Japan will sharply increase visa application fees for foreign travellers from 1 July, introducing the first adjustment to the charges in almost five decades.
Under the revised system, a single-entry visa will cost 15,000 yen, compared with the current fee of 3,000 yen. The price of a multiple-entry visa will also rise fivefold, from 6,000 yen to 30,000 yen.
The charges have remained unchanged since 1978, despite decades of inflation and major shifts in the value of Japan’s currency. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said the decision was intended to “reflect inflation and exchange rate fluctuations.”
The increase comes as Japan experiences an unprecedented tourism boom. A prolonged decline in the value of the yen has made hotels, meals, transport, and shopping more affordable for visitors from countries with stronger currencies.
Japan welcomed a record 42.7 million international travellers last year as demand continued to recover from the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Popular destinations, including Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, have reported heavy crowds, while some communities have struggled with congestion and pressure on local services.
Despite the scale of the increase, the government does not expect the new charges to significantly reduce the number of people visiting the country.
“We do not anticipate that it will have an immediate impact on inbound tourism,” Motegi said.
The visa adjustment is being introduced alongside broader changes to fees affecting foreign residents. Legislation approved by Japan’s Upper House in May raised the legal limits for several immigration procedures, although the government has yet to confirm the final amounts applicants will pay.
The maximum permitted charge for a permanent residency application will increase from 10,000 yen to 300,000 yen. Fees for changing a residency category or extending an authorised period of stay could rise to as much as 100,000 yen, up from the current ceiling of 10,000 yen.
Japanese officials have argued that existing immigration charges are considerably lower than those imposed by other major economies. A standard visitor visa for the United Kingdom costs £135, while common non-immigrant visa applications in the United States range from $185 to $315.
The government says the revised charges will bring Japan closer to international pricing levels while helping cover the administrative costs associated with processing a growing number of visa and residency applications.