TOKYO, Japan — The government of Japan approved a 400% increase in visa fees for Nigerians and other foreign nationals during a Cabinet meeting on Friday, June 19, 2026.
The Japan Times reported on Saturday, June 20, 2026, that the decision marks the first revision of visa fees since 1978. Okay News reports that Japan‘s Foreign Minister, Toshimitsu Motegi, confirmed the adjustment during a news conference, stating that the revised structure will apply to applications submitted on or after July 1, 2026.
Under the new structure, the fee for a single-entry visa will rise from ¥3,000 ($18.60) to ¥15,000 ($92.99), while a multiple-entry visa will increase from ¥6,000 ($37.20) to ¥30,000 ($187.97).
“The current visa fee was set in 1978, and we have recently revised it to reflect inflation and exchange rate fluctuations since then,” Motegi said. “We made this decision after carefully considering various factors, and we do not anticipate that it will have an immediate impact on inbound tourism,” he added.
The measure follows a bill enacted by the Upper House to raise visa-related fees for foreign nationals by up to 30 times current levels, after clearing the Lower House in April. The statutory upper limit for fees to change residency status or extend a period of stay was raised from ¥10,000 ($63) to ¥100,000, while the cap for permanent residency applications was also raised from ¥10,000 to ¥300,000.
The government proposed increasing actual fees for residency status changes and stay extensions from the current range of ¥5,500 to ¥6,000 up to between ¥10,000 and ¥70,000. Permanent residency application fees will rise from ¥10,000 to ¥200,000, with changes implemented before the end of the next fiscal year on March 31, 2027.
The additional revenue will fund administrative costs for managing the foreign resident population, which reached a record 4.13 million at the end of 2025.
