Japan to Charge Foreigners More for Residence Permits, Looking to Align with Western Countries

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:34 JST, November 20, 2025

The government is set to raise fees for residence procedures for foreign nationals to levels comparable to those in Europe and the United States in the next fiscal year, according to government and ruling party sources.

It intends to submit a bill to amend the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Law to the regular Diet session next year. Revenue from the fee increase will fund policy initiatives related to foreigners, including to improve conditions for the rapidly growing foreign resident population and to deport illegal residents.

The government is considering including the following statement in its soon-to-be-drafted economic package: “In fiscal 2026, we will review and raise fees related to foreign residents and visa fees, taking into account the levels in major countries.”

Residence permit fees were raised by ¥2,000 in April this year, setting them at ¥6,000 for changing residence status and renewing stays and ¥10,000 for those applying for permanent residence. This reflects rising prices and labor costs.

The government is considering a plan that would raise fees for changing residence status and renewing stays of one year or longer to somewhere between ¥30,000 and ¥40,000, and that would increase the cost for a permanent residency permit to ¥100,000 or more. As the law currently sets a maximum fee of ¥10,000, an amendment will be required. This would be the first legal revision to increase the fees since 1981.

Fees in Western countries are higher than in Japan. In the United States, changing or renewing one’s work permit costs $420 to $470 (about ¥65,000 to ¥73,000), and in Britain it costs £827 (about ¥169,000). In Germany, changing or renewing one’s residence permit costs €93 to €98 (about ¥16,000 to ¥17,000).

In June, Japan’s foreign resident population stood at a record high of about 3.96 million people, according to the Immigration Services Agency. The government aims to use the revenue from higher fees to improve conditions for foreign residents, such as by speeding up immigration screening and enhancing Japanese language education. Measures to deal with the roughly 70,000 illegal residents will also be strengthened.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry plans to raise fees for visas to levels comparable to Europe and the United States in the next fiscal year. If implemented, this would be the first increase since 1978. The government is expected to allocate the revenue to countering overtourism, among other measures.

A single-entry visa currently costs ¥3,000, and a multiple-entry visa runs at ¥6,000. For comparison, short-stay visas cost $185 (about ¥28,000) in the United States and £127 (about ¥25,000) in Britain. The ministry will reference these figures in determining how much to raise the fees.