I want to invite a friend from Central America to stay by me and visit Italy as a tourist. My friend is a non-EU national and does not need a visa to enter the Schengen Area. Since Madrid is a major transit hub for flights from Central America, my friend's flight will likely land there first. Spain requires an invitation letter (carta de invitación) for this purpose.

However, I am an Italian citizen and not a Spanish resident, so I cannot provide a Spanish invitation letter. Additionally, even if I could provide one, the letter would need to specify the address where my friend will stay in Spain, which is not applicable since they will only be in Spain for a layover at the airport.

I was expecting this to be a very common issue with solutions, but I couldn't find any.

Is there a solution?

Notes:

• My friend will be staying by me, not in a hotel or tourist accommodation, which makes the invitation letter a requirement (it seems that the letter is not required if staying at a hotel or other tourist accommodation)
• The invitation letter is a requirement for any non-EU national, regardless of whether they need a visa; if they need a visa, the invitation letter must be submitted to the appropriate embassy when asking for a visa; otherwise, it must be presented at immigration when entering the border.
• Although not especially relevant, as the above would apply to any non-EU national which however doesn't require a visa for visiting as a tourist, my friend is from Honduras.

I want to invite a friend from Central America to stay by me and visit Italy as a tourist. My friend is a non-EU national and does not need a visa to enter the Schengen Area. Since Madrid is a major transit hub for flights from Central America, my friend's flight will likely land there first. Spain requires an invitation letter (carta de invitación) for this purpose.

However, I am an Italian citizen and not a Spanish resident, so I cannot provide a Spanish invitation letter. Additionally, even if I could provide one, the letter would need to specify the address where my friend will stay in Spain, which is not applicable since they will only be in Spain for a layover at the airport.

I was expecting this to be a very common issue with solutions, but I couldn't find any.

Is there a solution?

Notes:

• My friend will be staying by me, not in a hotel or tourist accommodation, which makes the invitation letter a requirement (it seems that the letter is not required if staying at a hotel or other tourist accommodation)
• The invitation letter is a requirement for any non-EU national, regardless of whether they need a visa; if they need a visa, the invitation letter must be submitted to the appropriate embassy when asking for a visa; otherwise, it must be presented at immigration when entering the border.
• Although not especially relevant, as the above would apply to any non-EU national which however doesn't require a visa for visiting as a tourist, my friend is from Honduras.
• My friend wouldn't be leaving the airport, but that doesn't change the requirement (speaking from experience, as I've had another friend from Honduras who was traveling with me almost sent back to Honduras while trying to pass Spanish immigration; luckily, because I was there in person and I was somehow able to convince the immigration officer that they would proceed with their onward trip to Italy together with me, they let my friend pass, as an exception).

I want to invite a friend from Central America to stay by me and visit Italy as a tourist. My friend is a non-EU national and does not need a visa to enter the Schengen Area. Since Madrid is a major transit hub for flights from Central America, my friend's flight will likely land there first. Spain requires an invitation letter (carta de invitación) for this purpose.

However, I am an Italian citizen and not a Spanish resident, so I cannot provide a Spanish invitation letter. Additionally, even if I could provide one, the letter would need to specify the address where my friend will stay in Spain, which is not applicable since they will only be in Spain for a layover at the airport.

I was expecting this to be a very common issue with solutions, but I couldn't find any.

Is there a solution?

I want to invite a friend from Central America to stay by me and visit Italy as a tourist. My friend is a non-EU national and does not need a visa to enter the Schengen Area. Since Madrid is a major transit hub for flights from Central America, my friend's flight will likely land there first. Spain requires an invitation letter (carta de invitación) for this purpose.

However, I am an Italian citizen and not a Spanish resident, so I cannot provide a Spanish invitation letter. Additionally, even if I could provide one, the letter would need to specify the address where my friend will stay in Spain, which is not applicable since they will only be in Spain for a layover at the airport.

I was expecting this to be a very common issue with solutions, but I couldn't find any.

Is there a solution?

Notes:

• My friend will be staying by me, not in a hotel or tourist accommodation, which makes the invitation letter a requirement (it seems that the letter is not required if staying at a hotel or other tourist accommodation)
• The invitation letter is a requirement for any non-EU national, regardless of whether they need a visa; if they need a visa, the invitation letter must be submitted to the appropriate embassy when asking for a visa; otherwise, it must be presented at immigration when entering the border.
• Although not especially relevant, as the above would apply to any non-EU national which however doesn't require a visa for visiting as a tourist, my friend is from Honduras.