Japan is set to roll out a landmark fivefold increase to visa fees for foreign visitors starting 1 July, marking the first adjustment to these charges since 1978. Under the new fee structure, the cost of a single-entry visa will jump from the current 3,000 Japanese yen to 15,000 yen, while multi-entry visas will see an equivalent increase, rising from 6,000 yen to 30,000 yen.
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi announced the revisions during a press briefing on Friday, noting that the price adjustments are designed to reflect ongoing global inflation and significant exchange rate volatility that has impacted Japan’s economy in recent years. When addressing concerns about the effect on Japan’s booming post-pandemic travel sector, Motegi emphasized that authorities do not expect the fee hikes to trigger an immediate decline in inbound tourism.
The Japanese yen has faced persistent weakening since 2021, currently trading near 40-year historic lows against major global currencies. This currency depreciation, paired with the broad rebound in international travel following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, has driven an unprecedented surge in tourist arrivals to Japan. In 2024 alone, the country recorded a new all-time high of 42.7 million international visitors, underscoring the rapid recovery of its travel industry.
The visa fee revision is not an isolated policy change. Earlier this year, Japan’s Upper House approved a separate bill that raises administrative fees for a range of other immigration-related services for foreign nationals. Under that legislation, the statutory cap for permanent residency application fees will increase 30-fold, jumping from the current 10,000 yen to 300,000 yen. Fees for changing residency status or extending an authorized stay will also see a tenfold increase, rising from 10,000 yen to a maximum of 100,000 yen.
Proponents of the fee adjustments argue that bringing Japan’s visa and residency-related charges into line with the fee structures of other G7 major economies is a long-overdue correction. As a point of comparison, non-immigrant visa application fees in the United States currently range from $185 to $315, while a standard six-month short-term visitor visa for the United Kingdom costs £135.