In response to inflation and the depreciation of the yen, the Japanese government decided on Friday (June 19) to increase the single-entry visa fee for foreigners from 3,000 yen to 15,000 yen (approximately 90 US dollars) starting from July 1. This marks the first increase since 1978.
After the adjustment, the fee for multiple-entry visas that allow multiple entries within a specified period will also be increased from 6,000 yen to 30,000 yen. The new fee schedule will apply to applications submitted on or after July 1.
“The current visa fees were set in 1978, and we have recently revised them to reflect inflation and exchange rate fluctuations since then,” said Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi at a press conference on Friday. “We have made this decision after carefully considering various factors,” he further added, “and we expect that this move will not have an immediate impact on inbound tourism.”
This increase is expected to bring Japan’s visa issuance fees closer to the levels of the Group of Seven (G7) member countries. The Japanese government stated that raising the fees is aimed at narrowing the gap with Western countries and establishing a more comprehensive immigration management system. For example, the visa renewal fees in the US are around 420 to 470 US dollars, while in Germany they range from 93 euros (about 107 US dollars) to 98 euros.
At the same time, as the foreign population in Japan continues to grow, the upper limit of visa-related fees for foreigners was increased to 30 times the current level by a bill passed in the Upper House last month. The bill had previously been passed in the Lower House in April. This enables the government to use this additional income to help cover the rising administrative costs of managing the increasing foreign population.
By the end of 2025, Japan’s foreign resident population had reached a record high of 4.13 million.
Before the passage of this bill, the statutory fees for changing residence status, extending stay periods, and applying for permanent residency were all set at 1,000 yen (about 63 US dollars). After the revision, these statutory limits will be raised to 100,000 yen and 300,000 yen, respectively.
Within the framework of the revised bill, the actual fees will be set specifically within the new statutory limits by Cabinet Order. The government has proposed raising the fees for changing residence status and extending stay periods from the current range of 5,500 to 6,000 yen to between 10,000 and 70,000 yen; while the application fee for permanent residency will skyrocket from 10,000 yen to 200,000 yen. The government aims to implement these changes by the end of the next fiscal year (March 31, 2027).
In addition to addressing administrative costs, the Japanese government also plans to use this additional revenue to expand Japanese language training programs and further strengthen measures to combat illegal overstayers.
(Translated and rephrased from multiple sources including Kyodo News and The Japan Times)