Before visiting a certain country, the rapporteurs send a formal request to the governments. If the government agrees, an invitation to undertake the mission is then sent to the Rapporteur’s Office.
Some countries, however, have standing invitations, that is, declare to be ready to receive a visit of any UN special rapporteur. Even countries with standing invitations are required to be consulted in order to define the mission dates.
After the visit, the rapporteur submits a country mission report to the Human Rights Council with his/her conclusions and recommendations.