If you're a freelancer or independent contractor preparing a visa application, one document that can help explain your professional situation is a Service Confirmation Letter or Certificate of Engagement.

Unlike a traditional employee, you may not have a standard Certificate of Employment or employer-issued payslips. If you work independently for a company or client, a letter from that company can help clearly establish your professional relationship, role, income, and ongoing engagement.

I've personally used both of the formats below for my own visa applications. They're slightly different in style, but both serve essentially the same purpose: to confirm that you are genuinely engaged by a company as an independent contractor.

What Is a Service Confirmation Letter?

A Service Confirmation Letter is a document issued by your client or contracting company confirming your professional relationship with them.

It can include important details such as:

Your full name
The company or client's name
Your start date
Your position or role
Confirmation that you are an independent contractor
Your working arrangement
Your compensation
Confirmation that your engagement is active
Company contact information
The name and position of the person signing the letter

For a visa application, the purpose is not to make your freelance work look like traditional employment. Instead, it should accurately explain what your actual working arrangement looks like. The document should ideally be printed on the company's official letterhead and include the company logo and contact information, if available.

Template 1: Certificate of Engagement

The first format is more detailed and is the version I personally used more recently. I prefer this format because it clearly explains not only my position and compensation, but also confirms that my engagement is ongoing and that I am expected to continue working after returning from temporary travel.

CERTIFICATE OF ENGAGEMENT

[Date]

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

This is to certify that [Full Name], holder of Philippine Passport No. [Passport Number], has been engaged by [Company Name] as a Full-Time Independent Contractor since [Start Date].

In this capacity, [Full Name] serves as [Job Title] and provides [brief description of services] to our company on a full-time basis.

[His/Her/Their] engagement remains active and in good standing. Under the terms of [his/her/their] engagement, [he/she/they] receives fixed compensation of [Amount] per [hour/week/biweekly], equivalent to approximately [Monthly Amount] per month.

We confirm that [Full Name] is an integral member of our [team/department] and that [his/her/their] engagement with the company is ongoing. We further confirm that [he/she/they] is expected to continue providing services to our company following the completion of [his/her/their] temporary travel and return to [Country of Residence].

This certification is being issued upon the request of [Full Name] for the purpose of supporting [his/her/their] visa application and for any other lawful purpose it may serve.

Should you require any additional information or verification, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,

[Signature]

[Name of Authorized Representative]

[Position]

[Company Name]

Email: [Email Address]

Phone: [Phone Number]

Website: [Company Website]

Why I like this format

What makes this version useful is that it gives the visa officer a fairly complete picture of the freelance arrangement without being unnecessarily complicated.

It establishes who you work for, when you started, what you do, how much you earn, and that the engagement is still active.

The statement about returning to work after temporary travel can also be helpful when it is genuinely true. However, it should only be included if the company is actually willing to confirm this.

Template 2: Service Confirmation Letter

The second version is much shorter and more straightforward. This is an example of a letter I previously used. Unlike the first version, it doesn't provide as much detail about the ongoing nature of the engagement, but it clearly confirms the essential information.

SERVICE CONFIRMATION LETTER

[Date]

To Whom It May Concern,

This is to confirm that [Full Name] has been engaged full-time as an independent contractor with [Company Name] since [Start Date], in the capacity of [Job Title].

[He/She/They] is compensated with a monthly pay of [Amount].

This confirmation is issued upon the request of the aforementioned individual for whatever lawful purpose it may serve.

If you require any further information regarding [his/her/their] engagement, please do not hesitate to contact us.