Portugal

Passport holders from The European Union, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland do not require a visa to enter Portugal.

For visits not exceeding ninety days per six-month period, visas are not required for holders of valid passports issued by the following countries or dependencies: Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahama, Barbados, Bosnia Herzegovina, Brazil, British nationals (Overseas), British overseas territories citizens (BOTC), British overseas citizens (BOC), British protected persons (BPP), British subjects (BS), Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Dominica, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Israel, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Japan, Korean Republic, Liechtenstein, Macao Special Administrative Region, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Northern Mariana Islands (passports from the US), Panama, Paraguay, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Taiwan (only holder of passports which contain identity card number), Trinidad and Tobago, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, USA, Vatican City, Venezuela, Vanuatu.

If you live in an area that is not eligible for a VISA waiver/exemption or are unsure of whether or not you need to apply for a short-term VISA to enter Portugal in order to attend ECADE, please click here or contact the Portuguese Embassy in your home country to receive guidance on the application process and necessary documents.

As part of the visa application process, you may be required to submit a Letter of Invitation from the ECADE Organising Committee.

Letters of Invitation

A Letter of Invitation is an official document that confirms payment of registration fees and extends an official invitation to the paid registrant to attend and participate in the upcoming conference. In other words, it provides the holder with an official reason to come to Portugal. It may be required by your university for administrative purposes, and will likely form one of the documents required for visa application if you are from a country that does not have a visa exemption agreement with Portugal.

In order to qualify for a Letter of Invitation, you must meet all of the following criteria:

Be registered as an author of an accepted abstract and/or paper

Have paid the conference registration fee in full

A verifiable email address from an institution (.edu, .org, .ac) is required. We are unable to accept a personal address (gmail, yahoo, hotmail, etc.).

IAFOR will not, under any circumstances, provide a Letter of Invitation or visa application paperwork to any interested party who does not meet the three criteria listed above.

If your application for a Letter of Invitation is successful, your Letter of Invitation will be sent to you by email as a PDF attachment. In addition, a hard copy will be mailed to your residence or place of work.

Please ensure you allow sufficient time for your application to be processed.

Letters of Guarantee

Please note that a Letter of Guarantee is different from a Letter of Invitation. Depending on your professional situation, background and nationality, you may be required to submit a Letter of Invitation and/or Letter of Guarantee.

A Letter of Guarantee is a letter in which an individual or body agrees to be legally and financially responsible for you during your stay in Portugal. You may know an individual or institution in Portugal willing to act as a guarantor, or, if you have no connection with the country, Portuguese immigration authorities may find that it is acceptable to have your university act as the guarantor. IAFOR cannot provide Letters of Guarantee.

Further Visa Assistance

All questions/concerns regarding the status of your visa should be directed to the Portuguese immigration authorities or Portuguese Embassy in your home country.

If your visa application is denied, please note that IAFOR will not be able to change the decision of the Portuguese immigration authorities, nor will IAFOR engage in discussion or correspondence with the Portuguese immigration authorities or the Portuguese Embassy on behalf of the applicant.

IAFOR is not authorised to assist with the visa process beyond providing a Letter of Invitation.

Letter of Invitation Application Process

After confirmation of conference registration we will send you instructions on how to apply for a Letter of Invitation. Providing all the information we receive is correct, the Letter of Invitation process will usually take between 7 and 21 days. Please allow ample time for the Letter of Invitation application process.

Letters of Invitation are sent as PDF attachments. A regular airmail option (free) and a trackable registered mail option (additional cost) are available.

When you are making plans to travel to another foreign country, you have to take into account many things. Starting from whether you will be allowed to enter the country to where you will be staying and for how long. If you are coming from a country that does not have a lot of free movement in foreign countries, then you will most likely need a visa.

This is the case for many non-EU nationals who want to enter the EU or Schengen zone countries. These people will need a Schengen visa to enter any of the participating countries. But getting a visa is a long process and you as an applicant will need many documents and steps to get it. One of the most important things you have to prove though is that you will not stay illegally in any of the Schengen zone countries. Because of this, having an invitation letter for the Schengen visa is extremely beneficial and will help your application a lot.

This article will go through the invitation letter details, their types, and provides visa invitation samples.

What Is an Invitation Letter for Visa?

A visa invitation letter is a written letter from the person you are visiting who lives in the Schengen country you want to go to. The person you are visiting is inviting you to stay with them and by default, they guarantee that you will not stay in the country illegally.

For example, if you are visiting a friend in Germany, they will send you an invitation letter to stay with them for specific dates. They will describe the relationship they have with you and state that they will support you financially if you are unable to for the time you are in the country.

You must attach the invitation letter to the rest of the documents in your application, which you will give to the Embassy. The invitation letter is a strong supporter of your application because the Embassy will know that you are not just going to the country without a purpose. The letter will tell them why you are going and who you are seeing.

So in case you do not return to your home country within the specified time frame, the authorities will know you are staying illegally, but they will also have the contact information of the person you were staying with. That is how they can find you and take the necessary measures if you overstay your Schengen Visa.

If you are planning to travel for a specific purpose to the Schengen area countries, you must make sure that you have an invitation letter. The letter will make it much easier for the Embassy to grant you the Schengen Visa.

What Are the Types of Invitation Letters to the Embassy?

Since there are many reasons you would want to travel to a Schengen area country, there are also many types of invitation letters. Each type of invitation letter will also require additional supporting documents to prove that what is written in the letter is true. The Embassies are very particular about this and they will not take into consideration an inviting letter without documents that support its claims. Below we have compiled a list of the different types of invitation letters with descriptions of what they are and the necessary documents.

Invitation Letter From Family or Friends for Tourism Purposes

One very common reason people travel to the Schengen area is to visit relatives or friends. This is also seen as a visa for tourism in a particular country. So for the invitation letter for a tourist visa, family or friends must write it for you. The letter must state that you are the person’s relative or friend and that you are going to visit for a specific period of time.

As a supporting document to this invitation letter, you must attach proof of the relationship with the person and clearly state the duration, purpose, and financial status that you have.

This letter could be from your spouse who is an EU or Schengen area national, your parents, or your children. For each one, you must attach a valid marriage certificate or birth certificate to prove your relationship.

Business Invitation Letter for Schengen Visa

Many people need to go to a Schengen country for purposes of business. You might have a meeting with a potential investor or with your foreign partners. Because of this, you will need a business letter of invitation.

The letter must specify the business relationship you have with the person you are visiting and what you will be doing during the time you are in the country. It is a good idea for you to attach an itinerary of the business activities to the invitation letter so you can show what you have planned to work on during your time there.

You must also attach a letter from your employer confirming that you are an employee in a specific company and the details of your work. This includes your job position, dates of employment, salary, and why it is necessary for you to leave the country for business purposes.

Sponsor Letter for Schengen Visa

Besides going to a Schengen country for business, you could be invited to a conference to give a presentation, speech, or attend a trade show. The invitation letter must be from the person or company sponsoring you to go to this activity. The organizers of the conference or trade show must write the invitation letter and clearly state your name there.

The letter must say why you are the right person for this event, and other details such as the itinerary, conference dates, and where you will stay. The sponsor must also write, whether they will pay you for participating or whether they will cover your expenses.

Finally, the letter must clearly show the contact information and certificate of registration of the company or person sponsoring you for this event.

University or College Invitation Letter

If you are going to the Schengen area to study in a university or a college, you must prove that. To do so, the institution you will attend must send you an acceptance letter inviting you to join them. The letter must have all the details of your stay there, including your major, the duration of your studies, how the studies will be financed, where you will stay, and so on.

Hospital Invitation Letter

You might need a Schengen visa because you are having health troubles and you need treatment in a foreign country. It is not unusual for people from non-EU countries to seek medical help in Schengen countries due to the high level of development there.

If you will be receiving medical treatment, you must get an invitation letter from your doctor. The doctor must represent a hospital in the Schengen country. The letter must state your medical condition and why you need to go to that specific hospital and the dates of your treatment. The letter of invitation cannot say that your treatment will be indefinite because then the Embassy will not know when or if you are returning to your home country.

The letter must also state how the cost of your treatment will be paid and who will be responsible. So make sure you attach all your relevant medical documents and the hospital invitation letter for better chances of getting the visa.

How to Write an Invitation Letter?

Writing an invitation is not a very complicated task. As long as the letter includes all the necessary information, you or the person inviting you will not have trouble writing it. Some people might choose to pay someone, such as a visa expert or lawyer to write this, but it should not be necessary. To be able to write a good invitation letter, you can follow the tips below.

Write all the required information

The required information depending on your purpose of visit can include:

The date that the letter was written

The Embassy name

Embassy contact information (phone number and address)

Opening salutations and statements

Inviting person’s name

Inviting person’s status in the Schengen country (citizen or permanent resident)

Inviting person’s contact information (phone number, address, and email)

Applicant’s name

Applicant’s passport number

Purpose of travel

Relationship with the inviting person

Dates of travel

Itinerary of travel

Closing salutations

Inviting person’s signature

Necessary document attachments or enclosures

Use formal language

In addition to the necessary information and documents, you must also use formal language in the invitation letter. You must show that you understand the Embassy’s importance and you respect their authority.