Japan Weighs Sharp Increase in Residency Permit Fees for Foreign Nationals

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:45 JST, April 11, 2026

The Justice Ministry released Friday approximate amounts for increased fees required for foreign nationals to obtain residence permits. For changes or renewals of residence status, the current fee of ¥6,000 would be raised to about ¥10,000 for periods of stay of three months or less, and to about ¥70,000 for a five-year period. The ministry also said it expects the current ¥10,000 fee for permanent residency permits to be raised to about ¥200,000.

A senior ministry official disclosed the figures at a meeting of the House of Representatives Judicial Affairs Committee. The government has submitted to the current Diet session a bill to amend the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law that would raise the upper limit on such fees. The actual amounts are to be set by cabinet order within the current fiscal year, and the ministry official explained that the estimates took into account screening costs and conditions in other countries.

The amendment bill would raise the current upper limit of ¥10,000, taking future inflation into consideration, to ¥100,000 for changes and renewals and would raise the upper limit to ¥300,000 for permanent residency permits.