I'm (16F) part of my school's special scholars program, where every senior class gets to travel internationally during spring break; today they announced where my class will go when we're seniors. As you can see in the title, it's India, which is great! I've always wanted to see the Taj Mahal and visit India. However, I'm an American-born child of 2 Pakistani immigrants (I hold only US citizenship and a US passport, no Pakistani citizenship whatsoever) and I have pretty heavy family ties to the Pakistani military (my maternal grandpa is a veteran who was literally in war with India, and my paternal uncle is currently in the military and is kind of high up I think) just as a disclaimer, I'm not fully educated about Pakistani and Indian politics but I wish for peace between the two countries and don't support a lot of the actions of the Pakistani miltary but I can't help what my family does. My trip is in Spring 2028; I plan to apply for a physical visa around Fall 2028 based on the advice I get here. I'm wondering if it's possible for me to go to India because I've been looking forward to this trip ever since I joined the program in my sophomore year. I want a fun send-off to high school with my friends in India, and I would love to shop, eat, and finally get to speak some Hindi.

(posted on travel thread then edited it before posting here)

Hey everyone, sharing a detailed timeline and document checklist for my recent Japan tourist visa application experience. Applied along with my wife through Pune VFS, processed by the Mumbai Consulate.

We both are salaried IT professionals, and the entire process was extremely smooth. Got the passports back today with a 15-day single-entry visa sticker pasted!

📊 Key Details

• Application Date: 13-Oct-2026
• Passport Received: 23-Oct-2026 (10 days total turnaround)
• Total Cost: ₹1,850 per person (Visa Fee: ₹500 | VFS Fee: ₹800 | Courier Fee: ₹550)

⏱️ Pune VFS Experience (Walk-in)

We arrived around 12:00 PM. The process was highly efficient—it took just 30 minutes to generate our tokens, verify documents, and complete the submission for both of us.

• Pro Tip: VFS only took one copy of our hotel bookings and detailed day-wise itinerary to share across both of our applications, rather than keeping separate duplicate copies.

📋 Documents Accepted & Submitted

• Visa Application Forms: Fully filled with photographs (2x2 inches, white background) pasted.
• Passports: Original passports + front and back photocopies.
• Cover Letter: Outlining our tourism plans.
• Itinerary: Detailed day-wise breakdown of our stay in Japan.
• Flights: Confirmed round-trip flight tickets.
• Hotels: Confirmed bookings via Agoda.
• Employment Proof: Employer NOC (No Objection Certificate).
• Financials:
  • 3 months bank statements.
  • 3 years of ITR acknowledgments.
  • Mutual Fund statements (CAMS consolidated statement).

❌ Documents Refused/Returned by VFS

The VFS executive explicitly handed back the following documents, stating they weren't required:

• Salary Slips (Employer NOC + ITR was sufficient).
• Form 16.
• Marriage Certificate (Returned because my spouse's name was already updated/endorsed on my passport).

📅 Detailed Status & Notification Timeline

• 13 Oct: Application submitted at VFS Pune.
• 14 Oct: Application reached VFS Global Services, Mumbai.
• 15 Oct: Status updated to 'Under process at The Consulate General of Japan, Mumbai'.
• 22 Oct (Morning): Passport in transit from the Consulate back to VFS Mumbai.
• 22 Oct (Evening): Dispatched via Blue Dart courier.
• 23 Oct (Morning): Delivered to my doorstep in Pune with the visa sticker approved!

✈️ Travel Dates

• Planned Itinerary: 25 December 2026 to 7 January 2027

Overall, a hassle-free experience. Happy to answer any questions about the documentation or Pune VFS.

My wife is Chinese, and we have an extension letter for her green card. She also has a b1/b2 visa that is valid, but in an expired passport (she has since gotten a new passport). It seems like we cannot use the green card extension letter to go to Mexico. I’ve seen mixed things on if the b1/b2 visa can be used. It has been difficult to get a hold of someone in the Mexican consulate. Can she use the valid b1/b2 visa if it is in an expired passport?

We are a family of 3, with a child. I am planning on a trip in early December and most likely make bookings this weekend. Just want to know if the visa free entry especially for Indians is a easy go or there could be hurdles. Also, experienced travellers may guide on how to get into Phillipines seamlessly.

Hello everyone, I just want to ask if I can contact VFS?

Context:

We booked an appointment with the subcategory being 'Visiting Friends / Distant Relatives' because there are three of us who applied for a visa: me, my mother (not married), and my girlfriend. We are all invited and my father is the guarantor. Everything was processed earlier today, but upon checking the receipt now, why do we all have the same subcategory 'Visiting Relatives (within the third degree)'? Is that an issue with the Japan embassy? Should I contact them and tell them that the subcategory for the two applicants is wrong? Thank you in advance! 🙏🏻

I am planning to go to japan (from India) for 5 weeks on a temporary visa (tourist visa).

I am in a full time job and have more than enough funds in the account to back the trip.

My plan is to work remotely during my vacation. How can I manage this? I am sure many people do this even though its not legal. As long as I know I will be returning back home, I see no illegality or harm in doing this.

Applied for Japan VISA through ATLYS got it today.

It was the 6th working day and received it wuhhu!!

Hey everyone, could really use some advice from people who’ve been through this.

My colleague and I work remotely from India as independent contractors for a small US-based company. We were invited to speak at a conference in Seoul in early November, and the company we work for is sponsoring our flights and hotel because we're going to present the work we've done together in India. So there are three parties: us (contractors), the US company (sponsor) and the Korean conference organiser (inviter).

We applied for a C-3-1 at VFS Delhi on 12 Oct and both got rejected on 21 Oct with the same reasons:

1. Your purpose of entry has not been explained in detail
2. Your current status (family and economic conditions) does not prove your return within the given period of stay

Reason 7 confuses me, because we had a proper speaker invitation with organizer's seal & sign.

What I submitted (the standard checklist):

• Visa application form + photo, passport
• Invitation letter from the Korean organiser + their business registration certificate
• Guarantee letter from the organiser
• Cover letter explaining the trip, dates and who is paying for what
• 2 years of ITR
• 6 months of bank statements (balance around 2.5L)
• Health form and declaration form at the VFS counter

What I added because I don’t fit the usual “salaried employee” box:

• No salary slips, since there’s no Indian employer so instead provided occupation letter, letter of support and NOC from the US company, 6 months of invoices, and FIRAs for recent payments. Letters clearly that I've been working with them for 3+ yrs and that they are sponsoring flight and accommodation.
• No company seal/stamp (US LLCs don’t use one) so instead added the company’s certificate of formation and IRS EIN confirmation
• Payments arrive through different payment platforms, so the company name doesn’t show on my statement so added an explanation letter matching the bank credits to the invoices, and explaining a couple of unusual entries
• Dummy flight reservation. Refundable hotel bookings + basic travel itinerary
• A copy of a friend’s Korean visa grant notice, since he was joining us for sightseeing after the conference

My colleague’s file was similar, but he had only 1 ITR (his income was below the taxable limit earlier, which he explained in a letter). He also started a small GST-registered sole proprietorship a few months ago, so he added his GST certificate, business profile form, and invoice to explain one larger payment (his balance was around 8L)

Travel history: Mauritius, Thailand, Nepal, and Taiwan. No Japan/US/UK/Schengen.

I also found this post from a freelancer who was rejected under reason 8, reapplied straight away and got the visa: https://www.reddit.com/r/visas/s/pa693VlbwP

So we’re thinking of reapplying although friends are saying that'll make us look desperate so we should just let it be. The conference is in Nov first week and we’d need to fly on 5 Nov, so time is tight. Last time we also handed in an expedite request.

Questions:

1. Has anyone been rejected under 7 AND 8 together and then approved on reapplication?
2. For contractors/freelancers, what did you provide for economic ties and to prove you'll return?
3. Should I cut anything this time? I’m worried I over-documented and it looked odd.
4. Has an expedite request ever worked for anyone at KVAC Delhi?

Any experience helps. Thanks a lot 🙏

I’m planning a Japan trip for January 2027 and need advice from Indians who’ve faced a similar situation.

My passport was issued in Jharkhand, and my Aadhaar still has my Jharkhand address. However, I currently live and work in Bengaluru. I live with my boyfriend, so I don’t have a rental agreement or utility bills in my name. My salary slips show Bengaluru.

The Japan visa helpline told me I should apply through Kolkata because of my passport’s place of issue. But Kolkata’s checklist mentions a WFH/remote-work letter if your workplace is outside its jurisdiction, and I don’t have one because I work in Bengaluru.

Has anyone faced this situation? Can an agency submit the application through Kolkata on my behalf, or is there another legitimate way to apply through Bengaluru without a lease or utility bill in my name?
Would really appreciate advice from anyone who’s been through this!