Japan increases Foreign Residency fees by 1,150%, effective October 2026

Japan is set to sharply increase the fees foreign nationals pay to renew or change their residency status, with some applications costing more than 12 times the current rate as the government moves to revise its immigration-related charges.

The government adopted an ordinance Tuesday that will raise the fees for residency procedures from October.

The changes will increase the cost of extending or changing residency status from a uniform ¥6,000($37) to as much as ¥75,000($470.29), depending on the length of the new status.

The increases are part of broader changes to Japan’s immigration system and were authorized under a revised immigration control and refugee recognition law enacted in May.

What they are saying

Under the new fee structure, applications made at immigration offices for extensions of up to three months will cost ¥10,000 ($62.71). Extensions for one year will cost ¥33,000($206.95), while those covering three to less than five years will cost ¥64,000($401). Applications for residency periods of five years or longer will cost ¥75,000.

• The most significant increase will affect foreign nationals seeking permanent residency. The application fee will rise from ¥10,000($62.71) to ¥200,000($1,254), a 20-fold increase.
• The revised law sets an upper limit of ¥100,000 for temporary residency procedures and ¥300,000 for permanent residency applications. The government’s ordinance establishes the specific amounts applicants will pay.
• Not all applicants will necessarily face the full fees. Following public comments on the proposed rules, Japan’s Immigration Services Agency expanded the circumstances under which reductions may be granted.

Under the agency’s initial guidelines, applicants could qualify for reduced fees if they were experiencing financial hardship comparable to that faced by people receiving public assistance and if humanitarian considerations applied.

The reduced rates were initially set at ¥10,000 for temporary residency and ¥20,000 for permanent residency.

• The agency subsequently broadened the humanitarian exemption to cover additional circumstances. Among those eligible may be foreign nationals who are solely responsible for raising their biological children who are Japanese nationals or special permanent residents.
• The exemption can also apply in cases where refusing or denying residency would be considered inhumane.

Japan’s category of special permanent residents largely covers people who lived in the country before World War II but lost Japanese citizenship after the war, along with their descendants.

The fee changes come as Japan seeks to balance the administration of its immigration system with humanitarian considerations for foreign nationals facing financial or personal hardship.

What you should know

The latest increase in residency-related fees follows Japan’s decision earlier this year to raise visa charges for foreign visitors for the first time in nearly five decades.

• In June 2026, Japan announced that visa fees would increase from July 1, marking the first revision to the country’s visa pricing structure since 1978.
• The cost of a single-entry visa rose from ¥3,000 to ¥15,000, a 400% increase, while the fee for multiple-entry visas increased from ¥6,000 to ¥30,000.
• The government said the changes were intended to reflect higher inflation, administrative costs and changes in currency values over the 48-year period since the previous fee review.

The increase also came as Japan recorded a record number of foreign residents. Government data showed that the country’s foreign population reached 4.13 million at the end of 2025.

Japanese authorities said revenue from the higher visa charges would help fund immigration management systems, Japanese-language education programs and measures to address visa overstays and other compliance issues.