Inviting Parents from India to Japan: Visa Guide

This guide follows the official sources as published, checked on 2026-10-15: the VFS Japan checklists for India, the Embassy of Japan in New Delhi and Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). For tourist visas, centres and fees in general, see our Japan visa guide for Indians.

Relative visit or tourist visa: which suits your parents?

Both are short-term visas applied for at VFS. The difference is who carries the paperwork and who pays.

If your parents will stay with you and you are covering costs, the relatives route fits the facts of the trip. If they are travelling on their own funds and staying in hotels, the tourist route may be simpler.

What should you send from Japan?

The Delhi checklist for visiting relatives lists these Japan-side documents:

1. Invitation letter addressed to the visa section, naming both parents, the dates of the visit and where they will stay.
2. Proof of kinship. Your own birth certificate naming your parents is the natural document; the checklist lists birth and marriage certificates and a Kosekitohon.
3. Itinerary in Japan, day by day.
4. List of applicants, since two people are travelling.

If you are paying for the trip, add the guarantor documents: a letter of guarantee; an income or taxation certificate, a tax return counterfoil or a bank deposit balance certificate; your Certificate of Residence ('Jyuminhyo'); and, as a foreign national in Japan, copies of your passport and residence card.

What do your parents prepare in India?

• Valid passports with more than two blank pages, plus old passports, and copies of the bio data page (first and last page).
• A completely filled and signed application form each, with one recent photograph on a white background.
• Flight schedule to and from Japan. Chennai's checklist specifically recommends not buying confirmed tickets before the visa is granted; a reservation is acceptable.
• Latest income tax return, or a bank statement for the last 6 months. Kolkata's checklist asks for a personal ITR for 3 years or an explanation letter, which helps retired parents who no longer file returns.
• Proof of current address if their passports were issued in a different state from where they now live.

Both parents should apply together: the Bengaluru checklist states that family members travelling together must apply together. All photocopies go on A4 paper, and submitted documents are not returned, except the passport.

Where can parents in smaller cities submit?

Parents do not always need to travel to a metro. For the Embassy of Japan's Delhi jurisdiction, VFS lists drop-off offices in Gurugram, Chandigarh and Lucknow, where separate demand drafts in favour of VFS Global Services Pvt. Ltd. are required, and Blue Dart collection centres in Agra, Amritsar, Jaipur, Dehradun, Ludhiana and Guwahati, which need a courier demand draft of INR 1050. In the south, VFS lists a Mysuru centre where no prior appointment is needed.

If a relative or agent submits or collects on their behalf, the Kolkata checklist asks for an authorisation letter. Note that from 19 October 2026 the Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad and Goa centres accept applications only by prior appointment, while the Embassy says no appointment is needed at New Delhi and the other Delhi-jurisdiction centres.

How much will it cost and how long will it take?

Indicative processing is a minimum of 05 working days at the Embassy in New Delhi, 03 at Chennai, 05 at Kolkata and 06 at Bengaluru, and 10 to 12 processing days in the Mumbai jurisdiction. Applications are accepted from 3 months before travel, and an issued single-entry visa is basically valid for three months, so your parents should enter Japan within that window.

Health cover and travel-day checks for older parents

• Insurance: not a listed document, but MOFA highly recommends international travel medical insurance for Japan, and the Embassy advises preparing it. For older travellers this is worth doing.
• If the visa is an eVISA: the visa issuance notice must be shown on a mobile device with internet at the airport. A PDF, screenshot, photo or printout is not accepted, so make sure a parent's phone has roaming data.
• Questions: the Japan Visa Information Hotline is +91-11-7181-6614, open 24x7, in English only.
• Refusals: MOFA does not give the reason, and a new application for the same purpose is generally not accepted within six months, so check the file carefully the first time.

For context, MOFA data shows Japan issued 265,882 visas to Indian nationals in 2025 across all visa types, the fourth-highest nationality.

Yatra For Fun's India office in Gurugram can prepare flight reservations, itineraries and covering letters for your parents' Japan file, from INR 1,000 for a flight reservation to INR 3,000 for a reservation, hotel booking, itinerary and cover letter. Message us on WhatsApp at +91 95230 91018 or via our contact page.

Frequently asked questions

Can my parents get a multiple-entry Japan visa?

The Delhi VFS categories include several multiple-entry options for Indian nationals, such as MULTIPLE 2 for applicants with a travel record to Japan in the last three years. The fee for Indian nationals is INR 500 for single or multiple entry, and the Embassy may issue a single-entry visa after assessment.

Is the Japan visa fee refunded if my parents are refused?

VFS says the visa fee is refunded only if the visa is not approved. The VFS service fee of INR 800 per application is non-refundable.

Do my parents need a confirmed hotel booking if they stay with me?

On the relatives route, your invitation and itinerary show where they will stay. Hotel information is part of the tourist itinerary instead. Chennai's tourist checklist says a reservation is acceptable and advises against buying confirmed tickets and hotels before the visa is granted.

Can my parents apply at the Japanese embassy directly instead of VFS?

No. The Embassy of Japan in New Delhi accepts only diplomatic or official visas and humanitarian cases directly, and the Mumbai Consulate stopped accepting direct applications on 20 April 2026. Ordinary applicants apply through VFS Global.