Daijiworld Media Network – Tokyo
Tokyo, Jul 6: Japan will significantly increase fees for residence-related applications from Oct. 1, affecting foreign nationals, including thousands of Indian professionals living and working in the country.
The revised fee structure, announced by the Immigration Services Agency under Japan's Ministry of Justice, covers applications for residence permit renewals, changes in residence status and permanent residency.
The move marks the first major increase in residence-related charges in decades and comes months after Japan raised visa fees for short-term visitors from Jul. 1.
According to the agency, the higher charges are intended to meet rising administrative costs, support the digitalisation of immigration services and cater to the country's growing foreign resident population.
Under the revised structure, applicants renewing or changing their residence status will no longer pay a flat fee of 6,000 yen. Instead, charges will depend on the duration of the residence permit.
The revised fees are expected to be around 10,000 yen for permits valid up to three months, 30,000 yen for one-year permits, 60,000 yen for three-year permits and 70,000 yen for five-year permits.
The steepest increase applies to permanent residency applications, with the fee rising from 10,000 yen to around 200,000 yen, representing a 20-fold increase.
The Immigration Services Agency has also raised the statutory ceiling for residence status extensions and changes to 100,000 yen, while the upper limit for permanent residency applications has been increased to 300,000 yen. The government said the actual charges would be fixed within these limits.
Officials said the revision reflects the growing cost of processing immigration applications and managing foreign residents.
According to reports, Japan had a record 4.1 million foreign residents in 2025, an increase of 9.5 per cent from the previous year. The government has also substantially increased its budget for managing foreign nationals during the current financial year.
The revised fees are expected to impact a large number of Indian professionals employed in sectors such as information technology, engineering, manufacturing, research and education, many of whom renew their residence permits every one, three or five years.
Those planning to obtain permanent residency will face the sharpest increase in application costs, while the changes are also expected to raise the overall cost of long-term relocation to Japan for Indian workers and their families.
The Immigration Services Agency has advised eligible applicants to submit residence renewal or permanent residency applications before Oct. 1, if possible, to take advantage of the existing fee structure.