Japan to increase visa fees for foreign visitors

Japan will significantly increase visa fees for foreign nationals from July 1, marking the first revision of visa charges in 48 years as the government seeks to cover rising administrative costs linked to a growing foreign population.The decision was approved at a Cabinet meeting on Friday, according to a report by The Japan Times.

Under the revised fee structure, the cost of a single-entry visa will rise from ¥3,000 to ¥15,000, while the fee for a multiple-entry visa will increase from ¥6,000 to ¥30,000.

The new rates will apply to applications submitted on or after July 1.Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said the existing visa fees had remained unchanged since 1978 and that the government decided to revise them to reflect inflation and exchange-rate fluctuations.“The current visa fee was set in 1978, and we have recently revised it to reflect inflation and exchange rate fluctuations since then,” Motegi told a news conference, as quoted by The Japan Times.“We made this decision after carefully considering various factors, and we do not anticipate that it will have an immediate impact on inbound tourism,” he added.Higher Immigration and Residency Charges PlannedThe visa fee increase follows the enactment of legislation last month that allows Japan to raise visa- and residency-related charges by up to 30 times their current levels.Before the revision, the legal ceiling for fees to change residency status or extend a period of stay was ¥10,000, while the maximum charge for permanent residency applications was also ¥10,000.

The new law raises those limits to ¥100,000 and ¥300,000, respectively.Within those limits, the government has proposed increasing fees for residency status changes and stay extensions from the current ¥5,500-¥6,000 range to between ¥10,000 and ¥70,000.

Permanent residency application fees are proposed to rise from ¥10,000 to ¥200,000.The government aims to implement these additional fee changes before the end of the next fiscal year on March 31, 2027.According to the government, the extra revenue will be used to manage Japan’s growing foreign resident population, which reached a record 4.13 million at the end of 2025.

The funds will also support Japanese-language education programmes and strengthen measures against illegal overstayers.Japan has argued that visa and residency charges should be brought closer to levels seen in Western countries as it works to build a stronger immigration administration system.

The government noted that visa renewal fees in countries such as the United States and Germany are substantially higher than those currently charged in Japan.The move comes as Japan continues to attract increasing numbers of foreign workers, residents and tourists, placing greater demands on immigration and administrative services across the country. ...