IMTS Visa Invitation Letter & International Visitor Help 2026
Travelling to IMTS 2026 from outside the United States usually means showing a consulate why you are coming. Below is what the IMTS organiser publishes, the dates that matter, and the two ways ET EXPO can help.
What the IMTS 2026 organiser publishes
- IMTS states that a visitor visa does not require a letter of invitation or an Affidavit of Support; applicants qualify on their own residence and ties abroad.
- IMTS issues Letters of Invitation only to registered booth staff, on request to [email protected], and show management does not give visa help to visitors or customers.
- IMTS warns that a visa could take as long as three to four months and advises applying well before travel.
- The booth-staff letter request closed on Thursday, August 6, 2026; it had to come from a company email matching the company website's domain, or else on original company letterhead.
- The request form asked for the booth number and the date of the visa interview, among passport and company details.
- IMTS made international visitor registration complimentary and offered hotel rooms through Global Housing Solutions, with free shuttles between most participating hotels and McCormick Place.
- Questions to the organiser go to IMTS customer support at +1-703-827-5215 or [email protected].
IMTS 2026 is held at McCormick Place in Chicago.
Dates to plan the trip around
- Show open: September 14, 2026 (passed)
- Dismantle: September 20, 2026 (passed)
- Move-out: September 26, 2026 (passed)
If your company is exhibiting, ET EXPO designs, builds, ships and installs custom and modular booths for IMTS in Chicago, working to these dates.
Sources: https://www.imts.com/show/intl/visa.cfm, https://www.imts.com/exhibitor/LOI/invite/, https://www.imts.com/show/intl/ - checked September 29, 2026.
What an invitation letter is
This letter is provided as a business invitation/supporting document only. It does not guarantee visa issuance, admission to the United States, or approval by any government authority.
A consular officer decides who receives a visa. Neither ET EXPO nor the show organiser has any part in that decision, and nobody who tells you otherwise is telling you the truth.
Official Organizer Invitation Letter Assistance
USD $100
ET EXPO works through the IMTS 2026 organiser's own invitation-letter process with you and follows the request until the organiser answers.
The letter comes from the show organiser, not from ET EXPO.
The fee covers ET EXPO's work in preparing and handling your request. It is not a government fee and does not purchase a decision.
ET EXPO Business Invitation Letter
USD $100
A letter on ET EXPO letterhead describing your business relationship with us and the purpose of your visit to IMTS 2026.
This is our letter, not the organiser's.
The fee covers ET EXPO's work in preparing and handling your request. It is not a government fee and does not purchase a decision.
Which letter do you need?
How the two letters differ, what an invitation letter can and cannot do, and what to check before booking travel are explained once for every show in visa invitation letters for U.S. trade shows.