Japan visa fees for Indian students come to ₹500 at the counter, while a non-Indian applicant in India now pays ₹8,650 for the same single-entry visa. The visa itself is the cheapest line in your Japan budget.
The costs that grow are the ones charged later, once you hold a residence card. Japan’s Immigration Services Agency raised those on 1 October 2026. Every figure below was checked on 12 October 2026 against the Embassy, consulate, MOFA and ISA pages linked in each section.
Table of contents
- ₹500 against ₹8,650: Japan visa fees for Indian nationals compared
- What the ₹500 leaves out
- The in-Japan fee table that changed on 1 October 2026
- Re-entry permits and the cost of a trip home
- The 2017 relaxation applies to tourist visas
- Japan visa fees for Indian students: one planning table
- Japan visa fees for Indian students: quick questions
- Your October to-do list
₹500 against ₹8,650: Japan visa fees for Indian nationals compared
Japan revised its general consular fees from 1 July 2026. MOFA’s visa fees page, dated 24 June 2026, sets the standard at about ¥15,000 for a single-entry visa and about ¥30,000 for multiple entry, and adds that amounts differ by nationality and purpose.
For Indian nationals in India, the rate stayed flat. The Consulate-General of Japan in Mumbai publishes both periods side by side:
| Applicant | 1 April to 30 June 2026 | 1 July 2026 to 31 March 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Indian national, single entry | ₹500 | ₹500 |
| Indian national, multiple entry | ₹500 | ₹500 |
| Other nationals, single entry | ₹1,750 | ₹8,650 |
| Other nationals, multiple entry | ₹3,450 | ₹17,350 |
Source: Consulate-General of Japan in Mumbai, visa information page, updated 29 April 2026. The Chennai page, updated 26 June 2026, shows the same July figures.
So the Japan visa fees for Indian applicants sit far below the new standard, and the gap for everyone else widened about fivefold in July. If a classmate holds a Nepali, Bangladeshi or other passport and applies from India, the ₹8,650 line applies to them.
The published ₹500 table runs to 31 March 2027. Your visa application for October 2027 entry falls in the next fee year, so check the mission page again before you file.
What the ₹500 leaves out
The ₹500 is the consular part of Japan visa fees for Indian applicants, and nothing more. Five extras sit around it, and none of them shows up in a “visa costs ₹500” headline.
- The VFS service fee. Every mission page says a VFS fee applies on top of the visa fee. None publishes the amount. Read it on the VFS Global Japan India site on the day you book.
- The extension fee in Japan. If your first period of stay is shorter than your course, you will need an extension, and that now costs far more than it did in September.
- The settlement fee. Online applications to the ISA add a small payment fee on each filing.
- The re-entry permit. A trip home during the course can carry a fee of its own.
- Extending a re-entry permit from India. The Mumbai consulate charges ₹1,750 to extend a re-entry permit’s validity.
Payment itself has a catch. The Mumbai page states consular fees are payable in cash, so carry the exact sum.
The in-Japan fee table that changed on 1 October 2026
This is the biggest shift for a 2027 entrant. The ISA’s online application fee page sets new fees for applications received from 1 October 2026. Before that date, a change of status or an extension of period of stay cost ¥5,500.
| Period of stay granted | Fee | Settlement fee | Total online |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 months or less | ¥10,000 | ¥330 | ¥10,330 |
| Over 3 to 6 months | ¥15,000 | ¥330 | ¥15,330 |
| Over 6 months, under 1 year | ¥21,000 | ¥330 | ¥21,330 |
| 1 year | ¥27,000 | ¥330 | ¥27,330 |
| Over 1 year, under 3 years | ¥42,000 | ¥330 | ¥42,330 |
| 3 years, under 5 years | ¥56,000 | ¥550 | ¥56,550 |
Source: Immigration Services Agency, online application fees, for applications from 1 October 2026.
The fee depends on the length of stay you are granted, which you do not choose. Online fees are paid at a convenience store or by bank payment. The ISA page says credit cards and QR codes are not accepted. Counter applications still pay by revenue stamp.
For a two-year Master’s, the practical point is simple: if your first period of stay ends before graduation, set aside money for an extension at these new rates. Our Masters in Japan guide covers how the two years are structured.
Re-entry permits and the cost of a trip home
A visit home to India during your course needs the right permission to come back. Under the October 2026 table, a re-entry permit costs:
- Single re-entry: ¥3,500 plus ¥220 settlement, ¥3,720 online
- Multiple re-entry: ¥6,500 plus ¥220 settlement, ¥6,720 online
If you are already in India and the permit is running out, the Mumbai consulate lists ₹1,750 to extend its validity. Ask your university’s international office which option fits your travel before you book a flight home.
The 2017 relaxation applies to tourist visas
You may read that Indian students skip the financial proof for a Japan visa. That comes from a MOFA press release of 16 January 2017, still linked from the consulate pages.
The wording is narrow. From 1 February 2017, students, graduate students and graduates of the last three years from recognised Indian universities could apply for a single-entry short-term tourist visa with a student or graduation certificate in place of financial documents. It concerns a holiday visa.
A student visa runs on a different track. Your funding is examined when the ISA decides your Certificate of Eligibility. Our guide to Japan student visa proof of funds explains why no government body publishes a fixed amount for it, and our Certificate of Eligibility post covers the filing itself.
Japan visa fees for Indian students: one planning table
Put the Japan visa fees for Indian students next to the costs inside Japan and the shape becomes clear. The fee you pay in India is small. The fees that scale sit inside Japan.
| Cost | Where you pay | When | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visa fee, Indian national | VFS counter, India | With your application | ₹500 (to 31 March 2027) |
| VFS service fee | VFS counter, India | With your application | Check VFS site |
| Extension or change of status | ISA, Japan | Before your stay expires | ¥10,330 to ¥56,550 online |
| Re-entry permit | ISA, Japan | Before a trip home | ¥3,720 or ¥6,720 online |
| Re-entry permit extension | Consulate, India | While abroad | ₹1,750 |
All yen figures are shown in yen because they are paid in Japan, at whatever rate applies on the day. The full step order, from COE to landing, is in our Japan visa requirements checklist.
Japan visa fees for Indian students: quick questions
Is there a separate student rate in Japan visa fees for Indian applicants?
The Mumbai and Chennai tables set one amount by nationality and entry type. Indian nationals pay ₹500 for a single or multiple entry visa, with no separate student line.
Do Japan visa fees for Indian nationals include the VFS charge?
They exclude it. Each mission page lists the VFS service fee as an addition and leaves the amount to VFS.
Will Japan visa fees for Indian students change in April 2027?
The current table ends on 31 March 2027. As of 12 October 2026 the missions had not published the next one, so check again before you file.
How do I pay Japan visa fees for Indian applicants?
The Mumbai consulate page states consular fees are payable in cash. Confirm the method for the service fee with your VFS centre.
Your October to-do list
Three things to do this month so Japan visa fees for Indian students hold no surprises: note that the published ₹500 table runs to 31 March 2027, open the VFS site to read the current service fee, and add one extension and one re-entry permit at the new ISA rates to your two-year budget.
If you want a second pair of eyes on that budget, Sachin Gupta reads each one himself. He has made nine trips to Japan since 2023. Separately, he has led counselling at Top Uni Admit for fifteen years.
Book a 30-minute budget check and bring your intake month.
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.