November 21, 2025 | 01:04 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Japan plans to substantially increase visa issuance fees for foreign nationals in the next fiscal year. According to government sources and ruling parties reported by The Japan News on Thursday, this increase will bring fees in line with those in Europe and the United States.
"In fiscal 2026, we will review and raise fees related to foreign residents and visa fees, taking into account the levels in major countries," said a government source.
If implemented, this will mark the first major legal revision to raise fees since 1981.
The Japanese government plans to submit a bill to amend the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act during next year's parliamentary session. The revenue generated from this increase will fund policy initiatives related to foreign residents, including improving conditions for the rapidly growing foreign population and deporting illegal immigrants.
The proposed visa fee hikes come amid a record increase in the number of foreigners in the country.
The fee for changing visa status or reissuing a visa for a period of one year or more will be raised to approximately 40,000 yen (around Rp4.2 million), up from the current 6,000 yen (around Rp637,000). Meanwhile, fees for permanent resident visas will be raised to over 100,000 yen (around Rp10.6 million), a tenfold jump from the current 10,000 yen (around Rp1.06 million).
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi instructed officials to align visa fees with other major countries during a ministerial meeting on foreign national policies earlier this month.
This follows a smaller adjustment in April, when the Immigration Services Agency raised issuance fees due to inflation, from 4,000 yen to 6,000 yen for extensions, and from 8,000 yen (around Rp850,000) to 10,000 yen for permanent residency.
According to the agency, the number of foreigners in Japan reached a record high of 3,956,619 at the end of June. Of this number, approximately 70,000 are illegal immigrants.
Currently, fees in Western countries are significantly higher than in Japan. In the United States, the cost for changing or extending a work permit is US$420–$470 (around ¥65,000–¥73,000). In the UK, the cost is £827 (around ¥169,000), and in Germany, the cost for changing or extending a residence permit is €93–€98 (around ¥16,000–¥17,000).
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