Japanese immigration fees come from two separate systems that changed independently in 2026. Visas issued abroad are priced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Applications filed inside Japan are priced by the Immigration Services Agency. Both went up sharply, and the figures below are the current ones.
All fees are payable on approval rather than on filing, and none are refunded if an application is refused.
Visas issued abroad
Current since 1 July 2026:
- Single-entry visa: ¥15,000, up from ¥3,000
- Multiple-entry visa: ¥30,000, up from ¥6,000
- Transit visa: a nominal amount, well below the single-entry fee
You pay in local currency at the embassy or consulate when the visa is issued. Where a mission requires applications to go through an accredited travel agency, the agency's service charge sits on top of this and is not set by the Japanese government.
Nationals of the 74 visa-exempt countries and regions pay nothing for short visits, because no visa is issued.
Applications filed inside Japan
Two sets of figures matter here: what applies today, and what applies to applications filed on or after 1 October 2026.
What applies now
- Permanent residency: ¥10,000
- Extension of period of stay, or change of status of residence: ¥6,000 at the counter, ¥5,500 online, flat regardless of the period granted
Those amounts have been in place since 1 April 2025, when the counter fee for extensions and status changes rose from ¥4,000 and permanent residency rose from ¥8,000. Older guidance still quoting ¥4,000 predates that revision.
From 1 October 2026
Applications accepted on or before 30 September 2026 keep the old fee, even if the decision comes later.
Permanent residency: ¥200,000, up from ¥10,000.
Extension of period of stay, and change of status of residence. Both move to the same scale, keyed to the period of stay you are actually granted:
- Three months or less: ¥10,000 in person, ¥10,000 online
- Over three to six months: ¥18,000 in person, ¥15,000 online
- Over six months to under one year: ¥25,000 in person, ¥21,000 online
- One year: ¥33,000 in person, ¥27,000 online
- Over one to under three years: ¥48,000 in person, ¥42,000 online
- Three to under five years: ¥64,000 in person, ¥56,000 online
- Five years: ¥75,000 in person, ¥65,000 online
Reduced fees apply to applicants in financial hardship comparable to welfare eligibility: ¥10,000 for an extension or status change, ¥20,000 for permanent residency. Reductions must be claimed at a counter, not online.
Other applications
The Certificate of Eligibility application itself carries no fee. Permission to engage in activity other than that permitted, the permission students and dependants need to work part-time, is free. Re-entry permits are charged where a standard permit is needed, though most residents rely on the free special re-entry system for absences under a year.
What an application actually costs
The government fee is rarely the largest line. A realistic budget for a first work visa from abroad:
- Visa fee at the embassy, where a visa is needed: ¥15,000
- Document translation, if you do not do it yourself: ¥3,000 to ¥10,000 per document
- Obtaining certificates from your home country, including apostilles where required: varies widely
- Passport photographs: ¥1,000 to ¥2,000
- Courier and postage: a few thousand yen
- An administrative scrivener, if you engage one: ¥100,000 to ¥300,000 depending on complexity
A professional is rarely necessary for a straightforward work visa where a competent employer is doing the filing. It is worth considering for Business Manager applications, marriage cases with complications, and permanent residency applications where the record is not perfectly clean.
The cost of staying, over time
From October, staying on one-year renewals costs ¥33,000 a year in person or ¥27,000 online. Five years of that is ¥135,000 to ¥165,000. A single five-year grant costs ¥75,000. Today the same five renewals would cost ¥30,000.
This makes the period of stay you are granted financially significant for the first time. It was already procedurally significant: from April 2027, a permanent residency application generally requires you to hold the longest period available for your status.
For households, every member files and pays separately.
Where to go next
For the background on why the fees changed and what else changed alongside them, see 2026 Fee Changes. For the renewal process itself, see Extending or Renewing Your Status of Residence.
Fees are set by ordinance and can change. Confirm current amounts with the Immigration Services Agency or the embassy handling your case before you budget against them.
Back to Fees & Costs.