Last verified June 14, 2026 against official ISA/MOFA sources
Japan spouse visa:
India
Country-specific steps
Country guides cover the parts that depend on your nationality: the documents, legalisations, and consular steps. For some countries this work begins before the COE. For the overall process and the COE itself, start with the main guide.
Processing time at the consulate
The Japanese visa takes about 5 business days after the COE (some posts 4 to 7) and is lodged through VFS Global, not at the embassy counter. Budget extra weeks for affidavits, attestation, and any apostille.
Main mission
Single-status affidavit and document attestation: the Embassy of India in Tokyo, or authorities in India. The visa: a Japanese mission in India (New Delhi and the consulates), through VFS Global, for the region where you live.
- India does not issue a standard single-status certificate. You prove you are free to marry with a sworn affidavit of single status, either sworn before the Embassy of India in Tokyo or executed in India and apostilled.
- To marry in Japan, the Indian partner provides that affidavit, with a Japanese translation, at the city office. Practice varies by municipality, so confirm whether your city office wants the affidavit sworn in Japan or one apostilled from India.
- Marrying in India instead: register the marriage under the Special Marriage Act or the Hindu Marriage Act (a religious ceremony alone is not a registered marriage), with the Japanese partner's certificate of legal capacity to marry from the Embassy of Japan in India, then report the marriage to a Japanese authority within three months.
- India and Japan are both in the Hague Apostille Convention, so Indian documents used in Japan are apostilled by the Ministry of External Affairs after state-level attestation. The spouse visa and the COE still need only a Japanese translation, not an apostille.
- You do not need to wait for the Indian paperwork to finish before starting the COE. Once the marriage is on the Japanese spouse's koseki, that proves it.
Where to apply
Apply at the mission with jurisdiction over your residential address — official embassy site .
- Embassy of India, Tokyo (single-status affidavit, document attestation)
- Embassy of Japan in India, New Delhi (the spouse visa, via VFS Global)
- Consulates-General of Japan in Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Kolkata
- Japan Visa Application Centres (VFS Global) across India
General documents
- Valid passport (original).
- Completed and signed Japan Visa Application Form (fill every field; write "N/A" where it does not apply).
- One recent passport photo to the mission's specification.
- Certificate of Eligibility (COE): original or printed copy.
India-specific documents
- Sworn affidavit of single status and capacity to marry, since India issues no standard certificate. You can swear it before the Embassy of India in Tokyo (issued the same day for a small fee) or execute it in India and have it attested by the state authority and apostilled by the Ministry of External Affairs.
- A Japanese translation of the affidavit and of any Indian document for the city office. Confirm with your municipality whether it accepts the Tokyo-sworn affidavit or wants an apostilled one from India.
- To marry in India, the Japanese partner's certificate of legal capacity to marry from the Embassy of Japan in India, used to register under the Special Marriage Act or the Hindu Marriage Act.
- After marrying in India, the registered marriage certificate, apostilled by the Ministry of External Affairs and translated into Japanese, to report the marriage to a Japanese authority within three months.
Document authentication
- India and Japan are both in the Hague Apostille Convention (in force for India since 2005), so Indian public documents used in Japan are apostilled by the Ministry of External Affairs after the state authority attests them.
- The spouse visa and the COE need only a Japanese translation of any Indian document, not an apostille.
- Apostille matters for the marriage documents, not for the visa.
Submitting your application
- Prepare the single-status affidavit early, deciding whether to swear it in Tokyo or apostille one from India.
- Register the marriage at the Japanese city office with the affidavit, or in India under the Special Marriage Act or the Hindu Marriage Act. A marriage registered in India must be reported to a Japanese authority within three months so it reaches the koseki.
- Apply for the COE in Japan once the marriage is on the koseki.
- Apply for the visa through VFS Global for your region of India, not at the consulate counter. The mission usually issues the visa in about five business days.
Expert tips
- There is no Indian single-status certificate. Do not look for one; a sworn affidavit stands in its place.
- Decide where to swear the affidavit. The Embassy of India in Tokyo issues one the same day; an India-sworn affidavit needs state attestation and an apostille, which takes longer.
- Register the marriage, do not rely on the ceremony. A temple or religious wedding alone is not a registered marriage, and Japan needs the registered certificate.
- Do not apostille documents for the visa. The COE and visa need only a translation; the apostille is for the marriage documents.
- Keep your name consistent. Indian documents may use expanded initials or no surname, so make the affidavit, the marriage certificate, the passport, and the koseki match.
Common mistakes
- Looking for a single-status certificate that India does not issue, instead of preparing an affidavit.
- Apostilling documents for the visa, when the COE and visa need only a translation.
- Treating a religious ceremony as a registered marriage.
- Name and initial mismatches across the affidavit, the marriage certificate, the passport, and the Japanese register.
- Marrying in India and forgetting to report the marriage to a Japanese authority within three months.
Translations: Indian documents need a Japanese translation; the spouse visa and the COE need a translation only, not an apostille. The Ministry of External Affairs apostille, after state attestation, is for the marriage documents, not the visa.