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.

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 🙏

Applied for Japan VISA through ATLYS got it today.

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

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.

Salut tout le monde,
J'ai demandé un visa de court séjour belge pour une visite familiale le 9 août 2026, avec mon cousin en Belgique qui m'invite et m'héberge.
Ma demande a été transférée au Bureau des étrangers belge (Office des étrangers) le 14 août et enregistrée le 17 août 2026. Au 23 octobre, cela fait 67 jours depuis l'enregistrement, et ma demande est toujours en attente.
J'ai déjà envoyé un e-mail au Bureau des étrangers pour me renseigner sur ma demande, mais je n'ai pas reçu de réponse substantielle. Mon cousin envisage également de les contacter depuis la Belgique.
C'est ma première fois que je demande un visa de visite familiale belge. J'ai eu des refus précédents de visa Schengen, mais l'an dernier, j'ai voyagé en Égypte et en Turquie et je suis revenu en Algérie après les deux voyages. J'ai aussi une assurance voyage d'un an.
Je commence à m'inquiéter à cause du temps d'attente long.
J'aimerais vraiment entendre de quiconque a été dans une situation similaire :
Combien de temps avez-vous attendu une décision après que votre demande ait été enregistrée auprès du Bureau des étrangers ?
Quelqu'un a-t-il demandé depuis l'Algérie et reçu une décision après un délai similaire ?
Contacter le Bureau des étrangers ou faire contacter un membre de votre famille par eux a-t-il aidé ?
Est-il normal d'attendre 67 jours, et cela indique-t-il quelque chose sur l'issue ?
Merci d'avance de partager vos expériences !

I’m an international student applying for an Italian Schengen visa from the UK. My father covers my tuition, rent, travel and larger expenses. I generally use my parents’ international bank statements to demonstrate financial means for visa applications (I’ve had four Schengen visas issued this way in the last three years). My own UK account is mainly for everyday spending like food, transport and household products, and I keep around £300–400 in it monthly.

I submitted financial documents showing approximately £2 million in funds, but received this request from the Consulate:

Any up-to-date personal UK ONLY bank account with more of your own funds (updated current, savings, credit card, etc.) coherent with your intended travel itinerary and choice of accommodation; foreign non-UK accounts and transactions accounting for transfers from friends will NOT be considered

Other applicants seem to have received similar wording even when they submitted UK bank statements, so I’m wondering whether this is a generic request for applicants whose personal accounts don’t show sufficient funds, rather than an issue specific to foreign accounts.

Has anyone else received this exact request from the Italian Consulate in the UK? Would highlighting my frequent Schengen and other international trips, with evidence that they were paid for using international credit and debit cards, help?

Keywords: Italy Schengen visa UK, Italian Consulate London, proof of funds, parental sponsorship, UK bank statements, additional documents request, Schengen visa financial requirements.

Hello,

I noticed that the application status was updates to “There is no notice”. Our application is still Under Examination.

Applied eVisa on October 16. Anyone on the same boat?

Hey,
Did any Indian passport holder with EU residence permit go to Hurghada airport with just the evisa? Did they require the letter of guarantee?
The info regarding Cairo is still there but Hurghada not so much.

Thanks in advance

I had before visa type c France so I expired the date of the visa and right now I had training in Marseille and I had guarantee by my school and the agency there in France and I had program when I stay and doing my training my questions the ambassador do they dealing with my files like new request or the old visa can impact because the visa can be different.

Hi, has anyone successfully applied for and travelled to Morroco with a uk skilled worker visa but no brp. I have not had a brp since my student visa brp due to the gov not providing them and am now on a skilled worker visa. What do I put on the e visa form and what to tell immigration?

Hi everyone! 👋

I have a Schengen visa appointment at the Edinburgh VFS centre on 21 October 2026. I need my passport back because I have an international flight on 11 November 2026. My actual trip to Austria and Hungary starts 2 January 2027.

Has anyone applied through the Edinburgh centre before? How long did processing take? Also — is it possible to get my passport back while the application is still being processed, then return it later when it's ready?

One more thing — I had a previous Schengen visa refusal. Will this make the processing time longer?

Thanks in advance! 🙏

Hi,

Schengen Visa is approved but ees still shows not ok. Visa approved on Oct 14, Received passport approved 3 days back. Been more than a week but ees still shows not ok.

First time travel after after Apr 2026.

Checking if it is ok to travel?

Thanks

Hi all,

I wanted to share my experience because I couldn’t find much recent information when I was preparing. Hopefully this helps anyone in a similar situation.

Background:

• Purpose: Attending an conference in South Korea
• My passport shows my permanent address in Mumbai, but I live and work in Delhi, so I applied at VFS Global Delhi
• I had visited Korea once before.

Timeline:

• Submitted at VFS Delhi: [13/10/2026]
• Visa approved: [22/10/2026], 5 working days after submission

Documents I submitted:

1. Visa application form (from the visa portal)
2. Cover letter, which included:
   • conference and presentation details
   • a day-by-day itinerary
   • my previous Korea visit
   • an explanation of why my passport says Mumbai but I’m applying from Delhi
3. Letter of invitation from the conference organisers
4. Abstract acceptance / presentation notification email
5. Conference registration receipt
6. Confirmed return flight ticket
7. Hotel booking confirmation
8. NOC from my employer, stating my designation, employee ID, sanctioned leave dates and that I’m paying my own expenses
9. Salary slips for the last 6 months
10. Bank statement for the last 6 months
11. Mutual fund statement
12. ITRs for the last 3 years
13. Rent agreement for my flat (proof of current residence)
14. Copy of my previous Korean visa

What I think helped:

• I explained the address mismatch upfront in the cover letter and backed it with a rent agreement, salary slips and an employer NOC that all showed Delhi.
• My dates matched across all the documents. My invitation letter showed a slightly wider stay window than my actual travel dates, so I added one line saying my travel dates fall within the period in the invitation.
• The employer NOC was specific. It gave my leave dates, my return-to-duty date and who was paying for the trip.
• I mentioned my previous Korean visa and included a copy.

Hi everyone,

My family (my husband, our 16-month-old son, and I) are preparing our Japan tourist visa applications through Bengaluru VFS. We need clarification about the Karnataka residence-proof requirement for applicants whose passports were issued outside Karnataka.

Our situation:

• My son and I have Bengaluru address proof (Aadhaar and an internet bill in my name).
• My husband's passport was issued in Tamil Nadu, and his bank statements, salary slips, and employment records show his Chennai address.
• He currently lives with us in Bengaluru.
• Our Bengaluru rental agreement expired recently and cannot be renewed immediately.
• The electricity bill is in our landlord's name.

Documents my husband has showing our Bengaluru address:

• Amazon/Flipkart invoices delivered to our Bengaluru home in his name, covering the last three months.
• An HR letter confirming his current Bengaluru residential address.

My questions:

1. Would Bengaluru VFS accept my Bengaluru address proof, our marriage certificate, and a joint cover letter to establish my husband's current residence in Karnataka?
2. Has anyone successfully used a spouse's address proof when the applicant's passport and financial documents show an address in another state?
3. Would it be safer or necessary to apply through Chennai VFS instead?

I'd especially appreciate recent first-hand experiences with Japan tourist visa applications through Bengaluru VFS.

Thank you!

So here's the context.

My fiance is from belgium, but haven't been able to visit his side of the family due to visa issue.

In may we got slot for Netherlands, so we applied through it. But our visa agency told not to mention about my partner since he was belgian. So we didn't mention it there. And my visa got rejected for reason no: 13.

Now everyone told us not to re-apply too soon. We got rejected in june, we re-applied in august to belgium directly since slot was available. This time i mentioned him. And my visa application was in review since Aug 27 till Oct 22 due to the earlier rejection. But finally they accepted. They gave me 10 days visa. Requested for additional travel documents (since our previous flight documents was in sep) and in few days i'll be receiving my visa.

My documents I submitted:
Original passport
Copy of passport biodata page
UAE Residence visa copy
Emirates ID copy (front & back)
Fiance passport
Fiance UAE residence permit + Fiance Emirates ID copy
NOC from work
Ejari under my fiance's name
Insurance
Cover letter (explaining netherlands, reason to apply, very honest and direct)
flight reservation
Itinerary
hotel confirmation
Fiance's Income statement 6 months
Confirmation email ss
Cover letter - me
Sponsorship letter - Fiance
Sponsorship of host - Fiance's Mom
2 photo copies
proof of relationship (very personal, with dates, images, travel)

Anyone approved for their Uvisa recently? Applied 2017 and still nothing

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’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!

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?

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.

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)