Is there a PDF form for an invitation to Germany?

Not the official one: it is a tamper-proof form that only the immigration office fills in. As PDFs there are only guidance sheets from the cities and our template for the informal invitation letter.

What do I need to invite someone to Germany?

A signed invitation letter, if needed the formal obligation in the original with a copy, and your guest's travel health insurance. The checklist of the responsible German mission lists further documents.

Where do I apply for an invitation for a foreigner?

You sign the formal obligation at the immigration office where you live; your guest applies for the visa at the German mission where they usually live.

How much do I need to earn to invite my parents?

For two adults €563 must be seizable: in 2026, without dependants, about €2,400 net, with one dependant about €3,320 (table above). The immigration office decides in each case.

Can I withdraw a formal obligation?

The law does not provide for a withdrawal, and once the visa has been issued you cannot step back from it. So clear up any problems with your immigration office before the visa is issued.

Is an informal invitation enough without a formal obligation?

Yes, if your guest can pay for the trip and the stay and proves this at the embassy. Your letter then shows the purpose of the trip and the accommodation.

Is there an English version of the formal obligation form?

There is no downloadable form in any language, because blank forms are not handed out. In English it is usually called "formal obligation" or "declaration of commitment".

Does my guest still need health insurance with a formal obligation?

Yes, one does not replace the other. Without travel health insurance with at least €30,000 cover there is usually no Schengen visa.

What happens if my guest stays longer or applies for asylum?

Your liability for living costs continues, for up to five years from entry; an asylum application does not end it. For deportation costs you are liable without a time limit.

Is anything different for guests from Turkey, Russia, Kazakhstan or Morocco?

At the immigration office the procedure is the same for everyone. For the visa application each German mission has its own checklists and may ask for further documents.

Invitation letter for Germany and the formal obligation (Verpflichtungserklärung): income, cities, template

Written by Steffan Grund · Versicherungsfachmann (BWV) · Updated: October 28, 2026

4.9/5· 10,000+ policies since 2009458 customer responses · our own survey

Short answer

If you invite a guest from a visa-required country who cannot pay for the stay, you usually sign a formal obligation (Verpflichtungserklärung) under § 68 of the Residence Act (§ 68 Residence Act (German)) at the immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) where you live – in some cities at the Bürgeramt. The tamper-proof form is only available there, the fee is €29, and the office checks your seizable income. You send the original to your guest for the embassy and are liable for the guest's living costs for up to five years from entry. If your guest can pay for the trip, no formal obligation is needed (BMI guidance sheet (German)): a simple invitation letter then shows purpose and accommodation.

What is a formal obligation – and when does the embassy ask for it?

With the formal obligation you promise the state to repay public money spent on your guest – for example for living costs, accommodation or medical treatment in case of illness (§ 68 Residence Act (German)). Benefits based on the guest's own contributions are excluded.

The embassy treats the declaration as proof that the visit is financed. It is not mandatory: a visa application is accepted without it, and a guest who has enough money of their own does not need it (BMI guidance sheet (German)). The person who invites and the person who signs may be different – for example, the daughter invites and her husband signs (Visa handbook (German)).

Invitation letter is not the same as formal obligation

The informal invitation letter is your own letter stating purpose, length of stay and accommodation. The formal obligation is an official form with liability. Many German missions ask for both; the German missions in China, for example, require an invitation letter with an original signature (German missions in China).

Who can sign a formal obligation?

Private persons living in Germany, if their seizable income is high enough.
Married couples together on one form; both then sign in person (BMI guidance sheet (German)).
Companies and registered associations, represented by their management or board; the office checks, for example, the annual accounts (BMI guidance sheet (German)).
Persons living abroad, at the German mission where they live – provided they have assets in Germany (Visa handbook (German)).

Anyone receiving citizen's income (Bürgergeld) or social assistance will not get a positive confirmation of their financial means (BMI guidance sheet (German)).

How much income do I need? Income table 2026

What counts is not your gross pay but the part of your net income that could be seized (pfändbar). For a visit of up to 90 days, the BMI guidance treats your means as proven if this amount reaches at least half of the standard rate per adult guest and a quarter per child, and you provide food and lodging (BMI guidance sheet (German)). In 2026 the standard rate is €563 (BMAS (German)), so half is €281.50.

Minimum monthly net income – guide values based on the garnishment table from 1 July 2026 (Garnishment table 2026 (German))
Guests	Seizable amount needed	No dependants	1 dependant	2 dependants
1 adult	€281.50	€1,990	€2,750	€3,230
1 adult + 1 child	€422.25	€2,200	€3,030	€3,580
2 adults	€563.00	€2,400	€3,320	€3,930
2 adults + 1 child	€703.75	€2,600	€3,600	€4,280
3 adults	€844.50	€2,800	€3,880	€4,630

Our calculation from the garnishment table (Garnishment table 2026 (German)) and the BMI guidance (BMI guidance sheet (German)). A partner with own income of €300 or more does not count as a dependant, pensions count like earned income, and if your guest's accommodation costs money the amount rises (Visa handbook (German)). Your immigration office decides in each case.

Example

You earn €2,300 net, have no dependants and invite your mother for six weeks: €281.50 seizable is needed, which you clearly reach. If your father comes too, €563 is needed – that takes about €2,400 net.

Which documents do I need for the appointment?

Document	Why
ID card or passport, for non-Germans also the residence permit	identity and residence status
Proof of income, no older than six months: usually the last three to six payslips, a pension notice or, for the self-employed, the tax assessment or a statement from the tax adviser	check of financial means (BMI guidance sheet (German))
Your guest's details: name, date and place of birth, nationality, passport number, home address, purpose and length of the visit	entries on the form (BMI guidance sheet (German))
Details of other valid or planned formal obligations	total burden (BMI guidance sheet (German))
Rental contract or proof of ownership, if your office asks for it	accommodation of your guest
€29 fee	§ 47 Residence Ordinance (§ 47 Residence Ordinance (German))

Bank statements alone are not enough because they can be changed afterwards (BMI guidance sheet (German)). Many cities name additional documents; the links are in the city table below.

How does the appointment at the immigration office work?

Book an appointment or apply online – every city handles this differently, and processing sometimes takes several weeks (see the city table).
The office fills in the official form. There is no download; blank forms are not handed out (BMI guidance sheet (German)).
You sign a notice on the scope and duration of your liability; when you sign in person, the office certifies your signature – this is included in the €29 (BMI guidance sheet (German)).
The office checks your financial means and notes the result on page 2. Without this note the declaration does not count as proof of financing (BMI guidance sheet (German)), (Visa handbook (German)).
You receive the original; a copy stays with the office (BMI guidance sheet (German)).

Whether someone else can act for you with a power of attorney is up to your office: the BMI guidance allows it in justified cases (BMI guidance sheet (German)), while cities such as Hamburg or Düsseldorf rule it out. You always sign the liability notice yourself. The law now also allows an electronic declaration (§ 68 Residence Act (German)); Nuremberg, Essen and the Wetteraukreis, for example, offer it with the online ID function.

Original, copy or e-mail: what does my guest show at the embassy?

Your guest needs the original. They submit it together with a copy at the German mission and then keep the original for the border check (BMI guidance sheet (German)), (Visa handbook (German)). A scan by e-mail is usually not enough; electronic submission is only planned once the technology is ready (BMI guidance sheet (German)).

Send the original with tracking and keep a copy. Plan for the postal time and the embassy's processing time: a decision usually takes up to 15 days and in individual cases up to 45 days (EU Visa Code, Art. 23). When the visa is issued, the declaration should not be older than six months (Federal Foreign Office: formal obligation (German)).

How long is the formal obligation valid – and how long am I liable?

Question	Answer
Valid for the visa application	no more than six months between signing and the visa being issued (Federal Foreign Office: formal obligation (German))
Liability for living costs	five years from the entry that the declaration made possible (§ 68 Residence Act (German))
Ends earlier	when the total stay entered on the form ends, or when your guest receives a residence permit for a different purpose (BMI guidance sheet (German))
Does not end	through an asylum application, international protection or a humanitarian residence permit (§ 68 Residence Act (German)), (BMI guidance sheet (German))
Deportation costs	no time limit (BMI guidance sheet (German))

With a Schengen visa your guest may stay no more than 90 days within 180 days (Visa handbook (German)).

Can I withdraw or limit the formal obligation?

The law does not provide for a withdrawal (Federal Foreign Office: formal obligation (German)), and once the visa has been issued you cannot step back from it (BMI guidance sheet (German)). You can only limit it through the details on the form: purpose and total length of the stay define its scope (BMI guidance sheet (German)). So enter realistic dates.

If it comes to that, the authority that paid asks for the money back by official notice and can have it enforced (§ 68 Residence Act (German)), (BMI guidance sheet (German)). Treatment costs that no health insurance covers, or that exceed its sum insured, also remain with you (BMI guidance sheet (German)).

What does the invitation cost in total?

Item	Amount
Formal obligation	usually €29 per person signing (§ 47 Residence Ordinance (German)); some cities charge per guest or a reduced fee for children
Your guest's Schengen visa	usually €90, children aged 6 to 12 €45 (Visa fees (German))
Travel health insurance	e.g. Care Visa Protect from €0,85/day (up to 64) · from €2,60/day (65–74), minimum premium €8.50
Sending the original	depends on the courier

My guest does not live in their home country – where do they apply?

The German mission at your guest's usual place of residence is responsible, not the one in their country of origin (Federal Foreign Office: where to apply (German)). Example: a South African woman living in India applies for the visa in India. If you live abroad yourself, the German mission where you live accepts the formal obligation (BMI guidance sheet (German)).

Formal obligation in your city: procedure and official pages

City	How it works	Official page
Berlin (LEA)	online application only, appointment by e-mail; processing 3–6 weeks according to the LEA	City website
Munich (KVR)	online appointment; income examples on the page	City website
Hamburg	appointment via the city's online service; no power of attorney	City website
Frankfurt am Main	online appointment at the Bürgeramt; online income calculator	City website
Cologne	no appointment: documents by post or contact form, at least three months before the embassy appointment	City website
Stuttgart	Servicepoint with online appointment, or Bürgerbüro without appointment	City website
Düsseldorf	online application with online payment; waiting time about 10 weeks according to the city	City website
Bremen	BürgerServiceCenter, appointment online or via 115	City website
Essen	online only (BundID); processing 16–20 weeks according to the city	City website
Nuremberg	prepare online; with the online ID function no visit needed	City website
Hanover	visits online, otherwise appointment via the hotline (city immigration office) (surrounding region: hannover.de/abh-region)	City website
Dortmund	appointments online only; income table on the page	City website
Wetteraukreis	online application or documents by e-mail	City website

Your city is missing? The immigration office of your city or district is responsible.

Invitation letter template & checklist (free PDF download)

A good invitation letter states your name and address, your guest's details exactly as in the passport, purpose and dates of the visit, where the guest will stay and who pays, plus the date and your original signature. The German missions in China, for example, require it in German or English, without a digital signature and with the planned places of stay (German missions in China). What counts is always the checklist of the German mission where your guest applies.

Can your guest not pay for the trip? Then apply for the formal obligation at your immigration office.
Prepare proof of income (no older than six months).
Note your guest's passport details and home address.
Plan the €29 fee.
Date and sign the invitation letter.
Send the original and a copy to your guest; keep a copy yourself.
Buy travel health insurance (at least €30,000, whole Schengen area) before the embassy appointment.
Visa appointment no later than six months after the formal obligation was signed.

Download the invitation letter template (DE/EN) + checklist as PDF

Which health insurance does your guest need?

For the Schengen visa your guest needs travel health insurance for the whole Schengen area and the entire stay, with at least €30,000 cover including repatriation (Visa handbook (German)). You may buy it for your guest as the host. The German visa handbook recommends doing this where you live (Visa handbook (German)). And because you are liable for treatment costs that no insurance pays, the policy also protects you (BMI guidance sheet (German)).

Visit up to 92 days: Care Visa Protect

from €0,85/day (up to 64) · from €2,60/day (65–74), minimum premium €8.50. Maximum benefit €50,000 per contract, available up to the 75th birthday. Buy before entry; only for guests entering with a visa.

View Care Visa Protect

Longer visit up to 2 years: Care Economy

from €30/30 days (up to 64) · from €88,50/30 days (65+) (prices with deductible). Term 1 day to 2 years including extensions, available up to the 75th birthday.

View Care Economy

Should your parents stay permanently? Read our guide to parent reunification health insurance.

All plans and prices for visiting guests

Frequently asked questions about inviting a guest to Germany

Official sources

Note: This page is for general information only and is not legal, tax or insurance advice; it does not replace individual advice. Details on plans, prices and requirements may change and are provided without guarantee — the current information from the insurer and the requirements of the responsible authority always prevail. For a recommendation tailored to your situation, please contact an independent insurance adviser or broker or the responsible authority. No liability is accepted for decisions based on this page. Transparency: some links are referral links; if you take out a contract we may receive a small commission — at no extra cost to you.