Indian corporates sending teams to Japan will soon have to rethink their timelines. In a notice confirmed by VFS Global and the Embassy of Japan, walk-in visa submissions at Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi and Puducherry will cease on 2 March 2026. Applicants—whether tourist, business, student or dependent—must instead secure an online appointment before visiting the Visa Application Centre. (economictimes.indiatimes.com)
The change follows a 25-per-cent jump in outbound traffic from South India to Japan in 2025. Consular officials say queues were spilling onto public pavements during peak seasons, creating both security and customer-experience headaches. Moving to an appointment-only model is expected to smooth footfall and give staff better capacity planning tools.
For programme managers the immediate impact is longer lead times. Slots open only after personal and itinerary data are entered, and March-April—India’s annual school-holiday peak—already shows limited availability. The embassy is allowing applications up to three months before travel, so companies are being advised to lock in appointments as soon as trips are approved.
![Japan Scraps Walk-In Visa Submissions in South India From 2 March]()
One practical workaround is to leverage the concierge-style services offered by VisaHQ. Via its dedicated India site (https://www.visahq.com/india/) the platform can pre-screen paperwork, secure the earliest available appointment slots and provide live status updates, allowing travel coordinators to regain some of the time lost to the new queue system.
Fees remain unchanged for the current fiscal year (₹450 for single/multiple-entry, ₹50 for transit), but missed appointments will count as ‘no-shows’ and require a fresh booking. Travellers should also beware of touts charging “expedite” fees—officials stress that only the published visa fee and VFS service charge are payable. Japan’s e-Visa portal, launched in 2024, continues to be an alternative for eligible short-stay categories, but biometric capture still requires a centre visit.
In the medium term, mobility specialists expect other high-volume consulates—Mumbai and Kolkata are frequently over-subscribed—to adopt similar rules. HR teams are therefore updating travel policy templates to include mandatory ‘visa-appointment buffer days’ for Japan-bound staff.
The change follows a 25-per-cent jump in outbound traffic from South India to Japan in 2025. Consular officials say queues were spilling onto public pavements during peak seasons, creating both security and customer-experience headaches. Moving to an appointment-only model is expected to smooth footfall and give staff better capacity planning tools.
For programme managers the immediate impact is longer lead times. Slots open only after personal and itinerary data are entered, and March-April—India’s annual school-holiday peak—already shows limited availability. The embassy is allowing applications up to three months before travel, so companies are being advised to lock in appointments as soon as trips are approved.
One practical workaround is to leverage the concierge-style services offered by VisaHQ. Via its dedicated India site (https://www.visahq.com/india/) the platform can pre-screen paperwork, secure the earliest available appointment slots and provide live status updates, allowing travel coordinators to regain some of the time lost to the new queue system.
Fees remain unchanged for the current fiscal year (₹450 for single/multiple-entry, ₹50 for transit), but missed appointments will count as ‘no-shows’ and require a fresh booking. Travellers should also beware of touts charging “expedite” fees—officials stress that only the published visa fee and VFS service charge are payable. Japan’s e-Visa portal, launched in 2024, continues to be an alternative for eligible short-stay categories, but biometric capture still requires a centre visit.
In the medium term, mobility specialists expect other high-volume consulates—Mumbai and Kolkata are frequently over-subscribed—to adopt similar rules. HR teams are therefore updating travel policy templates to include mandatory ‘visa-appointment buffer days’ for Japan-bound staff.
