Letter of Invitation

Individuals requiring letters of invitation to obtain travel visas can complete the online request form.

Important Information

• Your name must be listed exactly as it appears on your passport. Any differences between the name on your passport and the name on your invitation letter or other documentation could lead to a delay and/or denial of your visa.
• If you are presenting a paper, include the title and session in which the paper will be presented. Authors should not wait until their paper is accepted to request a visa invitation letter.
• Please note that each individual requesting an invitation letter must fill out a separate form.
• All letters of invitation will be sent by a locked PDF unless otherwise requested. If you require a paper copy, please provide a courier account number or credit card number with expiration date with the original request.
• Optica reserves the right to request further information regarding the company or affiliation of the attendee to ensure the validity of requests.
• Optica is unable to contact U.S. Embassies in support of an individual attempting to gain entry to attend a meeting.
• We recommend that you secure your travel visa before registering for the conference as cancellations after the preregistration cutoff may result in a cancellation fee.

You should receive an invitation letter via email shortly after completing the form. For questions about invitation letters, send an email to invitations@optica.org.

Visa Information 

When to apply for a visa

You will only receive a refund of your application fee if we have not started to process your application.

You may be able to pay for a faster decision on a visa application.

When your application processing time starts

UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) starts processing your application once you either:

• verify your identity and submit your documents and application online using the UK Immigration: ID Check app. We’ll tell you if you can use this

• attend your appointment at a visa application centre (VAC) to provide your fingerprints and a photograph (biometric information)

When your application processing time ends

You’ll get a letter or email to let you know that a decision has been made on your application.

If you attended a visa application centre, you should not visit one until you have been contacted to do so.

Current processing times

The processing times listed below are based on the current volume of visa applications. The processing times are different if you paid for a faster decision.

Processing times are based on the UK working week (Monday to Friday). They do not include public holidays in the UK or other countries.

All UK processing times are measured against agreed customer service standards.

Learn more about the visa application process. >

Resources

• Useful Information for Visiting Glasgow
• Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA)