Japan visa guideThe Japan family visit visa is the short-term stay visa for visiting relatives, friends or acquaintances who live in Japan, for up to 90 days. Unlike a tourist file, it is built in three parts: your own documents, the inviter's invitation and proof of relationship, and the guarantor's Letter of Guarantee and income papers if your host pays.
Applicants from Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi lodge at VFS Global for the Embassy of Japan in New Delhi. The visa fee for Indians is INR 500 plus an INR 800 VFS service charge, and VFS asks for at least seven to ten working days between applying and travel.
Do Indians need a visa to visit family in Japan, and which one?
Yes. To see relatives, friends or acquaintances living in Japan, Indian passport holders apply for the short-term stay visa in the category "Visiting Relatives/Friends/Acquaintances". VFS describes it as allowing a stay of up to 90 days to visit family or friends, or for a holiday. For Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, the Embassy of Japan in New Delhi decides.
What makes it different from a tourist visa is the people behind it. A tourist file stands on your own documents. A family-visit file is built by up to three people: you in India, the inviter in Japan, and a guarantor who pays for the trip, who is often the same person as the inviter.
The inviter can be a Japanese national, such as your son-in-law's family, or a foreign national living in Japan with a residence card, such as a son working in Tokyo. The checklist asks for different papers in each case, and getting that part right decides most files.
Japan family visit visa at a glance
- CategoryShort-term stay, up to 90 days
- Visiting relatives, friends or acquaintances
- Decided byFor Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi
- Embassy of Japan, New Delhi
- Who prepares the file
- You, the inviter and the guarantor
- FeePlus INR 800 VFS service charge
- INR 500
- Where you lodge itGurugram and Lucknow also serve New Delhi
- VFS Chandigarh or New Delhi
- TimingApply within 90 days of entry
- At least 7 to 10 working days
VFS Global Japan India and Embassy of Japan New Delhi checklist, checked 14 Oct 2026
Where do applicants from Punjab apply?
At a VFS Global Japan centre that serves the New Delhi embassy. In VFS's jurisdiction list, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi all sit with the Embassy of Japan in New Delhi. For a family from Ludhiana, Patiala or Mohali, the nearest is the Chandigarh drop-off office at Elante Offices; the main New Delhi centre is at Shivaji Stadium Metro Station. Jalandhar's Japan centre was listed as temporarily closed on 14 October 2026.
The money side differs by centre. New Delhi takes cash or card in rupees. Chandigarh, Gurugram and Lucknow take demand drafts only, made out to "VFS Global Services Pvt. Ltd.", with a separate draft for each charge and each applicant. Submission tokens are issued only until 1 pm.
Because the inviter's papers come from Japan, build in posting time. Certificates such as the Jyuminhyo and the income certificate have to be obtained in Japan, so ask your relative to start as soon as dates are set. For dates at VFS, see our Japan appointment availability page.
Which documents depend on your situation?
The New Delhi checklist for visiting relatives, friends or acquaintances divides the file three ways.
From you: passport with more than two blank pages and old passports, a copy of the bio-data pages, the signed application form, one photo taken within 6 months, a covering letter if anything needs explaining, the flight or cruise schedule, and your latest ITR (or 6 months of bank statements if you have none). Students and dependants add consent from a parent or spouse with that person's latest ITR or 6 months of statements, and family travelling with you add proof of relationship.
From the inviter: an invitation letter, documents proving the relationship, an itinerary in Japan with hotel and contact details, and a list of applicants if several of you are travelling.
From the guarantor who pays: a Letter of Guarantee, more than one proof of income from the list below, and a certificate of residence (Jyuminhyo) showing the family relationship of all family members.
Visiting a Japanese relative
- What the inviter or guarantor must show
- Birth or marriage certificate, or the Japanese family register (Koseki tohon), to prove the relationship
Visiting a son, daughter or sibling who is a foreign resident in Japan
- What the inviter or guarantor must show
- Their passport copy, their residence card (front and back) and Jyuminhyo, plus your birth or marriage certificates
Visiting a friend or acquaintance
- What the inviter or guarantor must show
- Evidence of the friendship, such as photos, emails or chat records
The host pays for the trip
- What the inviter or guarantor must show
- Income proof: a certificate of income or taxation from the local office, or a tax payment certificate (Form 2) from the tax office; a stamped copy of the final tax return; a bank deposit balance certificate
You pay for the trip yourself
- What the inviter or guarantor must show
- Your own latest ITR or 6 months of bank statements carry the funding side
Two details trip up Indian families. The income certificate must show the gross income for the previous year. And the Statement of Tax Withholding (Gensenchoshuhyo) is not accepted as the guarantor's income proof.
How much is the Japan family visit visa fee for Indians?
The visa fee for Indian nationals is INR 500, under the New Delhi fee table in force from 1 July 2026, with the same amount for single and multiple entry. VFS charges INR 800 per application on top, and courier return of the passport is optional at INR 550. The visa fee comes back only if the Embassy does not approve the visa; the VFS charges do not. Our filing fee is shown at the top of this page.
How long does it take, and when should you apply?
Plan for a minimum of seven to ten working days between handing in the file and flying, which is the gap VFS asks applicants to keep for the New Delhi embassy. VFS adds that processing can increase or decrease at the Embassy's discretion when traveller numbers are high, and that applications can typically be made within 90 days before the date of entry.
For family visits, the real timeline starts earlier, with the inviter in Japan. Allow time for your relative to collect the residence certificate, income certificate and invitation, and to send them to India. The Embassy may also ask for an interview or more documents depending on your circumstances.
Why do Japan family visit visas get refused for Indian applicants?
The checklist does not list refusal reasons, and it reminds applicants that it is a guide and the Embassy may ask for an interview or more documents. Family-visit files most often fail because one of the three parts is weak.
A relationship the papers do not prove
The inviter must show how you are related: birth or marriage certificates, or the Koseki tohon for Japanese families. For friends, the checklist accepts photos, emails or chats. A file that only says "family friend" with no evidence leaves the Embassy guessing.
The wrong income proof from the guarantor
The guarantor needs more than one of the listed income documents, showing the previous year's gross income. A Gensenchoshuhyo salary statement is not accepted. Ask for the income or taxation certificate from the local administration, or the tax payment certificate (Form 2) from the tax office, instead.
The inviter's status in Japan is unclear
For a foreign resident host, the checklist wants the passport copy, both sides of the residence card and the Jyuminhyo. Missing the back of the card, or an expired card, is an easy way to lose weeks.
Filing a family visit as tourism
If you are staying with relatives, say so and file under the visiting-relatives category with the inviter's documents. The Kolkata consulate's checklist warns that hiding the real reason for travel can lead to rejection.
A thin applicant side
Even with a host who pays, you still provide your latest ITR or 6 months of statements, and dependants need consent and the earning family member's papers. Do not leave your part of the file to the host.
If an application is refused, compare the file with the checklist line by line before you apply again; our guide to visa reapplication after a refusal covers how to decide what has changed.
Tips for a stronger file
- One itinerary, two copies. The inviter's itinerary in Japan and your covering letter should give the same dates and the same address.
- Name the payer once. Say in the covering letter whether the host or you will pay, and make sure the guarantor's papers match that.
- Recent certificates. Ask your host for freshly issued Jyuminhyo and income certificates rather than old copies.
- Relationship chain. If you are visiting a grandchild, show each link: your child's birth certificate and the grandchild's.
- A4 copies, originals back. All photocopies go on A4; documents other than the passport are not returned.
- Group filing. If several relatives travel, the inviter's list of applicants should match every passport exactly.
Can a friend in Japan, not a relative, invite you?
Yes. The category is "relatives, friends or acquaintances", and the New Delhi checklist says that for visiting friends and acquaintances, the inviter proves the connection with photos, emails, chats and similar records instead of family certificates. The rest of the file is the same: an invitation letter, an itinerary, and the guarantor's letter and income papers if your friend is paying. If you are paying your own way and staying in a hotel, a tourist visa may be the simpler category; see the Japan tourist visa guide.
What if your spouse or parent works in Japan?
Then there are two routes, depending on how long you will stay. For a visit, use the visiting-relatives category described here, with your spouse or parent as inviter. VFS's New Delhi page also lists a separate multiple-entry category for the spouse or children of an individual who holds an employment visa in Japan, which suits families who visit several times a year.
To live with a family member in Japan for longer than 90 days, the route changes: a person or organisation in Japan obtains a Certificate of Eligibility, and you apply for a long-term visa with it. That is not a visit visa. For business trips, see the Japan business visa guide, and for all routes the Japan country page.
Official sources
- VFS Global Japan India: Embassy of Japan, New Delhi visa types, fees and processing
- VFS Global Japan India: visa information and jurisdictions
- VFS Global Japan India: visa application centres
- VFS Global Japan India: Chandigarh centre
- VFS Global Japan India: New Delhi centre
- VFS Global Japan India: what to bring
