, my NIE and my home address and advising that they are staying with me. This has been sufficient so far.”
“I have an invite letter now on my laptop. Just change the date, names of the visitors and the dates they will be staying. Email it to one of them and they have it in their phone or print a copy. It’s easy.”
“How does it work when you own a property in Spain but live in the UK. How do you prove you’re just visiting?”
“Why would you have to prove you’re just visiting? You’re allowed to be in Spain as a tourist for 90/180 days, the fact you choose to spend it in your second home is not an issue. You can prove you are resident in the UK with all sorts of documents (driving licence, utility bills, bank statements).”
Conclusion
The discussion in Spainguru’s Facebook group highlights that while a carta de invitación is technically required for non-EU visitors staying at private residences, enforcement seems sporadic.
The consensus suggests that while it is good to be prepared with some form of invitation or proof of accommodation, the actual request for these documents at Spanish borders is not consistently stringent.
