Japan is set to raise its visa fees for the first time in five decades, in what officials say is a bid to align visa prices with the true costs of immigration admin, staffing, and infrastructure.
The historic move means that from 1 July 2025, tourists and corporate arrivals from nations that do not benefit from a visa waiver will pay five times as much as before to enter Japan. Single-entry visas will go up from ¥3,000 (around €16) to ¥15,000 (around €80). The fee for a multi-entry visa with a validity period of between one and five years, allowing stays of 90 days at a time, is being hiked by the same ratio, from ¥6,000 (€32) to ¥30,000 (over €160).
@hiro_no_tabi Japan visa price hike
♬ original sound – Hiro | Japan Food + Travel
Although the Japanese economy has been famously stagnant since the national asset and real estate bubble burst in the early 1990s, officials have blamed the visa price increase on inflation and shifts in exchange rates.
Although it will affect major source markets like China, India, the Middle East, and the Philippines, even the planned five-fold increase in visa costs is unlikely to negatively impact visitor numbers in Japan, which has seen booming arrivals since the COVID-19 pandemic.
An Indian restaurant owner in Japan breaks down after his visa was rejected forcing him to return to India
— Shashank Mattoo (@MattooShashank) May 27, 2026
"My kids only speak Japanese. I've worked hard for 30 years and bought a house. I haven't committed a crime and did my best. Is this humane?" he asks in a viral clip pic.twitter.com/7hWkK3T29o
The country—once closed to all but a limited amount of foreign trade for the 220-year Edo period— has now become so popular with foreign guests that overtourism is a growing concern. The introduction of visitor access charges for certain shrines, hiking trails around Mount Fuji, increased rail tickets, and even political tensions with China have failed to significantly calm the tourism sector, and so the visa increases are not expected to be off-putting either, officials say.
Indeed, the creation of a new Japan Electronic System for Travel Authorisation, or JESTA, that comes alongside the visa price increase, could make it easier for travellers to apply to visit. From 2028, would-be visitors to Japan from 74 visa-waiver nations will be able to submit identity and travel information online for screening before they depart.
On top of the changes for tourists, immigration fees are on their way up too, from ¥10,000 (€58) to ¥100,000 (€583) for residence and visa renewals, and up to ¥300,000 (€1,750) for permanent residency applications. These prices are yet to be confirmed and are predicted to be rolled out in spring 2027. Part of the funds raised by this adjustment are reportedly earmarked for Japanese language lessons for foreigners. Japan’s foreign resident population reached a record 4.13 million at the end of 2025.
