Getting a letter of invitation endorsed by the Office of Immigration

Hi,
I am trying to help my friend from Uganda get a tourist visa as there is a group of us going to Hungary to spend time with a church there.Our whole group all live in the UK.

She needs a visa even for a short term visit. We will be staying with some Hungarians for the church.

We apparently either need "a letter of invitation issued and endorsed by the Office of Immigration and Nationality"
or "the letter of invitation in the form of a public notarial document".

Nowhere on the website does it say how to get the Office of Immigration and Nationality to issue or endorse a letter. Is there somewhere in Hungary that our hosts have to send it? Or is it something they send to the UK embassy, or send to us and she take it to the visa office when she applies.

I've found an official form online for the Department of Immigration and Nationality, but there's no clue on there what to do with it once you fill it in.

I've contact our hosts, and they've never had to do an application like this before - all their guests have been from countries that did not need a visa.

If it's a long complicated process, would it make more sense to get the letter notarised instead? How long would that take and would it be expensive? How do we find a notary? Would any lawyer do?

Can anyone help? We are leaving on 20th July, so my friend needs to attend her visa appointment on 3rd July or before, so we need the letter organised and sent from Hungary by then.

Helen

I have no specific experience, but "public notary" is "közjegyző", and he should know the details.

You can write a letter (in English) stating the reasons for this invitation and requesting that your friend have a tourist visa, and this is not for work or immigration. (It would have more "weight" if a church official could write the letter on church letterhead). Then notarize the letter and send it to your friend. Then your friend needs to apply to the Hungarian consulate (nearest one to Uganda is in Nairobi, Kenya, but I believe there is an extension office in Kampala). The consulate may want to know who will provide coverage of things for your friend during her visit such as health services (the church might offer this -- I do not recommend you state you will provide such coverage personally in the letter).