In this guide3 sections
Japan raised visa fees worldwide on 1 July 2026, and the coverage that followed told Indian travellers to expect a fivefold increase. For an Indian passport the opposite is true: the Embassy of Japan in India charges ₹500.
What the Embassy publishes#
Under "VISA fee (from 1 July 2026)" the mission lists two schedules:
- For Indian Nationals — single or multiple visa: ₹500. Transit visa abolished. VFS service fee charged separately.
- For other nationals — single visa ₹8,650; multiple or double visa ₹17,350. Transit visa abolished. VFS service fee charged separately.
Same counter, same city, same week — a seventeen-fold difference by nationality. That is a bilateral arrangement, and it is the single most useful fact an Indian traveller can know about a Japan trip's paperwork budget.
What the ₹500 does not include#
The VFS service charge, which is levied on top and set by the agency, not the Embassy. Budget for it separately and check the current amount at submission — it is the part of the total that moves.
Everything else about the process is unusually light for a visa of this class: applications go through VFS with no prior appointment needed, and they are accepted from three months before the travel date.
The eVisa route#
Japan's eVisa has run in India since 1 April 2024. It removes the passport handover and the sticker, which is the slowest physical part of the process for applicants outside the big metros. The fee position is the same; what changes is the handling.
How long the decision itself takes, and what the peak seasons do to it, is in Japan visa processing time from India. The document set is in Japan visa for Indians, and if the answer comes back negative without explanation — which is Japan's practice — the mechanics are in Japan visa rejected with no reason.
Against the rest of the map, ₹500 makes Japan one of the cheapest consular visas an Indian passport can buy; the comparison is in visa fees for Indians in 2026.
VisaGyan is an independent journal, not affiliated with the Embassy of Japan or VFS Global. Fees checked against the Embassy of Japan in India, 22 August 2026.
Frequently asked questions
- How much is a Japan visa for Indian citizens in 2026?
- From 1 July 2026 the Embassy of Japan in India lists the fee for Indian nationals as ₹500 for a single or multiple visa. Transit visas were abolished. The VFS service fee is charged separately and is not part of that ₹500.
- Why do Indians pay so much less than other nationalities?
- The Embassy publishes two schedules side by side: ₹500 for Indian nationals, and ₹8,650 single or ₹17,350 multiple/double for other nationals applying in India. The difference reflects the bilateral arrangement between Japan and India, not a discount or an error.
- Did Japan''s worldwide fee increase affect Indians?
- Japan revised its visa fees globally on 1 July 2026, and MOFA's general schedule moved well above the old ¥3,000 single-entry level. Indian nationals were not moved onto that schedule — the ₹500 rate is what the Embassy in India publishes for them.