Japan's cabinet adopted a government ordinance on 25 August 2026 that sets the fees foreign residents will pay for immigration procedures from 1 October. Renewing a period of stay or changing a status of residence, which currently costs a flat ¥6,000 (¥5,500 online), will cost between ¥10,000 and ¥75,000 depending on the length of stay the Immigration Services Agency (ISA) grants. An application for permanent residence rises from ¥10,000 to ¥200,000. The amounts are the ones the ISA put out for public comment in July; the agency received more than 10,000 comments and decided not to change them. The new fees apply to applications the ISA receives on or after 1 October 2026. Applications received by 30 September pay the current fee even if the decision comes later.
Background
The increase has come in two steps. On 29 May 2026 the Diet passed amendments to the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act that raised the statutory ceilings on procedure fees to ¥100,000 for residence permissions and ¥300,000 for permanent residence, leaving the actual amounts to a cabinet order. On 3 July the ISA published its draft figures and opened a 30-day comment period. The current ¥6,000 flat fee is itself recent: it replaced ¥4,000 on 1 April 2025, when the permanent-residence fee also went from ¥8,000 to ¥10,000. This week's decision is separate from the fivefold rise in visa issuance fees at Japanese embassies that took effect on 1 July (see /news/japan-visa-fee-increase-july-2026); that fee is paid abroad before entry, while these fees are paid inside Japan when a residence permission is granted. At his 3 July press conference the Justice Minister explained the method: each fee covers the estimated cost of examining the application (about ¥10,000 for a change or extension, about ¥20,000 for permanent residence) plus a share of the roughly ¥20,000 per person per year the government says it spends administering and supporting foreign residents, with fees charged by other countries taken into account.
What exactly changed
The flat fee gives way to a scale tied to the period of stay actually granted, which the applicant only learns at the decision stage. At a counter, a permission for three months or less costs ¥10,000, one year ¥33,000, three years to under five years ¥64,000 and five years or more ¥75,000. Filing online is cheaper for the longer tiers, with the top tier at ¥65,000. Permanent residence is ¥200,000. A Certificate of Eligibility, the document most new arrivals obtain before their visa, remains free. The ordinance also sets reduced fees of ¥10,000 for a change or extension and ¥20,000 for permanent residence for applicants in financial hardship who also need humanitarian consideration; Jiji reports that, in response to the public comments, the ISA widened that group to include a foreign parent who is the sole carer of a Japanese or special-permanent-resident child and cases where refusing a reduction would cause humanitarian hardship.
Before vs after (counter filing)
- Change of status or extension of period of stay: ¥6,000 flat → ¥10,000 (up to 3 months), ¥33,000 (1 year), ¥64,000 (3 to under 5 years), ¥75,000 (5 years or more)
- Permanent residence application: ¥10,000 → ¥200,000
- Timing: applies to applications received from 1 October 2026; applications received by 30 September pay the old fee regardless of decision date
Who it affects
Almost every foreign resident of Japan eventually pays one of these fees. An engineer on a one-year Engineer/Specialist in Humanities permission who has been renewing annually will pay ¥33,000 per renewal instead of ¥6,000, and now has a reason to ask for, and qualify for, a longer period. A spouse of a Japanese national granted five years pays ¥75,000 once and then nothing for five years. A student who switches to a work status after graduation pays the change-of-status fee on the period granted. The permanent-residence figure lands on the largest group of long-term residents: people who have completed ten years of residence (or the shorter periods for highly skilled professionals and spouses) and who, from 1 October, will pay ¥200,000 to apply, with no refund if refused. Employers of Specified Skilled Workers and other sponsored staff who cover fees as a benefit will see their per-renewal cost rise by the same amounts.
What to do now
The date that matters is the ISA's receipt date, not the decision date. Anyone eligible to file a permanent-residence application, an extension or a change of status before 30 September can do so at today's fee. Extensions can be filed up to three months before the current period expires, so a permission expiring in October, November or December can generally be renewed in September. Filing online saves money on the longer tiers and is available to most residents and to registered sponsors. If you receive public assistance or are the sole carer of a Japanese child, ask about the reduced fee when you apply. Separately, the ISA is still consulting on stricter permanent-residence guidelines on income and pension contributions (/news/japan-permanent-residency-guideline-tightening-2026), so anyone close to eligibility has two reasons to check timing. Our Japan country guide (/country-guides/japan) walks through the status types and the renewal process.
When it takes effect
Cabinet decision on 25 August 2026; the new fees apply to applications received by the Immigration Services Agency on or after 1 October 2026.
What is not yet confirmed
The ISA had not posted the adopted fee table on moj.go.jp/isa at the time of writing. The online rate for the one-year tier (reported as ¥27,000 by one outlet and ¥28,000 by another) and the precise wording of the expanded reduction categories should be checked against the ISA table once it is published.
Key Takeaway
From 1 October 2026 Japan charges ¥10,000 to ¥75,000 per residence renewal or change and ¥200,000 per permanent-residence application; the ISA receipt date decides which fee applies, so eligible filings before 30 September pay today's rates.