Carta de invitación in Spain: the police appointment, documents and timing

23/07/2026

2 min read

Hosting a foreign relative or friend at your home in Spain means getting a carta de invitación at your local police station — and the bottleneck is, once again, the appointment. Who actually applies, which documents offices ask for, how long it really takes, and what to do when your province shows no appointments.

What it is and when you need it

The carta de invitación is the document with which a resident of Spain certifies that a foreign visitor will be staying at their home during a short stay — visits of up to 90 days, typically family or friends. The key point everyone gets wrong: the host applies, not the guest, and the application happens in Spain, in the province where the host lives. The guest then presents the letter with their visa application or at the border.

The appointment: a Policía Nacional procedure at your comisaría

You request the letter at the National Police station serving your address, with a cita previa from the official portal — the same saturated portal as every other extranjería procedure. Plan for more than one visit: you first file the application and pay the fees, and once the letter is approved you go back to collect it. You can check which procedures each province handles and your province's real appointment pattern.

The documents offices usually ask for

The exact list varies by police station — check your province's official information before the appointment — but the core repeats:

Your ID: DNI, or passport with TIE if you are a foreign resident.
Proof of the home: property deed or rental contract, plus your padrón registration.
Your guest's details: passport, planned entry and exit dates, relationship to you.
The procedure's fees, paid with the form the police station itself indicates.

The real timeline

Between getting the appointment, processing and pickup, the letter takes weeks, not days — in busy provinces easily over a month. If your guest needs the letter for a visa application, start well before anyone buys tickets: a letter that arrives after the consulate appointment is useless.

When your province shows no appointments

The playbook is the same as for any cita previa: spread your attempts, check your province's strong time band, and follow the step-by-step guide for when the portal says no. The watching you can delegate: create a monitor for your province and procedure, and you will get an alert by email or Telegram as soon as our checks detect available appointments. You book it yourself on the official portal, free, as always — the service does not book for you and cannot guarantee an appointment.