Japan’s hefty visa fees, new digital entry system move closer to implementation

Japan’s parliament on Friday passed an immigration control law revision to raise the maximum fee for residence status applications by foreigners and introduce an online…

Japan’s parliament on Friday passed an immigration control law revision to raise the maximum fee for residence status applications by foreigners and introduce an online pre-entry travel authorisation system for overseas arrivals.

Once the fee changes are implemented later this financial year, the upper limit will be set at 100,000 yen (US$630) for visa renewals and 300,000 yen for permanent residency applications, marking a sharp increase from the existing threshold of 10,000 yen.

The fees are currently 6,000 yen for changing residence status or extending the period of stay and 10,000 yen for permanent residency.

The new fees will be formally set by a cabinet order after soliciting public comments.

The government, which has cited rising costs for the revision, has said it will ease the payment burden on humanitarian grounds and for those facing financial difficulties, but lawmakers have pointed out during parliamentary deliberations that the criteria for such considerations remain unclear.

The Immigration Services Agency plans to formulate guidelines setting forth specific requirements and other details.

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