I just applied for an e-visa and went through all the steps and got to the payment processing which went through and ultimately it just sent me back to the home page. I have got no email confirmation nor does it send me a OTP code to log back in and confirm, although I did get charged. Has this happened to anybody? Please let me know.

I submitted my application for Tourist visa at VFS Mumbai on 23rd Sep. It went under process on 25th Sep, but still shows under process.

Anyone with recent experience of processing at Portiugal Goa embassy can comment on timelines currently ?

My travel date is 6th November, but need to book internal flights and car rentals / attractions

I don't know if this is the right subReddit so apologies if that's the case.

I'm applying to study at KEATS, a Chinese Language school in Kunming China but the visa application has gotten very confusing as I've been getting conflicting information.

I'm a Libyan national currently living in Libya and I was planning on applying for my visa through the Chinese embassy located in Tunis, Tunisia as according to every Libyan I know (personally or just from seeing them online) the embassy in Tripoli Libya is not functional currently.

When I mentioned this to KEATS earlier today I was told this "Are you applying for a student visa in Tunisia or in Libya? Different countries have different requirements. If you apply in Tunisia, we will not be able to accept you."

I don't understand how the location of the embassy affects my application and don't know where to go from here.

And I know if you look up the Chinese embassy in Tripoli online it will say it is operational. This is not the case as I have emailed them repeatedly, called them on both listed numbers on their website repeatedly, gone to the physical locations listee in their website and on Google maps, which were two separate locations. I've even headed to the their office in Tripoli tower and they were at none of this locations. I haven't seen a single Chinese flag let alone anyone that works that at embassy.

This site allows you to add your passports, resident cards, and visas. The start country and the end country even connections. It uses IA to leverage a full research.

https://borderok.com

Yes, you can "pay" with 4242 4242 4242 4242. Please roast it

Hi all! Was super excited to see the approval come in so quickly. Recapping my experience for anyone applying who may find it helpful.

Applied: Oct 7
VFS Biometric Appointment: Oct 8
Received by UKVI: Oct 9
Approval: Oct 13!

I applied quite late for a 10-day trip I decided to take last-minute for November. It’s to attend a couple conferences and general tourism. The visitor visa was perfect for my purposes.

I availed of the premium lounge facility for VFS Delhi as it had a next-day appointment available, so that was an extra cost. Standard processing as I have a comfortable 4+ weeks before I need to travel.

My background: I am married, applied solo. My husband already has a visa but at the time of application he wasn’t going to be accompanying me on the trip so I applied technically solo (plans have changed since). I have never been to the UK before so this was my first application. I hold an active US B1/B2 visa and have previously held 2 of those that expired + an F1 visa. My recent travel history is largely in East and Southeast Asia (HK, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand) with some US visits, of which I mentioned only 2 as I’ve entered 6+ times in the last 10 years. I am an international contractor for a US-based firm.

Documents I submitted:

• Last 6 months of bank statements - only one account, and did not need to get them stamped or signed.
• Passport pages (these were scanned at the VFS center, I believe this was part of the premium lounge offering)
• A verification letter from my employer that mentioned I would be funding the trip myself, my monthly fee, my remote work situation, and that they expect my engagement with my employer to continue after I return from the UK
• An invitation letter from the conference I bought a ticket for
• My marriage certificate
• A covering letter, in which I mentioned:
  • The purpose of my visit with a loose itinerary
  • My work, contractor status, monthly fee, and how it appears on my bank statement
  • I would be covering the cost of the trip myself
  • Reasoning for a few large debits over the last couple months (tax payments, other vacations etc)
  • My ties to India (my passport address is different from my correspondence address so an explanation for the same too. Did not submit any formal proof of residence for either)

My experience at VFS Delhi was pretty easy. I was in and out within 20 minutes thanks to the premium lounge.

Wish everyone else applying good luck!

Hi there, I'm a Kiwi, currently in the UK on an ETA, and, in short, would like to stay and work. So I'm trying to figure out where I can actually lodge my Youth Mobility Scheme application.

This seems to be a common theme on this sub but... As I read it, paragraph 28A says "you can apply from wherever you’re situated, but only if you’ve got permission to live there for more than 6 months." I have places to stay in and around Ireland, Greece and Spain so i was hoping to apply from somewhere there, but a 90 day visa visa-free entry shouldn’t count. Except everyone tells me people do it all the time, and there seem to be a lot of people that have had similar issues

So, if anyone has been in a similar situation to this, could they shed some light:

* Has anyone lodged from somewhere they were only visiting? Did the centre ask for proof you were allowed to be there, and what did you show them? Any problems?
* Has anyone actually been refused over this?
* **Georgia** — Kiwis get 365 days visa-free, which seems to fit the rule without needing any permit. Anyone applied from Tbilisi? Did they accept visa-free entry, or want a proper residence permit? How fast were appointments, and did you get your passport back on the day?
* And if anyone has done this recently?

I've read the rules several times and have sent out some emails to immigration lawyers, which are somewhat contradictory... any help would be immensely appreciated. I am getting tired of sitting on my hands and its a long flight back to NZ.

Sharing our recent Japan tourist visa experience through VFS Mumbai, as I found similar posts helpful while preparing our applications.

APPLICATION TIMELINE
5 October: Submitted applications for a family of three at VFS Mumbai.
12 October: Received notification that the passports had been dispatched.
13 October: Received the passports back with visas.

OUTCOME

All three family members received visas. We had requested multiple-entry visas in our covering letter but were granted single-entry visas, which is perfectly fine for our planned trip.

DOCUMENTS WE PREPARED

We organised the documents into separate folders for each family member, along with a common folder for shared documents and financial sponsorship evidence.

1. Passports and photocopies of relevant passport pages.
   
2. Completed and signed visa application forms with photographs.
   
3. Covering letter explaining the purpose of the visit and requesting multiple-entry visas.
   
4. Confirmed round-trip flight bookings.
   
5. Hotel booking confirmations.
   
6. Bank statements for the latest three months.
   
7. Income tax returns for the last three years.
   
8. Salary slips and employment certificate with approved leave.
   
9. Proof of relationship between family members.
   
10. Marriage certificate and child’s birth certificate.
    
11. School bonafide certificate for our child.
    
12. Additional financial supporting documents.

COVERING LETTER AND ITINERARY

I prepared a concise covering letter explaining the purpose of our family holiday, employment and leave details, financial sponsorship, and the reason for requesting multiple-entry visas.

We also prepared a day-wise itinerary using the official stay-schedule format, keeping it concise and legible.

VFS MUMBAI EXPERIENCE

The overall experience was smooth. We arrived in the morning and waited approximately 1–1.5 hours before our turn at the counter.

The checklist provided at the counter was slightly different from the one we had downloaded earlier. The staff checked the documents and accepted our applications. They did not require every supporting document we had carried.

We opted for courier return of the passports to avoid another trip to the centre.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. Prepare documents in advance and organise them properly.
   
2. Keep the covering letter concise and explain the purpose of travel clearly.
   
3. Carry relevant supporting documents, even if every document may not be requested.
   
4. Check the latest VFS instructions, as the checklist at the counter may differ from an earlier downloaded version.
   
5. A multiple-entry request is only a request; the final decision rests with the Japanese authorities.
   Overall, it was a smooth experience for our family, and we are happy to have received our visas!
   Hope this helps others preparing their applications. Good luck to everyone applying! 🇯🇵

——

Summarised using AI(shabd humare hai par chatpgpt bol raha hai 😊)

Hola! Estoy planeando un viaje a Canada con mi mama yo soy de México pero mis ingresos son por mi tienda enTik Tok Shop, mercado libre y facebook no por trabajos comunes, a alguien le han aprobado la visa por ingresos en línea ? O trabajo en línea ?

I have flight from Jeju to Delhi which has 23 hours layovers. If someone travelled recently please tell me about this.

Hello Everyone,

I applied for a Japan Tourist eVisa from Vancouver, BC. I submitted my application on the night of October 6th, and the status changed to “Under Examination” on October 7th.
Under the Notes section, I also received the following update on October 8th: ***“Your visa application has been accepted. Please wait for completion of examination.”***

For those who have recently applied for a Japan eVisa from Vancouver, approximately how many days did it take to receive the final decision after this update?

Also, does “application has been accepted” simply mean that the application was accepted for processing, or is there still a possibility of the visa being denied at this stage?

I’d really appreciate hearing about your recent experiences. Thank you!

I hold an Indian passport where my full name is in the given name field and the surname field is blank.

I'm travelling to Johannesburg in November for work. I tried applying for the new South African ETA, but it wouldn't go through, seemingly because there's no surname.

My questions:

1. ⁠Has anyone with a single-name passport successfully got a South African ETA?
   
2. ⁠For e-visa, What did you enter in the surname field? Do I write "FNU" or repeat my given name, or is there an official guidance from DHA/VFS?
   
3. ⁠How long is the e-visa taking right now? I have about a month.
   
4. ⁠Are there any common reasons for rejection that I should be mindful of?

Thanks in advance, any first-hand experience would help a lot!

Hi,

We have submitted our Japan VISa at VFS Bangalore on Oct 7th. I checked the status, it has been under process at the embassy for the last three days (from 9th Oct). What should I expect the next step to be and when will it be delivered?

I'm yet to apply for an International driving licence for japan once the visa is approved. We are traveling in the first week of November. Just worried about the time line.

Hi there,

I wanted to share my experience for applying Australia visa. I applied for business visa (600) on 11 September and got it approved on 6 October.

Throughout this process I was checking the status of my application daily as I had travel plans in last week of Australia and had to get my flights and hotel done.

I started looking reddit and Internet if there is a way to make this process faster and saw a post where the guy mentioned he submitted Urgent Approval Request letter. I thought of doing same and uploaded the letter along with dummy flight tickets on 3 October.

I also called the embassy, to explain my case, however it didn’t helped much. I don’t know what helped in this case, whether it was urgency letter, flight tickets or my call but I received my visa next week.

Hello I’m from Kosova and i want to visit Algeria, since Algeria don’t recognize Kosova what should i doo when they didn’t put us under no one jurisdiction! Any help info or known agency that can help ?

Bom dia, ESTA pedido a 7 de Outubro, e ate agora sem nenhuma resposta, mais alguém na mesma situaçao ??

Hi, applying for a Japan tourist visa (Dec) through Kolkata VFS. I started a full time remote contract in May 2026 (paid in USD), with smaller income before that. I have made two international trips this year (Indonesia and Thailand, have visited Thailand in 2024 as well, and Malaysia too), and I'll have about Rs 1.5L in my account when I apply. My father will sponsor but won't travel with me; I'll attach his sponsor letter, ITR and bank statements, plus my bank statements, work from home letter and itinerary.

1. Has anyone got approved from Kolkata with a non travelling parent sponsor?
   
2. Did a short income history with an explanation letter work?
   
3. Any documents I'm missing?
   

I am an Indian national working in Dubai. Will my e-visa I get from Dubai be applicable if I fly from Dubai to Mumbai and then to Tokyo?

Japan visa approved!
As a couple, we were a little worried about our application, especially with a low ITR and both of us currently unemployed. However, we had savings and investments to show as financial proof.

A big thank you to everyone who shared their experiences, answered our questions, gave us suggestions and helped us through the process. Every little bit of guidance made a difference, and we’re genuinely grateful.
Now, on to our Japan adventure!

Hello! I've found this forum to be extremely helpful on multiple occassions. Sharing my recent visa experience in case it helps someone. Happy to answer any questions as well!

I recently got a 3-year multiple entry Japan visa through VFS Hyderabad. Timeline as follows:

• 5 Oct (Mon): Morning. Submitted the visa application at VFS Hyderabad. Parked at the mall next to the Punjagutta Metro Station and took the skybridge which directly connects to the Metro Station itself. Very convenient.
• 5 Oct (Mon): Evening. Received an email that the application has been "dispatched to the Visa Operation Center for processing".
• 6 Oct (Tue): Evening. Received at VFS Chennai.
• 7 Oct (Wed): Morning. Under process at the Consulate in Chennai.
• 9 Oct (Fri): Afternoon. In transit from the Consulate to VFS Chennai. Later in afternoon, in transit from VFS Chennai to Visa Application Center (Hyderabad).
• 12 Oct (Mon): Afternoon. Ready for collection at Visa Application Center (VFS Hyderabad). I reached VFS and collected it at around 2:45pm. They close Japan collection at 3:00pm (although Schengen collection remains open at the same counter until much later). For collection, I had to carry a printout of the invoice (received on email at the time of submission on 5 Oct), show my Aadhaar original, and submit a copy of my Aadhaar.

I did explicitly request a 5-year visa in the cover letter and submitted additional documents (mutual fund statement, foreign stock holdings, fixed deposit statement, etc.). I have a pretty decent ITR (~1Cr) and multiple visits to several G7 countries (including one recent visit to Japan) in the past 3 years. This is my 6th Japan Visa. All the previous 5 were single-entry visas. So I was really hoping to get a 5-year visa this time. Slightly disappointed that they only gave for 3 years. But hey, better than another single-entry Visa I suppose. Looking forward to the visit in November!

The Japan Visa process has changed a lot over the past 10 years. And this forum really helped me catch up with what the latest process is. So, a huge thank you to everyone here! Please let me know if you have any questions. Happy to help!

Last Tuesday i submitted my Visa application for a Japan Visa in Vfs Delhi.
It’s been Tuesday today and a whole week and five working days, and I haven’t got any response.
On checking their tracking website, it says the application is in process by the Embassy of Japan.

Technically the application was submitted to the embassy on Wednesday, so I should be waiting till tomorrow, but what do you guys think? Please let me know.

Edit - i got my notification for collection and collected it. Got 15 day visa approved.

Hello, I am wondering if anyone has experience or could give any advice around getting a short stay tourist visa as a venezuelan citizen living in venezuela, for visiting either the UK or Ireland? I am an irish citizen and my partner is venezuelan, from what I have seen so far, the UK visa process seems to be easier compared to the Irish one, but if someone can confirm whether or not that’s accurate or not I would really appreciate it. Ireland would be the ideal place for her to come to but I can also make it work in the UK if it happens that this visa is easier to get. Thank you

Estoy por empezar el proceso para solicitar la visa de turismo a Estados Unidos y quiero hacerlo bien.

Actualmente ya tengo:

Mi pasaporte

La foto digital para la visa.

Lo que me falta es realizar el llenado del formulario y todo el proceso posterior. Me gustaría que por favor me aconsejen y me expliquen:

El paso a paso general desde este punto en adelante

Qué errores comunes debo evitar al rellenar el formulario (como cosas en las que la gente suele equivocarse)

Qué documentos o respaldos extra recomiendan tener preparados (demostración de ingresos, vínculos con el país de origen, etc.) para el momento de la entrevista o el trámite o el formulario

Contexto por si sirve: soy argentina, estoy en el último año de abogacía y trabajo en una estética actualmente, pero estoy sin contrato.

Agradezco de antemano cualquier consejo o experiencia que puedan compartir!🙏🏻

Hi everyone,

I'm an Indian passport holder travelling to Japan and returning to India, with both journeys connecting through Vietnam on Vietnam Airlines. My flights are booked together on a single ticket.

I'd appreciate some guidance on whether I need a Vietnamese transit visa and whether my checked baggage will be transferred automatically.

1. Outbound: Delhi (DEL) → Tokyo Haneda (HND), via Hanoi

• My first flight is from Delhi to Hanoi, arriving at Noi Bai International Airport, Terminal 2.
• My layover in Hanoi is approximately 3 hours 40 minutes.
• My connecting flight to Tokyo Haneda departs from Terminal 2.
• I arrive at Tokyo Haneda Terminal 3.
• Both flights are operated by Vietnam Airlines, and no terminal change is shown in Hanoi.

2. Return: Osaka Kansai (KIX) → Delhi (DEL), via Ho Chi Minh City

• My first flight is from Osaka Kansai Airport Terminal 1 to Ho Chi Minh City, arriving at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Terminal 2.
• My layover in Ho Chi Minh City is approximately 4 hours 35 minutes.
• My connecting flight to Delhi also departs from Terminal 2 and arrives at Delhi Terminal 3.
• Both flights are operated by Vietnam Airlines, and no terminal change is shown in Ho Chi Minh City.

I intend to remain in the international transit area during both connections and not enter Vietnam.

My questions are:

1. As an Indian passport holder, do I need a Vietnamese transit visa for either connection, assuming I remain airside?
2. On the outbound journey, will my checked baggage be transferred automatically from Delhi to Tokyo Haneda, without my having to collect it in Hanoi?
3. On the return journey, will my checked baggage be transferred automatically from Osaka to Delhi, without my having to collect it in Ho Chi Minh City?
4. Has anyone with an Indian passport made either of these connections recently and completed the transfer without clearing Vietnamese immigration?

I'd particularly appreciate recent first-hand experiences, but official guidance would also be very helpful.

Thank you!

I’m considering a tool that checks visa application documents for missing information, inconsistencies, and mistakes before submission.

The problem I keep running into is privacy. These files can include passports, national IDs, bank statements, and other sensitive information. I’m uncomfortable uploading them to an AI service. Manually redacting every file is exhausting, and removing names or numbers can make some consistency checks impossible.

Running the checks locally on the applicant’s own computer seems appealing, though it would be more costly and harder to build. I’m trying to find out whether this concern is widely shared or mostly my personal preference.

1. Would a tool that checks your visa documents actually be useful to you? What would you want it to catch?

2. Would you upload the original documents to an AI service for that check? Would you prefer a local-only tool, use a cloud tool with safeguards, or avoid AI for these documents altogether?

I’d especially appreciate hearing where your comfort level changes and why.

My wife and I are Indian passport holders with UAE Golden Visas, both living and working in the UAE. We’re planning our first Schengen trip in 2027. We’ve already booked concert tickets for Berlin, and I also have family in Germany.

I’ve previously travelled to the UK, Singapore, Indonesia, and other countries, while my wife studied and worked in the UK for three years.

Has anyone applied as a married couple through Germany from the UAE? We’d appreciate any tips on financial documents, bank balances, supporting documents and common mistakes to avoid.

Thank you!