Which Japan Visa Should Indians Apply For?

The cost is the same across categories, so choosing the right one is about documents and eligibility, not money. The INR 800 VFS service fee is added per application. Everything below is as published on the official sources, checked on 15 October 2026. Our Japan visa guide for Indians covers documents and centres in more depth.

Which Japan visa matches your reason for travel?

VFS names the categories slightly differently in each jurisdiction, but the purposes line up.

The Chennai Consulate adds a Group Tour Package With Guarantor category and a short-term relative-visit single-entry visa for 15, 30 or 90 days. Bengaluru keeps a shorter list: Business, Long Term Stay with COE, Visiting Relatives/Acquaintances, Tourist Visa and Transit Visa.

Tourist visa: with or without a guarantor?

Most holidaymakers who fund their own trip apply without a guarantor. For Delhi, that file includes a flight or cruise schedule, an itinerary with hotel and contact details in Japan, and your latest Income Tax Return (or, if unavailable, a 6-month bank statement). Students and dependants add consent from parents or spouse and their latest ITR or 6-month statement.

The Mumbai and Kolkata lists also offer sightseeing with a guarantor, for trips where someone in Japan backs your visit. For visiting relatives, the Delhi checklist shows what a guarantor provides: a letter of guarantee, an income or taxation certificate or bank deposit balance certificate, and a Certificate of Residence ('Jyuminhyo'). Use the checklist of the consulate that covers your state, because each consulate decides only for residents of its jurisdiction.

Should you ask for a multiple-entry visa instead?

If you qualify, often yes, because Indians pay the same INR 500 for a multiple visa as for a single one. The Delhi categories are:

• MULTIPLE 1: travel to Japan twice or more in the last three years.
• MULTIPLE 2: a travel record to Japan in the last three years.
• MULTIPLE 3: travel to Japan and G7 countries in the last three years.
• MULTIPLE 4: sufficient financial capacity, shown mainly through your latest ITR.
• MULTIPLE 5: short-term business.
• MULTIPLE 6: intellectual figures.
• MULTIPLE 7: spouse or children of someone on an employment visa in Japan.

Mumbai and Kolkata offer multiple-entry visas of up to 30 days per stay for applicants with a travel record, sufficient financial capacity or Japan-and-G7 travel. The Delhi MULTIPLE 3 and 4 checklists warn that the Embassy may issue a single-entry visa after assessment.

Is the Japan eVISA a separate visa type?

No. Since 1 April 2024, Indian nationals and foreign residents of India can receive a single-entry tourism visa (stay up to 90 days) as an eVISA. You still submit the application at a VFS Japan Visa Application Centre. At the airport you show the 'visa issuance notice' on a mobile device with internet; a PDF, screenshot, photo or printout is not accepted.

A fully online application on the JAPAN eVISA website is open only to residents of certain other countries, not to applicants in India.

Which visa do students, workers and job-seekers need?

Long-term stays start in Japan, not at VFS. A school, employer or other proxy in Japan obtains a Certificate of Eligibility from a regional immigration office; standard processing is 1 to 3 months, and there is no fee for the COE. You then apply for the 'Long Term Stay with COE' visa at VFS, paying the same INR 500 plus INR 800.

• Student visa: for a university, college or Japanese-language school; period of stay up to 4 years and 3 months.
• Working visa: covers statuses such as Engineer/Specialist in Humanities/International Services, Researcher and Nursing care; periods of stay of 5 years, 3 years, 1 year or 3 months.
• J-Find: for graduates aged 18 or older with a bachelor's, master's or doctorate awarded within the last 5 years by a university on the Immigration Services Agency list, plus savings of approximately 200,000 yen. The list as of January 2026 includes no university in India.

A COE does not guarantee the visa. Applying without one is possible but needs many verification documents and can take several months.

What if you are only changing planes in Japan?

The Embassy's fee notice says the transit visa is abolished from 1 July 2026; it previously cost Indians INR 50. VFS Delhi and Bengaluru still list a Transit category. Because the two official sources disagree, confirm your case with VFS or the Japan Visa Information Hotline (+91-11-7181-6614) before you fly.

What does choosing the wrong visa cost you?

• Six months. After a refusal, Japan does not accept a new application for the same purpose within six months, except where circumstances have changed significantly and travel is needed on humanitarian grounds. MOFA does not give the reason for a refusal.
• A wasted trip to the wrong centre. Kolkata, for example, needs a passport issued in West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar or Odisha, or residence proof there.
• Timing. The Embassy accepts short-term applications from 3 months before travel. From 19 October 2026, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad and Goa accept submissions by prior appointment only.
• An unused visa. A single-entry visa is basically valid for three months from issue; enter Japan within that time or apply again.

Official checklists are on the VFS Japan Delhi page and the Embassy of Japan visa page.

Tourist files need a flight schedule, hotel details and a day-wise itinerary. Yatra For Fun's Gurugram office prepares flight reservations, hotel bookings, itineraries and cover letters for visa applications, from INR 1,000 for a reservation to INR 3,000 for all four. WhatsApp +91 95230 91018 or use our contact page.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Japan visa fee different for business and tourist visas?

No. Japan's fee depends on nationality and entry type, not purpose. Indian nationals pay INR 500 for a single or multiple visa from 1 July 2026, including COE-based student and work visas, plus the INR 800 VFS service fee.

How long does a Japan visa take in India?

Indicative times differ by office: Embassy New Delhi minimum 5 working days, Mumbai 10 processing days (Pune, Ahmedabad and Goa 12), Chennai minimum 3 working days, Kolkata minimum 5 and Bengaluru minimum 6. MOFA's standard examination period is five working days when there is no problem.

Is travel insurance mandatory for a Japan visa?

Travel insurance is not listed as a required document on the VFS or Embassy checklists. Japan's Foreign Ministry says it is highly recommended to buy international travel medical insurance for a trip to Japan.

Can Indians living abroad apply for a Japan visa through VFS India?

No. Japan's Foreign Ministry says Indians living outside India apply to the Japanese embassy or consulate for their country of residence, not to a mission in India.