Affidavit of Support for Visa: Indian Format

This guide gives you a clause-by-clause structure to adapt, the documents that must sit behind it and the costs a sponsor is effectively promising to cover. Visa fees quoted below are as published on the official sources, checked on 10 October 2026. For country-specific checklists, start from our visa guides for Indian passport holders.

Affidavit, sponsorship letter or the destination's own form

Three different documents get called an affidavit of support in Indian visa files, and they are not interchangeable:

• A notarised affidavit is a sworn statement by a sponsor, usually a parent, spouse or close relative in India, declaring that they will bear your travel costs. It is typical when a student, a homemaker or a retired parent travels on a family member's money.
• A sponsorship or invitation letter is an unsworn letter, often from a host abroad, explaining who is paying and why you are visiting.
• A destination's own form is a sponsorship or guarantee form that some countries ask the host to complete in that country. Where the checklist names such a form, use it; an Indian affidavit is supporting material at most.

Read the official checklist for your visa category before drafting anything. It tells you whether the sponsor should be in India or abroad, whether the statement must be notarised and which financial papers must accompany it.

A clause-by-clause format you can adapt

An affidavit of support drafted in India generally follows this order. Keep it to one or two pages in English and make every figure match the documents you attach.

1. Heading: Affidavit of Support (or Affidavit of Sponsorship), naming the destination and purpose.
2. Deponent details: the sponsor's full name, age, occupation, full address and an identity document number.
3. Relationship: how the sponsor is related to you and which document proves it.
4. Applicant details: your full name exactly as in your passport, passport number and date of birth.
5. Trip details: destination country, purpose of travel and planned dates.
6. Undertaking on costs: that the sponsor will bear the visa fee, flights, accommodation, travel insurance and daily expenses for the stated trip.
7. Source of funds: the sponsor's occupation or business and the account the money will come from, cross-referenced to the attached statements.
8. Enclosures: a list naming each attached document.
9. Verification: a closing line that the contents are true to the best of the sponsor's knowledge, with place, date and signature.
10. Notary attestation: the notary's seal, signature and registration details.

A sample undertaking paragraph you can adapt:

I, [sponsor's full name], aged [age], residing at [full address], am the [relationship] of [applicant's full name], holder of Indian passport number [number]. I undertake to bear all expenses of [his/her] visit to [country] from [date] to [date], including the visa fee, return air travel, accommodation, travel medical insurance and living expenses. Copies of my bank statements and income tax returns are enclosed.

Replace every bracket. A template left half-filled does more harm than no affidavit at all. Ask your notary what stamp paper, if any, they use in your state.

Documents that must sit behind the affidavit

The affidavit is a promise; the attachments are the proof. Put these behind it:

• Sponsor's bank statements: personal statements bearing the bank's stamp, for the period your destination's checklist specifies.
• Sponsor's income proof: ITR-V acknowledgements and, if salaried, Form 16 and recent salary slips; if self-employed, GST or business registration.
• Relationship proof: a birth certificate for parent and child, a marriage certificate for spouses, or other documents linking you.
• Sponsor's identity: photo ID, address proof and a passport copy if they hold one.
• Your own ties to India: a leave letter or NOC from your employer, or a bonafide certificate from your college. A sponsor pays for the trip, but your reasons to return still matter.

What a sponsor is promising to pay: fixed costs by country

An affidavit that says all expenses commits the sponsor to real figures. These are the official adult visitor visa fees and insurance positions for a few common destinations, as listed in our dataset:

The New Zealand note deserves a second look: Immigration New Zealand recommends full medical insurance because you or your sponsor must pay for any health care. If your affidavit says the sponsor bears all expenses, a policy is the practical way to back that up. Flights, hotels and daily spending come on top of these fees, so the sponsor's statements should show room for the whole trip.

Paper original or scanned upload

For destinations processed through VFS Global, such as Germany or Japan, you carry the original notarised affidavit and photocopies, arranged in the order of the checklist. For countries that use an official online portal, such as Canada and Australia, you upload a clear colour scan of every signed and notarised page. In both cases the affidavit should sit with the sponsor's financial documents, not on its own.

Mistakes that weaken a sponsorship affidavit

• Amounts in the affidavit that don't match the attached bank statements.
• Generic wording with no destination, purpose or dates.
• No relationship proof, or a relationship that is never explained.
• Unsigned pages or a missing notary seal.
• Large unexplained deposits in the sponsor's account just before you apply.
• Submitting an Indian affidavit where the checklist asks for the destination's own sponsorship form.
• Trip dates in the affidavit that differ from the flight reservation, hotel booking and leave letter.

The trip details in the affidavit should line up with the rest of your file. A verifiable travel itinerary and flight reservation make that easier without buying non-refundable tickets before the visa decision, which embassies generally advise against; requirements vary, so follow each country's official checklist.

If you would like help assembling the file, Yatra For Fun's India office in Gurugram prepares flight reservations, hotel bookings, travel itineraries and cover letters for visa applications, with packages from INR 1,000 (flight reservation) to INR 3,000 (reservation, hotel, itinerary and cover letter). WhatsApp +91 95230 91018 or contact us.

Frequently asked questions

Does an affidavit of support for a visa need stamp paper?

There is no single rule for visa purposes. Notaries in India commonly prepare affidavits on non-judicial stamp paper, and the value depends on the state. Ask your notary, and follow any instruction in the destination's checklist.

Who can sponsor an Indian visa applicant?

Usually a parent, spouse or close relative in India, or a host in the destination country. The sponsor needs to show both the relationship and the funds. The destination's checklist decides whose sponsorship it accepts and in what form.

Do I still need my own documents if a sponsor pays for my trip?

Yes. The sponsor's affidavit and financial papers explain who pays, but you still submit your passport, application form and the documents showing your ties to India, such as a leave letter, NOC or student ID. Check the checklist for which of your own financial papers are also needed.

Can a relative living abroad sponsor my visa?

Yes, a host abroad can sponsor you, usually through an invitation or sponsorship letter with proof of their funds and residence. Some countries have their own sponsorship form for hosts; where the checklist names one, use it.