Japan Visa for Indians 2026: eVISA, Fees, Documents and Long-Stay Visas

Reviewed by the XROSS HOUSE team — a Tokyo-based operator of share houses and furnished apartments across 11 prefectures in Japan, with more than 50,000 residents housed to date.

Moving to Japan from India? Ask us about your first home

Do Indians need a visa for Japan?

Yes. India is not on Japan's list of visa-exempt countries, so an ordinary Indian passport needs a visa for any stay, even a one-week holiday. There is no visa on arrival at Japanese airports. You apply in India before you fly, and the visa must be in hand (or on your phone, for an eVISA) when you check in.

Which visa you need depends on what you will do in Japan:

• Short-term stay (temporary visitor): tourism, business meetings, conferences, or visiting friends and family. Up to 90 days. You cannot be paid for work in Japan on this visa.
• Long-term visa: work, study, Specified Skilled Worker, or living with a family member. This route starts with a Certificate of Eligibility issued in Japan.

India is also not one of Japan's working holiday partners. As of 1 April 2026, Japan runs working holiday programmes with 32 countries and regions, and India is not among them, so a "work and travel" year is not an option on an Indian passport.

Source: MOFA, Exemption of Visa (Short-Term Stay) and MOFA, Working Holiday Programmes in Japan (as of October 2026)

Japan tourist visa for Indians: the JAPAN eVISA

Since 1 April 2024, tourist visas for Indians have been issued electronically. The JAPAN eVISA for India is a single-entry short-term visa for tourism, for stays of up to 90 days. Indian nationals and foreign nationals living in India can use it.

Two points catch people out:

• You still apply at VFS. The application goes to a Japan Visa Application Centre run by VFS Global, as before. The difference is that you receive the visa electronically instead of as a sticker in your passport.
• You must show it live on your phone. At the airport you open the "visa issuance notice" on a mobile device with internet access. A PDF, photo, screenshot or printed copy is not accepted. Check that your phone will have data at departure and on arrival.

Business trips and visits to friends or relatives are also short-term stays, but they use a regular visa with different supporting documents. If your trip is not pure tourism, confirm the visa type with VFS before you apply.

Source: Embassy of Japan in India, The JAPAN eVISA system (as of October 2026)

Japan visa fees for Indians

From 1 July 2026, the Embassy of Japan in India lists these fees:

The VFS service fee is charged on top of the visa fee. The separate transit visa has been abolished. The Consulate-General in Chennai shows the same rates for 1 July 2026 to 31 March 2027, so check the fee again if you apply after March 2027.

The embassy warns that the visa fee and the VFS service fee are the only payments. It never asks for money by phone or email to "verify documents" or speed up a visa. If someone does, do not pay.

Source: Embassy of Japan in India, Visa and Consulate-General of Japan in Chennai, Visa (as of October 2026)

Japan tourist visa requirements for Indians: documents

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs checklist for a single-entry short-term visa (April 2025) lists these documents for tourism when you pay for the trip yourself:

1. A valid passport
2. One visa application form
3. One photo
4. Your flight booking, with flight numbers and arrival and departure dates
5. Proof that you can pay for the trip: an income certificate or tax return (ITR) issued by a public agency, or a bank statement or balance certificate
6. Your itinerary in Japan (MOFA provides a form)

If someone in Japan invites you or pays for your trip, extra papers are needed from them, such as an invitation letter and a letter of guarantee. Documents must be issued within the last three months, and everything except your passport is kept. VFS may ask for more on a case-by-case basis.

Indian students have a simpler document list for short visits under a 2017 relaxation. The details are in the MOFA notice linked below.

Source: MOFA, Checklist for Single-Entry Short-Term Stay Visa (PDF, April 2025) and MOFA, relaxation of visa requirements for Indian students (as of October 2026)

How to apply from India and how long it takes

1. Choose the visa type by the main purpose of your trip.
2. Prepare the documents above and fill in the application form.
3. Submit at a VFS Global Japan Visa Application Centre. No prior appointment is needed. Applications are accepted from 3 months before your travel date.
4. Wait for the decision. The Chennai consulate says processing is generally 5 working days after VFS accepts the application, and longer when you apply in another city. During busy periods it can take much longer, and if your file is referred to Tokyo it can take more than a month.
5. Receive the visa (an eVISA for tourism) and travel within its validity. A single-entry visa is valid for three months and is used up when you enter Japan.

The embassy says it cannot speed up a visa to match your schedule, so book refundable tickets or apply early, especially before the cherry blossom season and year-end holidays.

Source: Embassy of Japan in India, Visa, MOFA, Visa Processing Time and MOFA, Validity of a Visa (as of October 2026)

Multiple-entry visa for Indians

Frequent visitors can apply for a multiple-entry visa for tourism, business or visiting relatives. For Indian nationals it can be valid for up to 5 years, with stays of up to 90 days each time. You may qualify if one of these applies:

• You visited Japan as a temporary visitor twice or more in the last three years.
• You visited Japan once in the last three years and can pay your travel costs.
• You visited Japan and a G7 country in the last three years.
• You have sufficient financial capacity, shown mainly by your income tax return. Your spouse and children can apply on the same basis.

Even on a multiple-entry visa, you cannot work for pay in Japan. The embassy may issue a single-entry visa instead after its review.

Source: Embassy of Japan in India, Application Procedures for Multiple Visa for Nationals of India (PDF) (as of October 2026)

Staying a month or more? Ask about a furnished room

Work, study and family visas: the COE comes first

For a long stay, the order is different. Your sponsor in Japan applies first, then you apply for the visa in India:

1. Your sponsor applies for a Certificate of Eligibility (COE) at a regional immigration bureau. The sponsor is your employer, school, or family member in Japan. The standard processing period is 1 to 3 months.
2. You receive the COE. Since 17 March 2023 it can be sent by email. It is valid for 3 months, so plan your entry date around it.
3. You apply for the visa at VFS with your passport, application form, photo and the COE. Without a COE, a long-term visa usually takes 1 to 3 months.
4. You land in Japan, receive your residence card at major airports, and register your address at the city office within 14 days of moving in.

The long-term statuses Indians use most often:

Source: MOFA, Work or Long-term stay, MOFA, Visa FAQ and Immigration Services Agency of Japan, COE application (as of October 2026)

Please note: this article explains the general system and is not legal advice. Whether your own application is approved is decided by the embassy and the immigration authorities, so follow the official pages and VFS for your case.

Where to stay once your visa is approved

Many people moving from India spend their first months in a furnished room, then choose a long-term area once they know their office or campus. Indian residents often settle around Nishi-Kasai in Edogawa and along train lines into central Tokyo; our guide to Indians in Japan covers the community and daily life. XROSS HOUSE offers two options:

• Share houses: a furnished private or shared room, with a shared kitchen, bathroom and living room, and free shared Wi-Fi. It is the lower-cost way to start, and other residents are around when everything is new.
• Furnished apartments: your own home with a private kitchen and bathroom. Furniture and appliances are already in the room, and you set up your own internet. A support service fee of ¥1,500 a month is charged per resident.

Contracts start from one month, and all statuses of residence are accepted, including a short-term stay visa. That suits a business trip of several weeks or a long first visit before a job starts. You can view rooms online, sign online and apply from India, and the earliest move-in is 7 days after applying.

Start-up costs compared with a typical rental

The initial fee is the only one-time payment at move-in, but it is not your total. Rent and the guarantee company charges below are paid in addition. Some campaigns have a minimum stay, so ask for a written estimate: it lists every cost from move-in to move-out before you sign. See our fees page for current details.

Ask about a share house or furnished apartment

Guarantor and guarantee company

• No personal joint guarantor is needed.
• Individual contracts generally require joining a rent guarantee company. An initial guarantee fee and a monthly guarantee fee are charged separately, on top of the initial fee. The amounts are given in your estimate.
• If you pay everything from the initial costs through to the move-out costs in full at move-in, you do not need to join a guarantee company.

Employers can also sign a corporate contract with us to house their staff. XROSS HOUSE provides corporate housing to more than 650 companies, and our team answers in English. For your first weeks after landing, see our guides to the residence card and opening a bank account, and our jobs in Japan for Indians guide if you are still job hunting.

Talk to our English-speaking team about your move

Once your visa is sorted, your next question is where to live. If you are coming from India for work, study or a long stay and need a furnished room, XROSS HOUSE supports your search for a home, so please feel free to contact us.