Visa Cover Letter Generator

A cover letter tells the visa officer, on one page, who you are, why you travel and how the trip is planned: dates, flights, where you stay and who pays. Fill in the form and the letter is written as you type, in a plain formal layout.

Copy the text, print it or save it as a PDF and sign it by hand. It is free and needs no sign-up. The letter is put together in your browser: nothing you type is sent to KeyFlight or saved.

The documents your letter mentions

The letter describes your flights and your stay. The officer compares it with the documents in your file.

Flight reservation with a real PNR A reservation held in the airline system in your name, with a booking code you can look up on the airline’s website. It is a reservation, not a paid ticket. Usually ready in about 5 minutes, from $21.90. Book a flight reservation Hotel confirmation for your visa A PDF with the hotel, your dates and the guest names for the accommodation item of your checklist. In the letter it is a place you plan to stay. Get a hotel confirmation

What a visa cover letter is

A cover letter (also called a covering letter or a personal letter) is a one-page letter from you to the visa officer. It sums up the trip in your own words and points to the documents that prove it. It does not replace any document on the checklist.

Not every checklist asks for one. The VFS checklist for an Italian tourist visa in Bengaluru lists an applicant cover letter, and the VFS checklist for a Portuguese tourist visa in India a personal covering letter; many others do not mention it. Follow the checklist of the visa centre or consulate that handles your application.

What to put in it

For a Schengen visa the consulate checks the purpose of the trip, your accommodation, how you pay for the stay and that you will leave before the visa ends (EU Visa Code, Article 14). The checklists that ask for a letter name the same things:

your name and the names of everyone travelling with you, with their relation to you and passport numbers if the checklist asks for them;
the travel dates, the itinerary and how long you stay;
the purpose of the visit;
where you will stay: the hotel or host and the address;
who bears the expenses;
your occupation, and the sponsor’s if someone else pays.

How the letter is structured

Your details and the date: name, address, phone and email at the top.
The addressee: the visa officer of the embassy or consulate and its city.
The subject: the visa you apply for and why.
Who you are: your name, citizenship and passport, the visa and the travel dates.
The trip: what you will do, the itinerary, who travels with you, your flights and where you stay.
Work and money: your occupation, leave from work and who pays.
Your return: when you leave and what brings you back home.
Enclosed documents: the list of what is in your file.
Closing: your contacts, “Yours faithfully” and your signature.

Tips

Keep it to one page and to facts that match your documents: the same dates as in the application form, the flight reservation and the hotel booking.
Describe documents as they are. A flight reservation is a reservation, not a ticket, and a hotel you have not paid for is a place you plan to stay.
Sign it by hand after printing, above your typed name.
Self-employed? The Italian checklist above wants a sole proprietor’s cover letter on the company letterhead: print the letter on yours.
Someone else pays? Add their sponsorship letter and their financial documents to the file and to the list of enclosed documents.

Example

A letter the generator writes for a tourist trip to Italy. The applicant, the numbers and the hotel are made up.

Priya Sharma
Flat 12, Green Park
New Delhi 110016, India
Phone: +91 98100 00000
Email: priya.sharma@example.com

1 March 2027

The Visa Officer
Embassy of Italy
New Delhi

Subject: Application for a short-stay Schengen visa (type C) for tourism

Dear Visa Officer,

I, Priya Sharma, a citizen of India, holding passport no. Z1234567, am applying for a short-stay Schengen visa (type C) for tourism. I plan to travel to Italy from 12 May 2027 to 24 May 2027 (13 days).

I would like to see Rome, Florence and Venice.

My planned itinerary:

12–17 May: Rome
17–20 May: Florence
20–24 May: Venice

I will travel together with Rahul Sharma, my husband, passport no. Z7654321.

I have a flight reservation for Delhi – Rome, Venice – Delhi, booking reference ABC123. I plan to stay at Hotel Esempio, Via Nazionale 10, Rome.

I am employed as Software Engineer at Example Technologies Pvt Ltd. My employer has approved my leave for the dates of the trip. I will cover all the costs of the trip myself.

I will leave the Schengen area on 24 May 2027 and return home. I have a permanent job in New Delhi, and my parents live with us.

I enclose the following documents:

Visa application form
Passport and copies of previous visas
Passport photographs
Flight reservation
Proof of accommodation
Travel medical insurance
Bank statements
Salary slips
Letter from my employer

Thank you for considering my application. If you need any further information, please contact me at +91 98100 00000 or priya.sharma@example.com.

Yours faithfully,Priya Sharma

Visa cover letter questions

Do I need a cover letter for my visa?

It depends on where you apply. Some checklists list it as a required document: the VFS checklist for an Italian tourist visa in Bengaluru asks for an applicant cover letter, and the VFS checklist for a Portuguese tourist visa in India asks for a personal covering letter. Others do not mention it. Follow the checklist of the visa centre or consulate that handles your application.

What should a Schengen visa cover letter include?

Who you are and which visa you apply for, the purpose of the trip, the travel dates and itinerary, where you will stay, who pays for the trip, your occupation and the people travelling with you. The Italian checklist asks for the travel dates, itinerary, purpose, who bears the expenses and the occupation of the applicant and of the sponsor; the Portuguese one adds the address of the hotel or host and the names, relation and passport numbers of your travel companions.

Who signs the cover letter?

You, the applicant. Print the letter and sign it by hand above your name. If someone else pays for the trip, the letter only says who it is: the checklists above ask the sponsor for a separate letter and their own financial documents.

Can one letter list my family or group?

Yes. Add everyone who travels with you under Travel companions, one per line, with the relation and passport number if your checklist asks for them, and the letter lists them. For a Schengen visa every traveller still submits their own application form.

Should I mention my flight and hotel?

Yes. The dates, the flights and where you stay are what the officer compares with your documents, so they have to match. Describe them as they are: a flight reservation is a reservation, not a paid ticket, and a hotel you have not paid for is a place you plan to stay. The generator writes “I have a flight reservation” and “I plan to stay at”.

Is what I type saved or sent anywhere?

No. The letter is put together by a script in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to KeyFlight or stored, and it is gone when you close the page, so copy, print or download the letter before you leave.

Can I use it for a UK, US or Japan visa?

Yes. Choose the country and the letter names the visa and the officer for it: the Standard Visitor visa and the Entry Clearance Officer for the UK, the B-1 or B-2 visitor visa and the consular officer for the US. Check that country’s own document list first: not every visa asks for a cover letter.

Sources

Consulate General of Italy in Bengaluru, VFS Global: requisites for a tourist visa (C) (PDF): the applicant cover letter and what it must mention.
VFS Global, Portugal visa in India: tourist visa checklist, effective 9 August 2023 (PDF): the personal covering letter and the travel companions.
Regulation (EC) No 810/2009, the EU Visa Code, Article 14: the supporting documents of a Schengen visa application.

Checklists change and differ between visa centres. Always check the current one for your city.