In international relations and diplomatic exchanges amongst nations of the world, there are rules and protocols and one of such rules is that you as a citizen cannot sneak a citizen of another country into your country without the consent and approval of the government of the country; it is illegal and criminal to do that. If you as a citizen of Nigeria want to invite or host a citizen of another country in Nigeria, especially if that foreigner needs a visa to enter Nigeria, there are procedures you must follow to do that and one of such procedures includes that you will have to write a letter of invitation to the Nigeria immigration service or to the office of comptroller general or to the office of minister of interior or to the ministry of interior or to the consulate office of the country of origin or residence of the guest you intend to host.
The primary purpose of writing this letter of invitation is to inform the government of your intent to host a foreigner in the country and to seek the official government’s consent and approval for that.
This letter will contain the host’s details like his or her name, occupation, residential address, a copy of the international passport data page and every other requested document will be enclosed. It will also contain the guest’s personal details like the guest’s country of origin, country of residence, occupation and even a copy of the guest’s data page of the international passport.
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The letter will also contain the purpose of the visit; whether it is for business and if it is for business, the nature of the business or if it is for holidays or vacation. The invitation letter will also contain the duration of the stay of the guest; the date of entry and the date of departure.
In that letter, the host will unequivocally undertake that he or she will be responsible and will be the person of contact for the guest for the duration the guest will stay in the country.
This letter of invitation is used for both personal invitations and also used by organizations or companies when they are inviting foreign experts. When it is from a company, the letter is expected to be on the company’s official letterhead.
This letter, if approved, will facilitate the visa granting process for the guest.
The purpose of this letter is not just to notify the host country who is inviting the guest into the country and who will be held responsible or serve as a person of contact for the safety and well-being of the guest. It also serves as an official notice to the country of origin of the guest as to who is hosting their citizen and who will be held accountable for the safety and well-being of their citizen.
This is the official proper protocol for hosting a foreigner into a country, any other channel will be deemed illegal.
