Japan will raise visa fees for foreign nationals from next month, marking the first increase in nearly 50 years, authorities said.

The cabinet approved the change on Friday, and it will apply to visa applications submitted on or after 1 July.

Under the new fee structure, the cost of a single-entry visa will rise from 3,000 Japanese yen to 15,000 Japanese yen, while the cost of a multiple-entry visa will rise from 6,000 Japanese yen to 30,000 Japanese yen.

“The current visa fee was set in 1978, and we have recently revised it to reflect inflation and exchange rate fluctuations since then,“ foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi told a news conference on Friday.

“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.

The fee increases follow legislation approved by parliament last month that allows the government to raise a range of immigration-related charges. Officials say the additional revenue will help cover the growing costs associated with managing Japan’s expanding foreign resident population and improving immigration services, according to The Japan Times.

As part of the broader overhaul, the legal ceiling for fees related to residency status changes and visa extensions will be increased significantly, while the maximum charge for permanent residency applications will also rise. The government has proposed lifting fees for residency status modifications and stay extensions to between 10,000 Japanese yen and 70,000 Japanese yen, depending on the application type.

Charges for permanent residency applications are expected to increase from 10,000 Japanese yen to 200,000 Japanese yen. Authorities aim to introduce those changes before the end of the fiscal year in March 2027, Nippon reported.

Officials say the extra funds will support immigration processing, expand Japanese-language education programs and strengthen efforts to tackle visa overstays.

Japan’s foreign resident population reached a record 4.13 million people by the end of 2025, according to government data.

The government has also argued that the revised fees will bring Japan’s immigration-related charges closer to those imposed by other advanced economies, where visa and residency application costs are often substantially higher.

Source: The Independent 

--Agencies