How to Write a U.S. Visitor Visa Invitation Letter: B-2 Sample and I-134

A visitor visa invitation letter is a short, signed letter you write to a family member or friend abroad, telling them (and the consular officer who will interview them) who you are, why you want them to visit, when they’re coming, where they’ll stay, and who is paying. You send it to your guest, not to the embassy. Your guest brings it to their B-2 visa interview along with the rest of their application packet.¹

Before you start drafting, one thing to know. The U.S. State Department says outright that an invitation letter is “not one of the factors used in determining whether to issue or deny the visa.”¹ Consular officers decide B-2 cases mainly on whether the applicant has strong ties to their home country and a credible reason to return. A visa denied under Section 214(b) means the applicant didn’t show those ties or didn’t qualify for the category.² Your letter can’t fix weak ties or replace the visitor’s own financial records. What it does is give the officer a clean, organized picture of the trip. That’s a real contribution, just a modest one.

What to Put in the Letter

There is no official form. Write it in English, keep it to about a page, and cover every question a consular officer might reasonably ask about the visit.

Your full legal name and immigration status. Say whether you are a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or hold another status such as F-1 or H-1B. This confirms you are lawfully present and identifies the inviter.
Your U.S. address and phone number. Where the visitor will be staying, or where the officer can reach you.
The visitor’s full name, date of birth, passport number, and home address. These need to match the visitor’s passport and DS-160 exactly. Small mismatches invite questions.
The purpose of the visit. Be specific. “To attend my daughter’s college graduation on May 15” beats “family visit.” The purpose has to fit what a B-2 covers.
Travel dates. Approximate arrival and departure dates are fine.
Where the visitor will stay. Your home, a hotel, or someone else’s address.
Who is paying. Say plainly whether you are covering all costs, sharing them, or the visitor is self-funding. If you’re paying, list what (lodging, meals, flights, medical bills).
A statement that the visitor intends to return home. One sentence.

What Trip Purposes the B-2 Actually Allows

The reason for the visit that you write into the letter must line up with something the B-2 visa permits. Consular officers work from the Foreign Affairs Manual, which lists the categories:³

Tourism, sightseeing, and visiting relatives or friends.
Medical treatment from a U.S. provider, with documentation of the diagnosis, the facility, and how it will be paid for.
Social, fraternal, or religious gatherings, conventions, or conferences.
Short recreational or hobby courses, so long as tourism is still the main purpose.
Amateur performances or competitions, as long as the visitor is not paid.

Two purposes will sink the application if they show up in your letter: any suggestion the visitor will work (even informally, even in exchange for room and board), and any mention of enrolling in an academic program. Both are outside B-2 and both lead to denials.

Sample Letter

Adapt the bracketed portions to your situation.

[Your Full Name]
[Your U.S. Address]
[Your Phone Number]
[Date]

Consular Officer
U.S. Embassy / Consulate General
[City, Country]

Dear Consular Officer,

I, [Your Full Name], a [U.S. citizen / lawful permanent resident / holder of (visa type)], am writing to invite [Visitor’s Full Name] to visit me in the United States. [Visitor’s Full Name] is my [relationship, e.g., mother, brother, friend] and lives at [Visitor’s Full Address Abroad]. [His/Her] date of birth is [Date of Birth], and [his/her] passport number is [Passport Number].

The purpose of this visit is [specific reason, e.g., to attend my wedding on June 10, 2026 / to visit family during the summer]. [Visitor’s Full Name] plans to arrive on or around [Start Date] and depart by [End Date]. During the visit, [he/she] will stay at my home at the address above [or at (Hotel Name and Address)].

I will provide [full / partial] financial support for this trip, including [lodging, meals, transportation — list what you are covering]. [If the visitor is self-funding: (Visitor’s Full Name) will cover [his/her] own travel and living expenses.] [Visitor’s Full Name] intends to return to [Country] at the end of the visit, where [he/she] [works as a (job title) at (employer) / owns a home / has family obligations — brief tie to home country].

I have enclosed copies of [list supporting documents, e.g., my U.S. passport, recent bank statements, a copy of my lease or mortgage statement] for your reference.

Sincerely,

[Your Signature]
[Your Printed Name]

Documents to Send With It

The letter is more useful when the claims in it are backed up. None of these are strictly required, but they help the applicant put together a stronger overall packet.

A copy of your U.S. passport, permanent resident card, or visa and I-94, proving you’re lawfully in the United States.
Recent bank statements or pay stubs, if you are covering any of the visitor’s costs. Consular officers weighing public-charge concerns look at the totality of the applicant’s circumstances, including support from others.⁴
A utility bill, lease, or mortgage statement confirming your address.
Confirmation of the specific event or reason, if there is one: a graduation announcement, wedding invitation, medical appointment letter.

You’ll sometimes see advice to include birth or marriage certificates proving your relationship to the visitor. That can help if the relationship is central to the trip, but it isn’t a documented requirement. Focus on documents that prove the logistics and finances.

When You Need Form I-134 Instead

An invitation letter is informal. Form I-134, Declaration of Financial Support, is a USCIS form signed under penalty of perjury in which you formally commit to supporting the visitor during their stay.⁵ Most B-2 applicants do not need an I-134.

It usually comes up when the consular officer has a specific reason to worry about how the visitor will support themselves. For example: you identified yourself as the trip’s financial sponsor on the DS-160, or the visitor is coming for expensive medical treatment. If the consulate asks for one, you complete the form, attach proof of your income or assets, and send it to your guest. USCIS says you do not need to sign it in front of a notary.⁵ File a separate I-134 for each visitor you’re sponsoring. Unless the consulate specifically requests one, an invitation letter plus financial documents is the standard approach.

Sending It to Your Guest

Send the letter and documents directly to your guest abroad. Do not mail anything to the embassy or consulate. Your guest brings the packet to the visa interview.¹ A mailed original signed letter works; a high-quality scan by email works too.

Sign the letter before sending. Some hosts have the letter notarized for extra formality, but no official guidance requires it. Notary fees vary by state, generally running from a few dollars up to about $25 per signature. Notarized or not, the consulate treats the letter the same way.

Keep copies of everything. If the packet goes missing in transit or the interview gets rescheduled, you don’t want to rebuild it from scratch. Remind your guest that the letter is only one piece of the interview. They also need a passport valid for at least six months beyond the planned stay, the DS-160 confirmation page, the visa fee receipt, and a passport-format photo.¹

Keep It Truthful

Everything in the letter needs to be true. Hosts sometimes inflate their income, invent a family relationship, or dress up the purpose of the trip to make the application look stronger. The consequences are serious for both of you.

Anyone who knowingly makes a false statement in a document connected to the immigration process faces up to ten years in prison for a first or second offense under 18 U.S.C. § 1546.⁶ For the visitor, fraud or willful misrepresentation of a material fact triggers permanent inadmissibility under INA § 212(a)(6)(C).⁷ A waiver exists but is difficult to obtain.

If you can’t honestly afford to sponsor the trip, say so and let the visitor rely on their own financial evidence. A modest, accurate letter helps the application more than an inflated one that falls apart under questioning.

1
U.S. Department of State. Visitor Visa
2
U.S. Department of State. Visa Denials
3
U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual. 9 FAM 402.2 – Tourists and Business Visitors
4
U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual. 9 FAM 302.8 – Public Charge – INA 212(a)(4)
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-134, Declaration of Financial Support
6
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1546 – Fraud and Misuse of Visas, Permits, and Other Documents
7
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1182 – Inadmissible Aliens