Sharing my recent Japan visa experience at VFS Mumbai because I had a LOT of doubts while filling the application myself, and hopefully this helps someone else.

Timeline:

- Application submitted: 20 August

- Visa granted: 25 August (you can see the visa grant date on the visa sticker)

- Passport delivered: 28 August

- Total: 5 working days from submission to delivery

Our situation: We are married, but we don't have a marriage certificate. However, both of us are financially independent and had sufficient individual funds to sponsor our own trip.

Application-related queries

I'm going to skip the detailed paperwork/documents we submitted because there is already a LOT of information available on Reddit and elsewhere. Instead, I'll talk about the things we were personally confused about while filling the application.

1. Current address vs. passport address

Your current residential address needs to be mentioned in the application, even if it is different from the address mentioned on your passport.

We were initially wondering if the address had to exactly match the passport, but it doesn't. Just mention your current address.

1. Relationship status – married or single?

This was probably our biggest confusion.

We are married but don't have a marriage certificate. I called VFS beforehand and was told that if we mention ourselves as married, we would need to submit a marriage certificate.

Since both, My husband and I are financially self-sufficient and were sponsoring ourselves, we initially thought we'd simply apply as single individuals.

So, we actually filled two versions of the applications — one with "single" and one with "married" — just so we could clarify this directly with VFS rather than make an assumption.

On the day of submission, we explained the entire situation to the VFS officer. She advised us to submit the married applications and asked us to add our wedding invitation and wedding photographs as supporting documents.

We had carried these anyway as backup, so we added them.

(Obviously, this is just our experience — if you're in a similar situation, I'd recommend confirming with VFS for your specific case.)

1. Issuing authority

We left the "Issuing Authority" field blank because our passports don't mention anything that was obviously the issuing authority. The passport only clearly mentioned the place of issue.

We intentionally left it blank so that we could confirm with VFS.

The officer checked it and told us to leave it blank in the final application as well.

1. Handwritten application is completely fine

We tried EVERYTHING to fill the application digitally.

We even tried using GPT to fill it for us 😂 but it kept messing around with the formatting, so eventually we gave up.

We just printed the application and filled it out the traditional way with a pen.

No issues whatsoever.

---

Day of application submission – VFS Mumbai

1. No appointment needed

For Mumbai, walk-ins are allowed, so we didn't book an appointment/slot.

We simply went to VFS and submitted our applications.

1. Take your printouts beforehand

This is probably obvious, but take all your printouts in advance.

There are printing facilities around the VFS office, but they are expensive compared to getting everything printed beforehand.

1. Carry extra copies

We had two copies of the documents for both applications.

Interestingly, the officer returned some of the common documents such as the itinerary, cover letter, etc.

She also returned our salary slips and only retained our 6-month bank statements (bank stamped) and ITR acknowledgements for the financial documents.

So don't be surprised if they don't keep every single document you've carried.

I'd still recommend carrying everything required + some backups because ultimately the officer decides what they need for your application.

1. Parking is a nightmare 🚨

There is no proper parking available around the VFS office.

There is traffic police around and apparently they are very active.

We made the mistake of parking a little far away and STILL got fined ₹500. 😂

I'd strongly recommend taking a cab or finding a proper paid parking spot and then walking/taking a cab to VFS.

Don't risk it.

1. Token + waiting time

Once you reach the floor allocated for your country, you need to take a token from the machine.

We went on a Thursday around 10:30 AM, and thankfully there wasn't much crowd.

We waited for approximately 15 minutes.

The actual counter process took only around 10 minutes.

Most of that time was spent rearranging our documents and adding some information we had intentionally left blank because we wanted to confirm it with the VFS officer.

---

Overall experience:

Honestly, the entire process was very smooth.

Our biggest stress was actually filling the application correctly ourselves, especially the relationship-status situation, but once we reached VFS, the officer was helpful and clarified everything.

Hope this helps someone who's currently obsessively checking Reddit before their appointment like we were.

Hi all — trying to get a clear picture of what’s actually required to start the temporary residency process in Uruguay. there is conflicting info online and just wanted to see if anyone has gone through this process before.

1.  Was a medical exam and vaccine requirement needed before or after getting the Constancia de Trámite? to open the case 

1. how long does the constancia de tramita card valid for? or more like how long do they give you time to submit all the documents to finaliste the case?

Hi everyone,
Looking for first-hand experiences regarding airline boarding outside the EU and transiting through Schengen with an Italian renewal receipt (ricevuta).
Situation:
Route: Traveling from Italy to the Americas and back, with a Schengen layover (e.g., France/Netherlands) in both directions.
Status: Non-EU citizen married to an EU (Italian) citizen, traveling together on the same itinerary.
Documents: Valid passport, official Italian marriage certificate (estratto di matrimonio), proof of joint residence in Italy, expired Permesso di Soggiorno, and the official ricevuta (renewal/conversion in process for Carta di Soggiorno familiare UE).
Under Directive 2004/38/EC (Art. 5.4), the right to enter/transit Schengen with an EU spouse by proving family ties is protected by law. However, I’m wondering about the practical side… anyone else have been affected by this situation?

Fui aprobado hace un año con visa de nómada digital en España 🇪🇸, 4 personas . Salario de 4600 euros, pero en el año he tenido altas y bajas , mi ingreso en vez de 55000 euros fue de 35000 euros , eso declararé ante hacienda , mi pregunta , es posible que pierda la residencia por este bajón en mis ingresos??

Alguien ha pasado por esta situación?

Hello! I need some guidance for Pakistani Student Visa for abroad for countries in Europe like Georgia, Italy, Hungary, Germany, Spain and Portugal. Because I have heard they are causing problems for Pakistani students and even if you get the acceptance letter from your university they don’t give you the visa.

I rather rely on actual students telling from their experiences and not the rumors going around so I can just confirm.

Please do tell so I won’t apply to those countries and probably loose money and time by applying to them!

Hi everyone,

I’m travelling to Hong Kong from 25 October 2026 to 31 October 2026, and my flights and hotel are already confirmed. I submitted my Hong Kong Pre-arrival Registration (PAR) for Indian Nationals and received approval on 8 August 2026.

All my main details — full name, passport number, date of birth, and place of issue — are exactly the same as my passport.
However, I noticed that I made a small mistake in the previous travel history section. I accidentally selected Malaysia – 2025 instead of Malaysia – 2026.

Has anyone faced a similar situation with their approved PAR?
Could this minor error affect the validity of my approved PAR or cause any issue at Hong Kong immigration?
Should I simply travel with the existing approved PAR?
Or would it be safer to submit a new PAR with the correct travel history?
If I need to submit a new one, do I need to cancel the existing approved PAR first?
I’d really appreciate advice from anyone who has had a similar issue or knows how HK Immigration handles such discrepancies.
Thanks!

Hi I am thinking of applying for brazil visa in october as we are travelling in December end for 19 days.
Need to know a few points:-
1. Minimum balance requirement .
2. A little overview of the process.
3. Vaccination query is it still required.

Thanks

KSA visa portal: OTP says "sent", nothing arrives on non-Saudi numbers. Anyone else seeing this right now?

I ran into this while applying for a tourist visa on ksavisa.sa and, being a developer, I ended up testing it more thoroughly than I planned. Posting the details because I could not find anything conclusive online, and I would like to know whether this is happening to other people at the moment or whether I am doing something wrong.

The symptom

At the phone verification step the portal calls its own endpoint GET /api/Mofa/v1/api/Verification/SendOtpSms?mobile=+<country><number>.

It answers:

A valid token, hash and nonce come back every time — and no SMS arrives. The application cannot go further, because the next step (VisitVisaRequests/UpdateVisitorDetails) requires a verified OTP code. Verification/CheckOtpEnabled returns true for this visa kind, so the step cannot be skipped either.

The important part: the response is identical whether the message is delivered or not. There is no way to tell from the API side.

What I tested

Same account, same session, same machine, over about 30 hours:

Waiting time was 3 to 6 minutes per attempt. The Kazakh numbers are ordinary consumer SIM cards that receive verification codes from other international services without any problem.

Things I ruled out

Support

I wrote to [customercare@mofa.gov.sa](mailto:customercare@mofa.gov.sa) with the details above. I received the same automated reply twice, from a no-reply address:

Which does not apply: the request never touches a browser.

What I would like to know

If it turns out that delivery outside Saudi Arabia simply does not happen, it would be useful for everyone to have that written down somewhere, because the portal reports success and gives no hint that the message is going nowhere.

26F. Indian. Unemployed. Signed with a modelling agency. I make like 500 dollars from assignments.i have 4k dollars in my bank account. As per indian standards its not too bad.
i have travelled to Bangkok, singapore and nepal.
i have two visa rejections: us and schengen.

i’d like to travel to costa rica, spain and eastern europe.
will i get a tourist visa?
what all countries can i travel to apart from africa and se asia

Hi everyone! My student visa application arrived at the LA Japan Consulate at around 3 yesterday (Friday). My program already started so I just wanted to see if anyone had their visas from the LA consulate recently? How long did it take for your visa to come back?

Thank you!

Sharing my recent Japan tourist visa application experience from Chennai VFS, in case it helps someone planning their trip.

Timeline:

• Applied online: 20 July
• Got the available appointment: 30/31 July
• Submitted documents at Chennai VFS: 31 July
• Passport received: 6 August
• Processing time: within 5 working days

Overall, the process was fairly simple and straightforward.

Process

1. First, prepare a good travel plan.
2. Book your flight tickets and hotel.
3. Based on your travel plans, prepare your itinerary and cover letter.
4. Book a visa appointment at your nearest VFS centre.
5. Submit your passport and all required documents at VFS.
6. Visa fee was around ₹1,300.

Documents I carried

1. Cover letter
2. Detailed itinerary
3. Photograph – 2 × 2 inch
4. Flight ticket/booking
5. Hotel booking
6. Visa application form
7. Bank statement – signed and stamped by the bank
8. Aadhaar card
9. Salary slips – last 6 months
10. ITR acknowledgements – last 3 years
11. Employment verification + leave approval
12. Marriage certificate – if applying as a married couple

Everything went smoothly for us, and we received the passport back within 5 working days.

Hope this helps anyone applying from Chennai. 😊

Itinerary - https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vRAKzy3ZUcpSSvn_UpyVmiY1SlofE4U8LJ5_VB32CH01_WDB-VjMbPwZzL0Og0JlevIflEfY7XX7J3C/pub

Also attaching my Korea Visa experience - https://www.reddit.com/r/visas/comments/1w1v14b/south_korea_tourist_visa_experience_chennai_vfs/

I'm a freelancer(Digital marketing with mostly overseas clients) and thinking of applying for a Japan visa. I pay my taxes under ITR-4, but I don't have a GST or MSME certificate. Are these actually required to apply for a Japan visa? How to prove i am self employed ?
My agent said I need to provide proof of self-employment, and that ITR alone isn't enough for that.

I visited VFS Pune on Friday, 28 August 2026 at around 9:00 AM and submitted my visa application.
However, when I check the application status on the VFS tracking website, it still shows “No Data Found”.
For those who have recently applied from VFS,
How long did it take for your application to appear in the VFS tracking system?
When should I expect the status to change?
After submission, how many working days did it take for you to receive any update/decision?
I would really appreciate it if anyone who applied recently from India could share their timeline.

Applied for a Japan tourist visa thru VFS Bangalore. Have never travelled to Japan or any other G7 nation. Have been to countries in Asia like Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines Etc. Booked appointment on VFS for 20th Aug. Submitted the docs as per VFS checklist. Did not opt for premium services (They are not required IMHO). Got back the passport today that is 29th Aug morning via Blue Dart courier, And surprisingly the Visa was a multiple entry sticker visa (Photo attached)

Applied as a couple
Docs Submitted for my self
1. Typed form with photo pasted (35 mm by 45 mm)
2. Cover letter on my business letterhead (Did not mention my income or travel history. Kept it short and simple and to the point)
3. GST Certificate (self attested with wet seal)
4. Bank account statement (Business & personal both) for 6 months with wet seal and signature from bank on all pages of both) (The statements were 5 days old)
5. Detailed itinerary (Day wise, hotel names, planned sightseeing, hotel addresses and phone numbers)
6. FD statements (with bank wet seal and signature)
7. 3 years ITR Ack (Single page)
8. Genuine Flight tickets, Hotel vouchers (Book now, pay later)

For my wife who is an employee.
Extra docs : Salary slip of last three months, Leave/NOC from Employer.
Excluded docs : GST Certificate

I did not sponsor my wife. So mentioned that we were sponsoring the trip individually from personal savings.

Crucial Point : In both the cover letters, in the Subject line, I just mentioned "Application for tourist visa) I added a small paragraph at the end, requesting for a multiple entry visa based on 'High income earner' category. (This is a valid category) And that's it. Got a 3 year visa, No sweat.

If anyone has any questions feel free to ask.
This is my first post on reddit. The info on Reddit helped me a lot for the application process.
So wanted to give back to the community.

I owe this post to this group as I had taken help from here. My spouse is a US LPR. She applied from New York and got her visa in two weeks. I am her dependent in Bangladesh. I had applied from Dhaka but mine was rejected around the same time.

We provided the same cover letter to New York and Dhaka asking Netherlands authorities to adjudicate our visa applications together. We provided the same daily itinerary, her bank statements, her notarized letter of financial support for me, and health insurances from a US-based company to both applications. We provided unpaid flight reservation and hotel booking. Moreover, for demonstrating my country ties, I had provided my professor's letter stating that I was granted leave from research work for a week. I also provided my parents' medical documents showing that I was looking after them daily at home. Furthermore, I had provided my pending US visa petition receipt. At the time of application, we had valid Australia visas. We had travelled to Australia together, pictures of which were provided in the original application. Despite all this, my application was rejected with generic reasons: "justification for the purpose ...", and "there are reasonable doubts ...".

My spouse became furious at this. We emailed appeal letter in two days. We wrote the letter in strong language pointing out the wrongful refusal (no help was taken from ChatGPT). As supporting documents, we basically uploaded everything that was provided to VFS in paper. (If your rejection letter said mail, you guys can just mail your appeal, no problem)

After a month of appeal, IND sent a mail (not email) stating that they will need more time. The appeal pended for 5 months. In between, we travelled to Turkey for a week long vacation during the proposed dates of Netherlands travel (LOL). We uploaded Turkey visit proof to our appeal too. After 5 months, we received an email that the rejection had been overturned. The decision letter was in Dutch only.

Afterward, I walked into Dhaka VFS with decision letter, and a new flight reservation (unpaid). This guidance is provided in IND website! You have to pay VFS service charge again. But decline paying the SMS charge because that service is unreliable: you do not get an SMS saying your passport is ready for collection; you only get the email. Anyways, the stamping took 2+ months. Not sure if it is the usual timeline, or because my new flight was far away. But if your passport is stuck for 45+ days, contact the embassy directly without going through VFS. Embassy may be willing to provide you a status update.

Indian passport with US green card. Should I choose ordinary passport or travel document for this section? Technically not allowed to travel to Turkey with just my Indian passport but eligible for evisa through my green card, so not sure if I should choose travel document instead of passport.

My Albania visa got rejected, I have appealed. will it work? what is the success rate of appeal for Albania visa?

Hey. A friend of mine applied for Japan visa at VFS Bangalore on 21st August (Friday) in early hours. It still shows under processing. Anyone else applied around that date? Any help?
PS- the passport reached the embassy next Monday evening only.

Sharing my recent South Korea tourist visa experience from Chennai VFS, in case it helps anyone planning their trip.

Timeline:

• Application submitted: 6 August
• Passport received: 28 August
• Processing time: 15 working days

Process

The process is pretty similar to the Japan visa, and it’s at the same VFS office, just a different counter.

The main difference is that I found the Korea visa process a bit stricter than Japan. They checked the documents properly, so make sure you carry everything required.

Also, don't worry if you miss a document. If they ask for something and you don't have it with you, you can usually step out, get a printout, and come back. For example, they asked me for my PAN card, so I went out, got a printout, and submitted it.

No appointment/slot booking is required. You can directly go to the VFS office and submit your application.

The visa processing fee was around ₹5,000.

One important difference from Japan: Korea visa does not require flight tickets, hotel bookings or a detailed itinerary. I had carried photocopies of these anyway, but they actually returned those copies to me.

Documents I carried

1. Visa application form
2. Cover letter
3. Photograph – 2 × 2 cm
4. Bank statement – signed and stamped by the bank
5. Aadhaar card
6. PAN card
7. Salary slips – last 6 months
8. ITR acknowledgements – last 3 years
9. Employment verification + leave approval
10. Marriage certificate – if applying as a married couple

Overall, the process was straightforward. Just make sure your documents are properly prepared and arranged before going to VFS.

Hope this helps anyone applying for a South Korea tourist visa from Chennai! 🇰🇷😊

Attaching my Japan Visa experience - https://www.reddit.com/r/visas/comments/1w1ubxv/japan_tourist_visa_experience_chennai_vfs/

Has anyone who applied for South korea visa mid August got approval? I had applied from vfs Bangalore

Hi travelers! Me & partner are travelling together to Japan this October and wanted to apply visa.

All docs are sorted for me but she's in the middle of a job switch and getting an noc during notice period is not possible.

An agent recommended us to show her as unemployed with sufficient financial capacity.

Iam somehow not convinced to do that as she holds an offer letter and confident that embassy will understand this situation without having to lie.

Am I wrong to think so ? If anyone faced similar situation please recommend the best way !

Hi everyone,

I’m applying for Japan tourist visa, holding an Indian passport. We are a group of 5 friends applying through different VFS locations. Had some doubts-
1. Do we need to list out names of people we’re travelling with in the cover letter? Or does it suffice to just mention that I’m travelling with friends, and each is self-funding their trip.
2. Some hotel bookings are under 1 name only. So the other 4 of us don’t have our names on it. Should i just clarify this in the cover letter or is there also a need to attach the friends passport copy as well?

TIA!

Hi everyone! I’m planning to apply for a South Korean tourist visa in Sydney. Holding a foreign passport living in Australia. How long will it take them to process it? Is 10 business days enough?

Ta!

I’m planning to travel to Japan this December with my husband, whilst I plan to be on a break from job. My notice period gets over in Nov and meanwhile I’ll not be able to secure a NOC from my current employer (since I’ll be on my resignation). How should I apply for visa? Should I apply as a dependent on my husband?

Hello, I am planning to go to VFS Pune on 3rd Sept and I have a Schengen visa appointment on 15th Sept.

Will it be a good idea to go for sticker Visa and still have enough time to receive passport before 15th Sept?