Japan visa requirements for an Indian student come in two files. The first is the Certificate of Eligibility (COE) application, which your Japanese university files with the Immigration Services Agency (ISA) in Japan. The second is the visa application you hand in at VFS Global in India once the COE has been issued.
Each file has its own list, its own office and its own clock. This checklist takes both in the order you will meet them, with what each item is for and where the rule is published.
Table of contents
- The Japan visa requirements checklist, in filing order
- What your university files for the COE
- What VFS checks at the counter
- Funding papers and what the ISA asks for
- Which office covers your state
- Japan visa requirements: what students ask
- Before you call us
The Japan visa requirements checklist, in filing order
| # | Item | Stage | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | COE application form, one copy | COE | The ISA’s record of your planned activity |
| 2 | Photo, 4 cm high by 3 cm wide, taken within 6 months | COE | Printed on the COE itself |
| 3 | Statement of expenses (経費支弁書) and scholarship proof if any | COE | Shows who pays tuition and living costs |
| 4 | Confirmation forms prepared by the university | COE | Confirms admission and attendance management |
| 5 | Valid passport with more than two blank pages, plus old passports | Visa | Carries the visa sticker |
| 6 | Photocopy of the passport bio data page, first and last page, A4 | Visa | Identity record for the file |
| 7 | Visa application form, completed and signed | Visa | Your formal request to the Embassy |
| 8 | One photo, passport size, white background, within 6 months | Visa | Attached to the form |
| 9 | COE as original, copy or e-COE email printout | Visa | Proof the ISA has cleared your activity |
Items 1 to 4 come from the ISA’s Student status of residence page and its photo rules. Items 5 to 9 come from VFS Global’s long-term visa list for Delhi, checked on 8 October 2026.
What your university files for the COE
The COE stage is where most Japan visa requirements sit, and you rarely file it yourself. The ISA’s COE procedure page says the application can be made by the applicant or by staff of the receiving institution. It carries no fee, takes a standard one to three months, and is not accepted by post.
The confirmation forms changed in 2026
The ISA states that the older confirmation forms may still be used only for students entering by September 2026. For an October 2027 start, your university has to use the latest forms. You do not prepare these. The ISA says they must be produced by the school you will attend.
The photo is stricter than a passport photo
The ISA asks for a photo 4 cm high and 3 cm wide, taken within six months, with no background pattern or shadow. Of all the Japan visa requirements, this one is the easiest to settle early. Check yours against that spec before you send anything to your university, because a correction after filing costs days.
Our post on the certificate of eligibility in Japan explains what the COE certifies and why the visa cannot start without it.
What VFS checks at the counter
On the visa side, Japan visa requirements are short. The Embassy of Japan in India tells applicants to submit through VFS, with no prior appointment needed. VFS Global’s long-term visa list for applicants holding a COE asks for the passport, bio page photocopies, the signed form, one recent photo and the COE.
The VFS list accepts the COE as an original, a copy or a printout of the e-COE email. The ISA has issued COEs by email since 17 March 2023, so if yours arrives that way, the printout is what you hand over. Take the email on your phone as well, because you show it again on landing.
Download the form from the MOFA visa page, updated 24 June 2026. Fill it in English, sign it, and match every spelling to your passport.
The visa fee for Indian nationals is INR 500 from 1 July 2026, according to the Embassy’s visa page, and VFS adds a service fee. Since 20 April 2026 the Consulate-General in Mumbai has stopped taking applications directly, so Mumbai applicants also use VFS.
For how long each of these Japan visa requirements takes to clear, see our Japan student visa stages walkthrough.
Funding papers and what the ISA asks for
Funding draws the most questions from families. The ISA asks for a statement of expenses showing who will pay, plus proof of any scholarship. Its sponsor form leaves the amounts blank, and the ministerial ordinance asks only for “sufficient” means. No Japanese government body publishes a fixed figure, which makes funding the one area of Japan visa requirements with no amount attached.
That shifts the question from “how much” to “how clearly”. The statement has to match the bank documents behind it, and the ISA’s notes for student applications warn that it may ask for documents beyond its list during review. Our Japan student visa proof of funds post covers how those papers are usually put together.
One detail on the VFS list surprises families. Sponsor income tax returns or six months of bank statements appear as an optional item for language-school students only. For university applicants, funding is examined at the COE stage. Our Japan language school rules post covers that separate route.
Which office covers your state
Your file under these Japan visa requirements goes to the office for the state you live in. The Embassy’s contact page sets the split:
- Embassy, New Delhi: Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and the North-East
- Mumbai: Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu
- Chennai: Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Puducherry
- Kolkata: West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha
- Bengaluru: Karnataka
VFS Delhi also lists drop-off offices in Gurugram, Chandigarh and Lucknow.
Japan visa requirements: what students ask
Do Japan visa requirements include a bank balance for university students?
The VFS list for university applicants asks for no bank statement. Funding is examined at the COE stage through the statement of expenses.
Is there a minimum passport validity?
No minimum period is published. VFS asks for a valid passport with more than two blank pages, so renew early if yours is close to full.
Can I print the e-COE?
Yes. VFS accepts a printout of the e-COE email.
Do Japan visa requirements change by university?
The visa list stays the same. The COE file can vary, because each university prepares its own confirmation forms and sets its own document deadline.
Before you call us
The question a call settles fastest is this one: does my family’s funding paperwork tell one clear story from sponsor to bank statement? That is worth settling before your university’s COE deadline, because it is the part of Japan visa requirements that takes longest to fix.
Sachin Gupta takes every Japan student conversation himself. Through WebMob he works inside Japan’s technology sector.
He has also led counselling at Top Uni Admit for fifteen years.
Book a call with Sachin to check your COE and VFS file against this list. The wider plan sits in our study in Japan guide.
Sachin Gupta founded Top Uni Admit and runs its Japan desk. He handles every student conversation and every institutional contact for Japan personally. Top Uni Admit has advised Indian students on overseas study for fifteen years across Australia, Canada, the UK, the USA, Germany and France.