Flight and Hotel Proof for a Japan Visa from India: What Works

Japan visa applications in India are submitted at VFS Japan Visa Application Centres and decided by the Embassy of Japan in New Delhi or the Consulates General in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Bengaluru, depending on where you live. Each office publishes its own checklist, and the wording on travel proof differs slightly between them. Everything below is as published on the official sources, checked on 2026-10-10. For the full application route, see our Japan visa guide for Indian travellers.

What each Japan checklist asks for

Read the checklist for your own jurisdiction on the VFS Japan Delhi page or the matching page for your city before you book anything.

Flight proof: why a reservation fits the wording

For tourists, business visitors and family visits, the Delhi checklists use the phrase “flight/cruise schedule”; Chennai says a reservation or booking is acceptable and Kolkata asks for a flight itinerary with hotel bookings that are not confirmed. That asks you to show when and how you will enter and leave Japan. A verifiable flight reservation does this: it carries a real booking reference, your name exactly as in the passport, the flight numbers and the dates. It is a genuine booking held for you, not an altered or invented document.

Embassies generally advise against buying non-refundable tickets before a visa decision, and the Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai and Kolkata checklists do not ask you to; Chennai even recommends not buying a confirmed ticket or hotel before the visa is granted. The Mumbai Consulate's tourist checklist (Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Goa) is different: it lists a confirmed travel booking (hotel and flight), so applicants in that jurisdiction should follow that wording. Requirements can vary between offices and categories, though, so check your checklist for any extra condition. If you want one prepared, our flight reservation service issues verifiable itineraries for visa files.

Hotel proof: blocked in your name, with contact details

Hotel proof needs more attention than the flights, because the checklists ask for more than a list of cities.

• Delhi jurisdiction: your itinerary in Japan should include hotel information and the contact details where you can be reached while in Japan. A hotel name, address and phone number for each night does this.
• Bengaluru jurisdiction: accommodation must be blocked under the applicant's name. A booking made under a friend's or agent's name does not meet that wording. The checklist also asks for a day-to-day schedule.
• Staying with relatives or friends: the itinerary and invitation letter come from your inviter in Japan, along with proof of the relationship, so a hotel booking is not the central document.

A day-to-day schedule is simply a table: date, city, what you plan to do, and where you sleep that night. Every night on it should match a hotel booking, and the first and last days should match your flights. Our itinerary service can prepare one if you prefer.

Transit and onward travel: when “confirmed” matters

The transit visa checklist is stricter in its wording. It asks for a confirmed travel booking, meaning an itinerary covering flight and hotel, plus a copy of the visa for the country you are travelling on to. The Embassy of Japan's fee notice says the transit visa is abolished from 1 July 2026, so check with VFS which visa type applies before you book. Separately, Bengaluru's tourist checklist asks for a copy of any third-country visa if you continue from Japan to another country, so if your flight reservation shows an onward leg, attach that visa copy too.

Timing your bookings around processing days

Processing times are indicative and start once the file reaches the mission. Build your reservation dates around them:

The embassy may also ask for an interview or more documents, which adds time. The costs are modest but fixed: a visa fee of INR 500 for single or multiple entry for Indian nationals and a VFS service charge of INR 800 per application, which is non-refundable. Optional courier return is INR 550 per application.

Proof problems that cause questions

• Hotel dates that leave a gap of one or two nights with no accommodation.
• A reservation for one traveller when family members travelling together appear on the same itinerary; Bengaluru asks families and friends travelling together to apply together and wants the accompanying person's tickets copy.
• An itinerary without any phone number or address in Japan, when Delhi asks for contact information.
• Submitting originals you need later. Documents are not returned except the passport, and photocopies must be on A4 paper.
• A passport issued outside Karnataka with no residence proof, for Bengaluru applicants.

Yatra For Fun's India office in Gurugram prepares flight reservations, hotel bookings, travel itineraries and cover letters for visa files. Packages cost from INR 1,000 (flight reservation) to INR 3,000 (reservation, hotel, itinerary and cover letter). WhatsApp +91 95230 91018 or contact us through the contact page.

Frequently asked questions

Is a cover letter needed with flight and hotel proof for a Japan tourist visa?

Delhi's tourism checklist lists a covering letter only if a special explanation is needed. Bengaluru's 2025 tourist checklist asks for an original covering letter signed by the applicant, mentioning accompanying persons, travel dates and who meets the expenses.

Can I apply for a Japan visa outside my state?

Each consulate decides applications only from residents of its jurisdiction. If your passport was issued elsewhere, you must show address proof, such as a rental agreement, utility bill or Aadhaar for Bengaluru applicants.

What photo size is needed for a Japan visa from India?

Delhi, Bengaluru and Kolkata pages state 45mm x 35mm with a plain white background, while Mumbai and Chennai pages state 2 x 2 inch. Use the size given on the page for the centre where you submit.

Where can I submit a Japan visa application in North India?

The VFS centre in New Delhi accepts applications, with drop-off offices in Gurugram, Chandigarh and Lucknow. Blue Dart collection centres in Agra, Amritsar, Jaipur, Dehradun, Ludhiana and Guwahati also collect files, with a courier demand draft of INR 1050.