JAPAN APPROVES MAJOR VISA FEE INCREASE FOR FOREIGNERS
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By: Balogun Ibrahim
Japan has approved a significant increase in visa fees for Nigerians and other foreign nationals after revising a Cabinet order governing visa charges.
According to local media outlet Japan Times, the decision was adopted at a Cabinet meeting on Friday, marking the first adjustment to the country’s visa fees since 1978.
Under the new fee structure, the cost of a single-entry visa will rise from ¥3,000 ($18.60) to ¥15,000 ($92.99), while multiple-entry visas will increase from ¥6,000 ($37.20) to ¥30,000 ($187.97). The new rates will take effect for applications submitted from July 1.
Explaining the move, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said the revision reflects decades of inflation and exchange-rate changes since the fees were originally set nearly five decades ago.
“We carefully reviewed a range of factors before making this decision and do not expect it to have an immediate effect on inbound tourism,” Motegi said during a press briefing on Friday.
The fee increase follows the passage of a bill by Japan’s Upper House last month that allows visa and residency-related charges for foreign nationals to be raised substantially. The legislation had previously been approved by the Lower House in April.
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The government said the measure is aimed at generating additional revenue to offset the administrative costs associated with managing Japan’s expanding foreign resident population.
Before the law was revised, the maximum fee for changing residency status or extending a stay was ¥10,000 ($63), while permanent residency applications were also capped at ¥10,000. Those limits have now been raised to ¥100,000 and ¥300,000 respectively.
Actual charges will be determined through Cabinet orders within the new legal ceilings. 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 expected to rise from ¥10,000 to ¥200,000.
The new residency-related charges are expected to be introduced before the end of the next fiscal year on March 31, 2027.
Officials said the additional funds would support the management of Japan’s record foreign resident population, which stood at 4.13 million at the end of 2025. The revenue will also help expand Japanese-language education programmes and strengthen measures against visa overstayers.
The government further argued that the increases would bring Japan’s visa and immigration fees more in line with those charged in many Western countries. For comparison, visa renewal fees range between approximately $420 and $470 in the United States, while similar charges in Germany range from €93 ($107) to €98.
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