Indian travellers eyeing the cherry blossoms or business meetings in Tokyo will soon have to plan one extra step: an online booking before they can set foot in a visa centre. VFS Global has confirmed that, from 2 March 2026, its Japan Visa Application Centres in Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi and Puducherry will no longer accept walk-in submissions. Applicants must reserve a time slot through the VFS portal and arrive with a full set of paperwork. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
Why the shift? According to VFS and Japanese consular officials, demand from India has surged over the past three years, fuelled by additional direct flights, the yen’s slide against the rupee and a spike in corporate exchanges in electronics and clean-tech. Queues at the Chennai and Hyderabad centres regularly spilled onto the pavement during peak holiday seasons, prompting crowd-management concerns and pressure from local authorities. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
The new regime mirrors changes adopted by several Schengen states and, more recently, France, reflecting a broader move toward digital front-ends that triage applicants before they reach the counter. Travellers who turn up without an appointment will be turned away, a rule that could upend last-minute itineraries built around conferences or factory inspections. Business travel managers are already warning employees to factor in an extra one to two weeks to secure a slot, especially in March–April when cherry-blossom tourism overlaps with India’s financial-year-end travel rush. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
![Japan Ends Walk-In Visa Submissions in South India, Mandatory Online Appointments From 2 March]()
If navigating appointment portals sounds daunting, VisaHQ can shoulder much of the legwork. Through its India page (https://www.visahq.com/india/), the service lets travellers review tailored document checklists, estimate processing times and even book visa-centre slots on their behalf—handy for anyone juggling multiple deadlines or coordinating group trips.
Practically, the biggest win for applicants is transparency: the appointment calendar shows real-time slot availability, allowing users to compare centres and reschedule online. But there is a learning curve. The system times out after 30 minutes of inactivity, and incomplete document sets will trigger rescheduling—costing another few days. VFS advises applicants to upload scanned copies of passports, return air tickets, bank statements and a detailed day-by-day itinerary before arrival. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
For companies, the takeaway is clear: build the visa appointment into travel policy and budgeting. Recruiters sending engineers to Japanese client sites should initiate the booking as soon as an assignment letter is issued, while tour operators need to lock in slots before advertising fixed-date packages. Expect appointment scarcity in late June (school vacations) and late November (autumn foliage season). The upside is shorter queues, more predictable processing and, authorities hope, a smoother first impression for Indians heading to Japan. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
Why the shift? According to VFS and Japanese consular officials, demand from India has surged over the past three years, fuelled by additional direct flights, the yen’s slide against the rupee and a spike in corporate exchanges in electronics and clean-tech. Queues at the Chennai and Hyderabad centres regularly spilled onto the pavement during peak holiday seasons, prompting crowd-management concerns and pressure from local authorities. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
The new regime mirrors changes adopted by several Schengen states and, more recently, France, reflecting a broader move toward digital front-ends that triage applicants before they reach the counter. Travellers who turn up without an appointment will be turned away, a rule that could upend last-minute itineraries built around conferences or factory inspections. Business travel managers are already warning employees to factor in an extra one to two weeks to secure a slot, especially in March–April when cherry-blossom tourism overlaps with India’s financial-year-end travel rush. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
If navigating appointment portals sounds daunting, VisaHQ can shoulder much of the legwork. Through its India page (https://www.visahq.com/india/), the service lets travellers review tailored document checklists, estimate processing times and even book visa-centre slots on their behalf—handy for anyone juggling multiple deadlines or coordinating group trips.
Practically, the biggest win for applicants is transparency: the appointment calendar shows real-time slot availability, allowing users to compare centres and reschedule online. But there is a learning curve. The system times out after 30 minutes of inactivity, and incomplete document sets will trigger rescheduling—costing another few days. VFS advises applicants to upload scanned copies of passports, return air tickets, bank statements and a detailed day-by-day itinerary before arrival. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
For companies, the takeaway is clear: build the visa appointment into travel policy and budgeting. Recruiters sending engineers to Japanese client sites should initiate the booking as soon as an assignment letter is issued, while tour operators need to lock in slots before advertising fixed-date packages. Expect appointment scarcity in late June (school vacations) and late November (autumn foliage season). The upside is shorter queues, more predictable processing and, authorities hope, a smoother first impression for Indians heading to Japan. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
