Updated November 11, 2026

Sample invitation letter for a US visitor visa: B-1/B-2 templates, Form I-134 and what actually matters

Under U.S. federal law, foreign citizens must apply on their own to visit the United States (U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as of September 2026). An invitation letter is not a government form and does not replace the requirement that visitors demonstrate a legitimate purpose, sufficient funds, and a foreign residence with binding ties abroad that ensure they will return home after an initial B-1 stay of 1 to 6 months (USCIS, as of January 2025). If you still want to write a letter to help your guest organize their trip details, use our team's copy-paste templates below and make sure every date and address matches their visa application.

Do you need an invitation letter for a US visitor visa?

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) states that under U.S. federal law, applicants must apply on their own to visit the United States. A U.S. host cannot apply for a visitor visa on a guest's behalf, and an informal letter of invitation is not a required government document.

Instead of relying on a host's assurances, a foreign citizen seeking a temporary visitor visa must qualify on their own circumstances. For a B-1 temporary business visitor visa, USCIS guidance requires the applicant to demonstrate five core eligibility criteria:

• The purpose of the trip is to enter the United States for legitimate business.
• They plan to remain for a specific, limited period of time.
• They have sufficient funds to cover the expenses of the trip and their stay in the United States.
• They have a residence outside the United States that they have no intention of abandoning, along with other binding ties that will ensure their return abroad at the end of the visit.
• They are otherwise admissible to the United States.

B-1 vs. B-2 visitor visas: allowed and prohibited activities

Before writing an invitation letter, make sure the activities you describe actually fit the visitor visa category. CBP explains that visitor visas are nonimmigrant visas for people who want to enter the United States temporarily for business (B-1 visa), for tourism (B-2 visa), or for a combination of both purposes (B-1/B-2).

If an invitation letter describes prohibited activities, such as helping work in a family business or taking a paid job, it can hurt the applicant's case. USCIS also notes that a B-1 visa holder's spouse and children are not eligible for a dependent visa. Each accompanying family member must apply separately for a B-2 visa and follow B-2 rules.

Permitted and prohibited visitor visa activities (U.S. Customs and Border Protection and USCIS)

What to include in a US visa invitation letter (our team's checklist)

If you choose to write a personal invitation letter for a relative, friend, or business associate, our team recommends keeping it to one page so your guest can use it as a clear reference sheet for their trip details.

Use this checklist written by our team to make sure your letter supports your guest's application without contradicting the rules:

• Host's full information: Your full legal name, U.S. residential or business address, phone number, email address, and current U.S. immigration status or citizenship.
• Visitor's full information: Their full legal name as shown on their passport, date of birth, home address abroad, relationship to you, and passport number.
• Permitted purpose of the trip: A plain description of the visit that matches CBP's permitted list, such as visiting relatives, vacationing, attending a conference on specific dates, or receiving medical treatment.
• Specific, limited dates: Exact planned arrival and departure dates, keeping in mind that an initial B-1 stay is 1 to 6 months, with 6 months as the maximum (USCIS).
• Accommodation and funding details: The exact U.S. address where the visitor will stay, and who will pay for airfare, lodging, and daily living expenses.
• Return abroad acknowledgment: A line noting the date the visitor will return to their residence and commitments outside the United States.

Sample invitation letter for a B-2 visitor visa (parents, family, or friends)

Below is a sample B-2 invitation letter written by our team for inviting parents, relatives, or friends to visit. The people, dates, and details in the example are invented. Swap in your own true details and make sure every fact matches what your guest puts on their visa application.

Date: March 15, 2027

To: Consular Section, U.S. Embassy or Consulate in Mumbai, India

Subject: Invitation Letter for Meera Sharma, Passport Number Z1234567

Dear Consular Officer,

I am writing to confirm that I have invited my mother, Meera Sharma (born June 12, 1962, residing at 14 Park View Road, Pune, Maharashtra, India), to visit me in the United States for a temporary family visit and vacation.

The purpose of this trip is for Meera Sharma to spend time with our family at our home in Dallas, Texas and sightsee in the local area. We plan for a specific, limited stay of six weeks, arriving on May 10, 2027 and departing the United States on June 21, 2027.

During the entire stay, Meera Sharma will reside with me at my home at 412 Elm Street, Dallas, Texas 75201. I will cover all expenses for this temporary stay, including round-trip airfare, lodging at my home, food, and local transportation. (If your guest is paying for their own trip, state instead that your guest will cover their own airfare and travel expenses using their personal savings, and will stay at your home at no cost.)

Meera Sharma maintains a permanent residence in Pune, India and has no intention of abandoning it. Following this visit, she will return home on June 21, 2027 to resume her family responsibilities and community commitments.

I currently reside in the United States as a lawful permanent resident and work as a Systems Engineer at Horizon Data Corp. Please contact me at (214) 555-0198 or rahul.sharma@example.com if you need any further information.

Sincerely,

Rahul Sharma

412 Elm Street, Dallas, Texas 75201

(214) 555-0198, rahul.sharma@example.com

Sample invitation letter for a B-1 business visitor visa

When a U.S. company invites a foreign colleague, client, or partner for a B-1 business visit, the letter should clearly tie the trip to USCIS's permitted B-1 activities (such as consulting with business associates, attending a conference on specific dates, or negotiating a contract) and state that no local employment will take place. This sample template is written by our team, and the company and visitor details are invented.

Date: April 2, 2027

To: Consular Section, U.S. Embassy or Consulate in Frankfurt, Germany

Subject: B-1 Business Visitor Invitation for Lukas Weber, Passport Number C9876543

Dear Consular Officer,

On behalf of Apex Industrial Systems Inc., I am writing to invite Lukas Weber, who serves as Lead Procurement Manager at Weber Bautechnik GmbH in Munich, Germany, to visit the United States for legitimate commercial business activities from June 7, 2027 to June 18, 2027.

During this specific, limited trip of 12 days, Lukas Weber will visit our offices at 800 Commerce Boulevard, Suite 400, Chicago, Illinois 60607 to consult with our engineering associates and negotiate a component supply contract.

At no time during this visit will Lukas Weber engage in local employment or labor for hire within the United States, nor will he receive salary or remuneration from a U.S. source. Lukas Weber remains employed by Weber Bautechnik GmbH abroad and will return to his residence and position in Germany on June 18, 2027.

All expenses for this trip, including round-trip airfare, lodging at the Downtown Suites Hotel at 820 Commerce Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60607, and daily allowances, will be covered by Weber Bautechnik GmbH.

If you require any additional information, please contact me at (312) 555-0144 or d.miller@apexindustrial.example.com.

Sincerely,

David Miller, Vice President of Operations

Apex Industrial Systems Inc.

Financial support: Form I-134 (Declaration of Financial Support)

An informal invitation letter is different from USCIS Form I-134, Declaration of Financial Support (edition date 01/20/25, as of June 2026). According to USCIS, you use Form I-134 when you agree to provide financial support to a beneficiary of certain immigration benefits for the duration of their temporary stay in the United States.

If you complete Form I-134 for a visiting relative or guest, USCIS sets out these specific filing and evidence rules:

• Separate form for each person: You must file a separate Form I-134 for each beneficiary. If you are inviting both parents, each parent needs their own completed Form I-134.
• Free to download: USCIS states on its All Forms page and Form G-1055 Fee Schedule (edition 10/26/26) that USCIS forms and online accounts are always free to download, and fee-exempt forms list $0 as the filing fee (uscis.gov, as of October 2026).
• No notarization required: You must sign Form I-134 using your full name. Because signing Form I-134 is under penalty of perjury under U.S. law, USCIS states that you do not need to sign Form I-134 in front of a notary or have your signature notarized. USCIS rejects any unsigned form.
• Required financial evidence: You must submit documentation of sufficient income or financial resources. Do not send original documents unless specifically requested in the form instructions or regulations.
• English translation rule: If you submit any documents in a foreign language, you must include a full English translation along with a certification from the translator verifying that the translation is complete and accurate, and that the translator is competent to translate from the foreign language into English.
• Page and edition rules: Make sure the form edition date (01/20/25, listed in mm/dd/yy format) and page numbers are visible at the bottom of all pages, and that all pages come from the same edition.

What happens at the US port of entry and how long can a visitor stay?

A visa allows a foreign citizen to travel to a U.S. port of entry and request permission to enter. According to CBP (as of October 2026), all persons arriving at a port of entry to the United States are subject to inspection by CBP officers, who conduct the Immigration, Customs, and Agriculture components of the inspection process.

At the port of entry, an immigration officer must authorize the traveler's admission and issues Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record, which serves as proof of legal visitor status. International travelers can retrieve their I-94 admission number and record online through CBP.

For B-1 visitors, USCIS states that the initial period of stay is 1 to 6 months, with 6 months as the maximum (an immigration officer at the port of entry may admit a B-1 visitor initially for the period necessary to carry out their business activities, up to a maximum period of 1 year). Extensions of stay can be granted for up to 6 months, and the maximum total amount of time permitted in B-1 status on any one trip is generally 1 year.

If a visitor wishes to stay beyond the date in the lower right-hand corner of their Form I-94 without departing, USCIS (as of January 2024) states they must file Form I-539, Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status, and recommends applying at least 45 days before the authorized stay expires. Travelers admitted under the Visa Waiver Program, crewmembers (D visa), travelers in transit (C visa or TWOV), fiancé(e)s (K visa), and informants (S visa) may not apply to extend their stay. Remaining in the United States longer than authorized can result in being barred from returning and/or being removed (deported) from the United States.

Practice example

Who are you visiting in the United States, how long will you stay, and who is paying for your trip?

A strong, honest answer states three facts in one or two clear sentences: your exact relationship to your U.S. host and the city where they live, your specific planned length of stay (within the 1 to 6 month initial period), and who is covering your travel and living expenses. Do not hand over an invitation letter instead of speaking for yourself. Have these facts ready from memory so they match your visa application and your host's letter: your host's full name, U.S. street address, job title, and immigration status, your exact arrival and departure dates, and the date and commitments (such as your job, residence, or family abroad) that require you to return home on time. If your host is funding the trip or filed Form I-134, be ready to state their occupation and annual income and have their financial documentation organized in your folder in case the officer asks to see it.

The officer is checking that your trip fits permitted visitor activities for a specific, limited period of time, that there are sufficient funds to cover your expenses, and that you have a residence and binding ties abroad that you have no intention of abandoning.

This is interview practice, not legal advice. For questions about your own case, talk to an immigration attorney. Visaful is not affiliated with the U.S. government or the Department of State.