It is impossible to obtain a visa for any country without submitting a certain package of documentation to the embassy, ​​consulate or visa center. In most cases, the list of required papers necessarily includes a salary certificate. It is provided by officially employed citizens. This document will be required, among other things, for opening American and Canadian visas, UK visas and Schengen countries. Let's find out what a sample salary certificate is and how a certificate from work is issued for the consulate in 2017.

A sample certificate of employment can be freely found on the Internet. Any employed citizen has the right to obtain a work certificate for a visa. For the embassy and consulate, the authenticity of the document and the data specified in it is important. There are specific requirements for the form of a certificate of employment. Salary certificate forms issued at work and the information entered into them must meet certain conditions.

All visa certificates must meet the requirements of the receiving party. This also applies to a certificate from your place of work for obtaining a visa. The enterprise is required to issue a salary certificate upon request of the employee. They will be issued free of charge.

A certificate of income for a visa must be prepared on the official letterhead of the organization. However, free form income certificates issued at the place of employment are also accepted. A document not drawn up on company letterhead will be accepted if the organization does not have official forms. In this case, the certificate is written on ordinary A4 office paper.

Information about the visa applicant is entered in any form. A sample income certificate in free form can be found on the Internet.

The need for a document from the employer

A certificate from your place of work for a Schengen visa, US visa, UK visa or any other country is needed for a number of reasons. The document issued by the employer serves several purposes. First of all, the salary certificate is:

  • Evidence of financial solvency of the candidate for Schengen or any other visa. Working at home serves as an excellent guarantee that a citizen will be financially independent when entering another country.
  • Confirmation of the social status of the visa applicant. For many countries, foreigners are an important source of income, actively replenishing local treasuries. It is preferable for any power to host wealthy guests who support the tourism and entertainment sectors of the economy.
  • Guaranteed return of the guest home at the end of the vacation. By presenting a certificate from the place of work, the foreigner will confirm ties with his homeland. This way he will prove that he has no intention of violating the visa regime and staying in a foreign country longer than required.

Key Requirements

What do employment certificates look like? In 2017, the form of the income certificate did not change. The requirements for what needs to be written on the form also remain the same. It does not matter whether a certificate from work is taken for a Schengen visa or a visa to Britain, America or Asia. You will have to draw up a certificate of income using a single template:

  • The original and not a photocopy of the document is provided to the embassy or consulate.
  • Printed on company letterhead. Basic information about the organization must be indicated:
    • Full name and details.
    • Address (legal and actual).
    • Telephones and faxes. Some embassies and consulates also require you to enter the company's e-mail address.
  • The form must indicate:
    • Outgoing document number.
    • Date of issue of the certificate.
    • It is clarified that the certificate was issued for presentation at the place of request. It is allowed to indicate the embassy to which the citizen will bring the document.
  • A certificate of income is written in free form. But it always specifies the main information about the visa applicant:
    • Full name of the citizen.
    • Employment date.
    • Job title.
    • Monthly or average annual income.
    • Dates of the upcoming vacation (with confirmation of job retention and salary).
  • The completed form is certified by the company’s round blue seal. Other seals are not suitable.
  • In addition, the certificate is certified by the signature of the director. It is highly advisable to supplement the document with the signature of the chief accountant. If the visa applicant is himself a director of the company, the following signature must be added:
    • Or his deputy (deputy director).
    • Or any other employee authorized to sign on such documents (chief accountant or HR department employee).

Often, consular officers call the telephone numbers indicated in the certificate from the place of employment. Therefore, it is important to provide all information correctly. And under no circumstances should you try to provide a fake sample income certificate.

Important! If a person got a new job shortly before applying for a visa, he can confirm his work experience with a work book.

Main differences

A standard sample certificate from an employer must include all of the above information. However, each country may have its own requirements for individual points of the document. And before asking for a salary certificate at work, you should consider these points.

Validity

The validity period of a certificate of employment - from the moment of issuance by the employer until the day of submission of visa documentation - varies from country to country. Most often, it is recommended to take it 1–3 months before submitting papers. It would be optimal to get a certificate a week or two before applying for a visa.

Salary amount

A number of countries require that a visa applicant's salary be at least a certain amount. As an example, for Britain the lower threshold of the official monthly salary is 50 thousand rubles. If the applicant is not paid that much, it doesn’t matter. It simply supplements a work receipt from an individual or entity (such as an employer).

The Schengen zone states also have their own requirements for the minimum salary of potential tourists:

  • 30 thousand rubles. per month (for persons working in Moscow).
  • 20-25 thousand rubles. per month (for residents of Russian regions).

If the employment certificate does not meet these indicators, other or additional financial documents are presented. For example:

  1. Statement from the bank.
  2. Payment card (receipt from an ATM plus a copy of the card).
  3. 2 or 3-NDFL.
  4. Traveler's checks with receipts for their purchase.
  5. Letter of guarantee.

Often one of the above financial documents is submitted regardless of the presence of a letter from work and the amount of salary.

Translation

Some countries require translation of all visa documentation. But usually this rule does not apply to short-term trips (tourist, private, business, etc.). Still, before taking documents to the embassy, ​​consulate or visa center, you should clarify the translation requirements.

What to serve to private businessmen

When requesting a visa, individual entrepreneurs provide photocopies of the following certificates:

  • On registration of individual entrepreneurs (certified by a seal and the inscription Copy is correct).
  • About becoming tax registered.

Also, private businessmen submit a copy of the 3-NDFL declaration and a personally signed original certificate of work on the form of an individual entrepreneur. It states:

  • Average monthly income.
  • Requisites.
  • Phone, fax and e-mail.
  • Such a certificate is signed not by the entrepreneur himself, but by the accountant.

What to do for those who are not officially employed

If a citizen does not have an official job, this does not mean that abroad is closed to him. The same applies to unemployed citizens - schoolchildren, students, pensioners, housewives, the unemployed, etc. In exchange for a document from the employer, these categories of Russians present other financial guarantees:

  • Bank statement (preferably with at least 3 months history).
  • Certificate of funds balance.
  • Certificate of existing property (house, apartment, land, etc.).
  • Sponsorship letter. A copy of the sponsor's identification card and confirmation of his financial security are additionally attached to the letter. It is worth remembering that in many cases only a close relative has the right to sponsor a trip.

Pensioners additionally include a pension certificate in their visa documentation package. And schoolchildren and students submit confirmation from their place of study.