Japan Visa

The island country of Japan is located in East Asia. The places to visit in Japan include famous heritage and cultural sites. You’re advised to carry enough Japan currency when visiting this country. Foreigners from nations that are not visa-exempt need to get a Japan visa by paying the Japan visa fees. Japan is also about to start tourist e-visa for some eligible nations which will simplify the Japan visa process.

Types of Japan visa 

Japan issues several visas of different types and there are plans of introducing more kinds of visas in the future. The Japan visa types can be broadly categorised into three categories. Here is the Japan visa information for the different types of visa:

• Working visa
• Non-working visa
• Family-related visa

A working visa is a long-term visa and this is issued to those who have a high level of skill or professional knowledge. This visa is not issued for any labour tasks. The visa can also be issued to those who have some skills or status like officials and diplomats, government persons and their families. 

The non-working visa is a short-stay visa with some restrictions. The visa allows one to stay in Japan for the duration that the immigration officer grants permission for. The visa covers researchers, students, temporary visitors, tourists and technical internships.

Family-related visas are issued for short-term stay and have no employment restrictions. The visa will be issued to those who have children and spouses that are Japanese nationalists, or children and spouses of permanent residents.

Documents required for Japan visa 

The below mentioned Japan visa documents for the Japan visa requirements need to be submitted for you to be granted a tourist visa to enter Japan. Note that all the photocopies of the Japan visa documents should be on an A4 size paper only.

• A valid passport that has more than two blank pages. Any old passport should be submitted too
• A photocopy of the bio-data page which is the first and the last page on the passport. This is for the current passport
• Complete visa application form, signed and filled
• A covering letter as per the Japan visa requirements should state the visit, purpose and the day-to-day itinerary
• Recent photograph that has been taken not before 6 months. The photograph should be of 2*2 inches size with white background and printed on a paper of good quality
• Confirmed day-to-day travel booking details
• Last six months original bank statement
• Last 3 years income tax return along with the receipt of payment
• Certification of employment and salary statement of the last six months, if employed
• If unemployed then consent of parent or spouse, original bank statement of the last six months of spouse or parents and the income tax return of spouse or parent for the last 3 years

Japan visa fees

The Japan visa fees need to be paid at the time of submitting the Japan visa application. The visa lets you stay in Japan for recreation or business purposes. The visa fees and the service charge should be paid as per the amount stated against your nationality.

A single entry or multiple-entry Japan visa fees for Indian nationals is INR 510. There is an additional service charge of INR 650 which is inclusive of GST and CGST that has to be paid over and above the effective visa fees. To receive the passport by courier an additional fee of INR 300 will be applicable. The visa charges for Japan, service charges and the additional charges need to be paid in cash only.

The visa processing time from the Consulate General of Japan is a minimum of 3 working days from the date the application is submitted to the Consulate General of Japan. The Japan visa process time could, however, increase or decrease as per the discretion of the Consulate General of Japan.

The Japan visa fees are mandatory to be paid against your Japan visa. The fees keep changing and it is also dependent on the type of visa that you apply for. There are separate fees based on single entry, double entry or multiple entry visa. The visa fee also depends on the nationality of the person applying for it.

Japan visa centres in India 

The following are the Japan visa centres in India where the application needs to be submitted to start the Japan visa procedure. 

Embassy of Japan New Delhi has Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Lakshadweep, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh under its jurisdiction.

The Consulate General of Japan, Mumbai has Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Daman, Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli under its jurisdiction.

The Consulate General of Japan, Kolkata has West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha under its jurisdiction.

The Consulate General of Japan, Chennai has Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Pondicherry under its jurisdiction.

The Consulate General of Japan, Bangalore has Karnataka state under its jurisdiction. 

Make sure that you check the authorised visa agents in your state and then submit your visa application at the authorized visa centres. You can get the Japan visa information here. The Japan Consulate has the right to call for an interview or ask for additional documents depending on individual circumstances.