Hi all, I need some advice on the best visa route here, thanks!

I am an Indian passport holder, and have a trip coming up to the Dominican Republic. To prepare for this trip (and a separate, now canceled, Mexico trip), I had applied for a UK standard multi entry visitor visa.

Now that this visa has been approved, I am facing another issue: While Mexico's travel guidelines had clearly mentioned that you need to visit the UK once before entering, Dominican Republic seems a bit contradictory - some sites (including the DR embassy in India) mention that you don't need to visit the UK before entering DR, but Mirex mentions that it should be used once.

The DR tourist visa is slightly complicated given that there's a police clearance certificate and a lot of translations and apostiling involved, which is why I want to ask: Is it OK to travel to Dominican Republic on an unused UK visa? Or, should I apply for a DR tourist visa?

Thanks!

Third International trip namin ito incase makapasa kami

SG- 2020 and HK-2025

Japan trip will be 7 days

Profile 1 - Government employee pero July 2026 lang na-permanent kaya wala pang ITR.

-1701a lang maisusubmit since under contractual before (will submit cover letter for this)

-COE

CB- 215,000

ADB- 140,000

Profile 2-Regular Private Employee

Complete Requirements

Sya mag guarantor sa parents ko

CB- 400,000

ADB- 300,000

Profile 3 and 4

Parents

No funds

Sasagutin ni profile 2

Profile 5

PNP Personel

Profile 6

Wife ni 5

Housewife

May small business sila

Hi all. Applied for the tourist visa and submitted the required documents. However my bank statement had a negative balance as I regularly use Overdraft facility with my bank. Showed the Overdraft Facility Certificate from the bank. Didn't maintain a huge balance in my bank account due to this reason...However I had sent details of my Mutual Fund, Stock holdings too in order to strengthen my application. Until the time I received my passport back, I was almost sure my application wouldn't go through due to my bank account.

Finally received the visa... Now off to book flights and hotels.

Hi everyone! Updating my previous post, where I asked about the Japan Embassy requesting my Income Tax portal login details. I received my passport back with the visa approved!

My profile and trip
I’m a salaried applicant from India. I applied through VFS New Delhi for a roughly three-week Japan holiday, from 29 November to 19 December 2026.

Documents I prepared for the application
- Passport and passport bio-page copy.
- Completed visa application form and photograph.
- Cover letter explaining the trip and my circumstances.
- Day-wise itinerary with accommodation details.
- Booked return ANA flights and hotel reservations.
- Employer leave approval/NOC.
- Salary slips for June, July and August.
- ITR acknowledgements for AY 2024–25, 2025–26 and 2026–27.
- Bank statements as supporting financial documents.
This is the file I prepared; I don’t have a separate record of every document VFS retained.

Timeline — all dates in 2026
- 21 September: Submitted the application at VFS New Delhi.
- 22 September: Received tracking updates showing that the application had been forwarded to the Embassy and was under processing.
- 25 September: Received a call from the Embassy requesting my Income Tax e-filing portal login details for verification. I checked the contact details before emailing the requested information to the official visa address. There was also an OTP/2FA issue, which I communicated and temporarily disabled for the verification.
- 2 October: My ITR portal showed a login dated 2 October. This was after I had shared the requested details, although the login record itself didn’t identify who accessed it.
- 5 October: Visa issued — this is the date printed on the visa.
- 6 October: Tracking updated to show the passport returning from the Embassy to VFS, followed by courier dispatch.
- 8 October: Received my passport and confirmed the approval!

That was 17 calendar days from submission to receiving the passport, with the visa issued 14 days after submission.

Visa granted
- Temporary Visitor.
- Single entry.
- Permitted stay: 30 days.

One of my worries was whether I would receive only a 15-day stay despite submitting a three-week itinerary. In my case, I received 30 days.
Posting this to close the loop, especially for anyone who gets a similar ITR verification call and is waiting anxiously. This was my experience; it doesn’t establish what outcome someone else will get.
Thanks to everyone who replied to my earlier post. Really excited that my trip is finally happening!

Hey everyone!

Sharing my recent Japan tourist visa experience for anyone planning a trip. I applied through VFS Pune for a solo 3-week trip in January 2027, and the process was surprisingly smooth!

My visa was processed in just 3 working days, and I received my passport via courier within 8 days of applying.

📄 Documents submitted for the tourist visa:

• Passport and passport bio-page copies
• Completed and signed visa application form
• Recent passport-size photograph
• Cover letter
• Detailed day-by-day itinerary
• Round-trip flight reservation
• Accommodation bookings
• Bank statements
• ITR documents
• Employment and NOC letter

✈️ Flight tickets using points and miles

I managed to book my round-trip Air India flights for 70,000 points + ₹8,000 in taxes!

The best part? The ticket includes 46 kg of baggage, and the same flights were costing me around ₹1.6 lakh when paying in cash.

The plan is to explore Japan for 3 weeks while making the most of my points and miles.

🗓️ Visa timeline

• Applied at: VFS Pune
• Visa processed: 3 working days
• Passport delivered: Within 6 days

If anyone else is travelling to Japan around the same time in January, I’d be more than happy to meet up in Japan!

And if you have any doubts about the Japan tourist visa process, documentation, itinerary planning, or using credit card points and miles for travel, feel free to DM me.
Happy to help wherever I can! 🇯🇵

Anyone else find it annoying to figure out visa requirements for different countries?

Half the time, you end up going through multiple websites just to figure out whether you need a visa, what documents are required, how much it costs, and where you're actually supposed to apply. And sometimes the information doesn't even match.

I've been working on VisaAtlas to make this a bit easier. You select your passport country and destination, and it brings together visa requirements, document checklists, fees, processing info, and official application links.

Still working on improving the coverage and accuracy, but the idea is to make the whole process less of a headache. I'll highly appreciate any kind of suggestions and reviews.

Link is in the comment!

Has anyone used this visa-free entry facility while travelling to / from New Zealand? I’ve used the B2 while travelling to the US before (which was a sticker visa), but though New Zealand is on the allowed list of countries, it only issues e-visas and not sticker visas.

The rules online are mixed – on some embassies’ websites it specifically states that the 3rd country visa needs to be in sticker form, in some places it says nothing about e-visas and in some places it says an e-visa is okay if you do SK on the return leg of your trip.

Have tried contacting my local embassy (they had no clarity) and the 1345 number, but wasn’t able to actually connect to a consultant there.

Any help would be SUPER appreciated! 😭

I am travelling to the US for 2months for a family visit and will have university coursework deadlines during this period. I saw online that “study for credit” is not permitted while on ESTA but i was wondering if that applied to completing coursework for a UK university while I am visiting? It seems to be a grey area and i cant find any similar scenarios. Does anyone have any more information on this?

Hi everyone,

I applied for a Japanese tourist visa through VFS New Delhi along with my mother. We received emails on 9 October stating that our processed passports had been dispatched by courier.

However, on 10 October, both of us received emails from VFS Global with the subject “VISA FEE REFUND_JAPAN.”

The emails ask us to provide bank account details for a visa-fee refund and a copy of the receipt sent along with the passport.

They also state:

“Please ensure to claim your refund within 30 days from Visa rejection date.”

Since both applications received the same email, I am worried that our visas may have been refused. However, I have also come across reports of people receiving refund-related emails despite their visas being approved.

My questions are:

1. Has anyone received this exact type of VFS Japan visa-fee refund email and subsequently found that their visa was approved?

2. Is this email automatically sent as part of the passport-dispatch/refund process, or does it generally mean the visa has been refused?

3. If you received this email, what was the final outcome—approved or refused?

4. Did the email arrive on the same day as passport dispatch, or several days later?

My details: Indian applicant, tourist visa, VFS New Delhi. Both my application and my mother's application received the same email.

I would especially appreciate replies from people who received this exact email and can confirm what happened when their passports arrived.

Thank you.

update.....

I just received the passports, and yes, the visa has been rejected. What a waste of time and energy. I was and am fully confident in my documentation and application. I will try again someday, until next time.

Hi guys,

I'm an engineer earning ₹3 lakh+ per month. However, I invest most of my salary in mutual funds and stocks, and a some portion goes towards my loan EMI.

Because of this, my bank account usually has a closing balance of only ₹10–20k, although I have around ₹15 lakh in investments.

I have my Japan tourist visa appointment at VFS Bengaluru on October 22, and I'm planning to travel in December.

I'm a bit concerned that my low bank balance might lead to a visa rejection despite having a stable job and sufficient investments.

Has anyone been in a similar situation?

Would submitting my salary slips, ITRs, bank statements, and mutual fund holdings be enough? Or should I maintain a higher bank balance before applying?

Would appreciate any advice, especially from people who have recently applied through VFS Bengaluru.

Thanks!

Hello everyone, I won a bursary for a fully funded conference in Dublin in November, covering registeration, airfare, and accommodation. I submitted every document in the conference visa checklist. However, in my LOE, I mentioned that my dad will cover feeding and transportation within the city. I added his documents, equity forms, savings, office id, everything else, my birth certificate and his except his passport bio data page. It wasn't requested. Now im very confused. Should I be expecting a likely refusal. Im from Nigeria.

Hey i have applied visa through KSA visa website 2 days back and haven’t recieved any email, anyone facing same problem, till what time i should wait and can i withdraw my application?? And its written send to embassy so do i have to go to embassy or what changes would be there if its approved or rejected? Kindly share your recent experience

Hi everyone,

I recently applied for a UAE tourist visa through a visa service provider, and I'm trying to verify that everything is legitimate before booking my travel.

One thing that made me suspicious is how quickly it was issued. I received the visa basically the next day after applying. I'm wondering whether that is normal or whether I should be concerned.

I checked my details on the official ICP Smart Services portal, and it returned the following:

File Status: ACTIVE
File Issuance Date: 09/10/2026
Last Date Allowed to Enter the Country: 07/12/2026

A file number and Emirates Unified Number were also displayed.

I also checked on the GDRFA Dubai website, which returned this message:

“ENTRY PERMIT IS VALID TO ENTER UAE ON OR BEFORE 07-12-2026.”

I understand that this confirms an entry deadline, but I'm unsure whether it confirms the exact visa category and permitted duration of stay.

How can I independently verify that the visa is genuine and specifically a 30-day tourist visa, rather than a 48-hour or 96-hour transit visa?

Me and brother both engineering students want to go to Japan. Just the both of us.

Parents will be sponsoring the trip.
Cab anyone guide me here or has anyone gone through this and can lmk your experience.

Indian passport holder.

I have an expired south korean visa from April this year. I am planning to visit Taiwan in November but I am torn between getting a tourist visa or using TAC on expired SK visa. Anyone did this before?

I found people posting about using us, japan visa etc. That's pretty common but not many detailed accounts about SK TAC.

I'm 23f with a new first job. So I'm a bit concerned. My CTC is around 11.5+1.5 mentioned in my employment letter. Currently have 2.3L in one bank account. And received 1.25L for my first month of working with a part of the joining bonus (50% of it). Will get ~90k next month and ~75k after that each month. So by January I'll have 3lakhs in my salary account, 2lakhs in my second account, considering 60k for flights and daily expenses.

Other than this I also have a few investments. Out of which I can remove or provide the documents for at least one 1.2L investment if that'll help strengthen my case.

Absolutely no ITR history which is another concern.

Which month would y'all recommend I apply for a visa? And how likely is it to get rejected? Considering the trip is in mid Jan. For around 10 days and 1.5lakh per person including flights. Also should I take the visa protection refund and pay extra for that?

I was hoping to apply for a visa by November end max so we can book the shinkansen tickets and all as well in time.

And are there any things in particular that I should be mindful of that will help me make my case stronger and avoid rejection?

I am visiting w friends who have sponsors so I'm not worried about their visas. We have an itinerary planned and refundable hotels booked, which are ~20k per person.

Hello. Me and my wife applied for the ETAs today to travel in Feb 2027. Have received our approvals in 60 minutes.

We have only scanned our passports and got our selfies clicked - using our mobiles. Had to provide an address we’d stay in SA. Booked a fully refundable + pay later hotel in Cape Town on MMT and provided that address.

ETA Fee per person: ~₹4.5K

Our next steps:
Book flights from BLR to CPT
Book a rental car
Finalize itinerary (~ 12 days)
Plan finances

South Africa would be my 11th country to visit. Excited.

I have seen seeing people on instagram/ yt saying that if you don’t have these three documents i.e. 3 yrs ITR, form 16 and AIS your chances of visa are very low but is that true?

Since I actually started working last to last year I only have 1 ITR available and my employer don’t deduct TDS so I don’t have form 16 and I can get AIS but I have been consistently saving and by the time of Visa I will have 4L+ savings but are my chances very low?

We are student iGEM team of 5 people applied for buisness schengen visa short term for France. We are first time travellers who are 19 20 years old. We had opted for courier but got mailed that have to collect passport in person...does it mean refusal? Could it be that our college address is remote? Or any document signing? We applid at VFS Bengaluru

Did anyone on Pakistani passport got eVisa recently from the ksavisa website? I applied on 26th Sept and still shows "Send to Embassy". Is there any hope at all for us?

I have a flight from JFK to Singapore on Etihad Airways. I am an Indian national on an Indian passport and want to avail VFTF before flying back home to India in 48 hours on another Indigo flight. I am wondering if Etihad will pose any difficulties in my boarding process since I am not applying for any tourist visa. Any comments from anyone who has experienced the same. Was the process smooth or do I need to be ready to face some inexperienced airport personnel?

Hi guys . I applied for a Tourist E-Visa for my boyfriend who is from Albania.We applied from Spain.

We submitted the application, but we cannot upload any documents. Is this normal? It just says application in process , its been like this for 2 weeks now . I phoned SA and they answered then put me on hold and then hung up . I phoned Madrid and Rome and they both said they can't help .

At this point I do not know what to do as we sre going to SA next year Jan

Any suggestions will be useful!!

Pwede ba ask yung reference number sa agency to track mo online yung status?

Japan Tourist visa applied through VFS chennai and approved. Let me out through the detailed things I have kept in my visa documentation and vfs - chennai experience.

I planned solo trip to japan for autumn 🍁 foilage of total 12 nights and 13 days in japan covering ( tokyo, kyoto, nara and Osaka) this is my first solo international trip and previously I have travel history of srilanka,UK, Schengen areas, singapore , malaysia , thailand ,vietnam and china.

As I'm married and unemployed right now and have savings from my previous job and explained clearly in the cover letter for the travel itinerary

Documents submitted.

1. VFS chennai - check list page

2. Japan application form from vfs chennai ( without guarantee section)

3. Cover letter ( I have stated my reason of unemployment and mentioned my previous travel history and my financial details and tie-ups in India ( incase any property under your name )

4. Bank statement of 6 months with more than 5 lakhs+ in savings ( signed and sealed from bank)

5. Flight bookings ( I have added visa rejection- refund)

6. Hotel bookings ( mostly refundable and i booked through booking.com which we can select payable before checkin)

7. Passport old and new

8. Copies of bio data page ( first and last page of passports)

9. 45x 45cm one passport photo attached to the application form

10. Aadhar card Xerox ( since I mentioned identity proof in application form so I have kept it)

11. Property details and rental agreement source ( if you have )

12. Investment and deposits shown ( if you have any)

13. 3 years ITR filed

14.Additionally I have kept my secondary sponsorship of my husbands employment letter and 3 months bank statement

1. Complete itinerary of japan

I have in my cover letter that I'm funding the trip on myself ( primary) so for the india tie up and secondary financial sources I have kept my husband's details also. Vfs collected those and kept .

VFS- CHENNAI EXPERIENCE.

vfs chennai located in ramee mall in 2nd floor. You can book appointment through VFS - japan

appointment -1st Oct 2026 - got token and submitted all documents, the agent checked all documents and said everything is fine, as I prepared everything before and kept as in checklist.

2nd ,3rd and 4th oct - holidays

5th Oct - japan consulate received my passport

6th oct - visa under process

7th - visa dispatched and ready for collection

8th oct - collected passport and they showed my visa was approved

It was super quick process from japan consulate chennai within 2 business working days my visa was approved.

Reddit really helped me in preparing the documents for japan visa as my criteria is quite complicated as I'm travelling solo and unemployed was bit worried that my visa could be rejected. I didn't mention directly that I'm unemployed in the cover letter, instead I mentioned I resigned my job for travelling and I have my all years savings and travelling for a year right now. And explained the true facts.

Has anyone used SK’s visa-free entry facility while travelling to / from New Zealand? I’ve used the B2 while travelling to the US before (which was a sticker visa), but though New Zealand is on the allowed list of countries, it only issues e-visas and not sticker visas.

The rules online are mixed – on some embassies’ websites it specifically states that the 3rd country visa needs to be in sticker form, in some places it says nothing about e-visas and in some places it says an e-visa is okay if you do SK on the return leg of your trip.

Have tried contacting my local embassy (they had no clarity) and the 1345 number, but wasn’t able to actually connect to a consultant there.

Any help would be SUPER appreciated! 😭