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Japan Visa Fees & Processing (2026)

Last Updated: April 2026Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan

Official fees for visa applications in Japan. Fees are paid via revenue stamps (収入印紙) at the Immigration Bureau when picking up your new residence card.

⚠️ Fee Increase Notice

The Japanese government has approved new visa fee caps. Visa renewal/status change fees will increase to a maximum of ¥100,000. Permanent Residency application fees will increase to a maximum of ¥300,000 (estimated ~¥200,000). Implementation is targeted by March 2027. Current fees (¥4,000 / ¥8,000) remain in effect until then. Read more →

Visa TypeNew ApplicationRenewalChange of StatusMax Duration
Engineer/Specialist in Humanities¥4,000¥4,000¥4,0001-5 years
Intra-company Transferee¥4,000¥4,000¥4,0001-5 years
Business Manager¥4,000¥4,000¥4,0001-5 years
Student¥4,000¥4,000¥4,0003mo-4y
Dependent¥4,000¥4,000¥4,0001-5 years
Spouse of Japanese National¥4,000¥4,000¥4,0006mo-5y
Permanent Resident¥8,000N/AN/AUnlimited
Highly Skilled Professional¥4,000¥4,000¥4,0005 years
Specified Skilled Worker (i)¥4,000¥4,000¥4,0001 year
Specified Skilled Worker (ii)¥4,000¥4,000¥4,0001-3 years

💡 Yamada Hack: The ¥4,000 fee is only paid when your application is APPROVED. If denied, you don't pay. Buy the revenue stamps (収入印紙) at the post office inside Immigration, not outside - outside vendors sometimes charge extra.

Source: Immigration Services Agency of Japan (出入国在留管理庁), Fee Schedule 2026.

* New fee caps approved. See notice above. Always check the Immigration Services Agency for the latest fees.

Citation: EasyNihon. "Japan Visa Fees & Processing (2026)." EasyNihon.com, April 2026. https://easynihon.com/data-visa-fees

Frequently Asked Questions

A standard work visa extension (zairyu kikan koushin) in Japan costs ¥4,000 in revenue stamps (shunyu inshi) for the application itself. Professional help from an immigration lawyer or administrative scrivener adds ¥50,000 to ¥200,000 depending on complexity and the individual lawyer's rates. Incidental costs include passport-sized photos (¥800), document translations (¥3,000 to ¥5,000 per document), and transportation to the immigration office. Total all-in visa renewal cost for a straightforward DIY application is typically ¥5,000 to ¥8,000.
Japan's immigration procedure visa fees are: Certificate of Eligibility (COE) application — free; permission to acquire status of residence — ¥4,000; period of stay extension (visa renewal) — ¥4,000; change of status of residence — ¥4,000; permanent residence permission — ¥8,000; special permanent residence renewal — ¥1,600; re-entry permit single — ¥3,000; re-entry permit multiple — ¥6,000. All fees are paid in revenue stamps (shunyu inshi) purchased at post offices or convenience stores.
The permanent residence application fee itself is ¥8,000 in revenue stamps, payable only upon approval (not upon submission). However, the total cost including document preparation is significantly higher: income tax certificates and residence certificates from city hall cost ¥300 to ¥400 each, certified translations of foreign documents run ¥3,000 to ¥5,000 per page, and immigration lawyers charge ¥100,000 to ¥300,000 for assistance with complex applications. The largest cost is often the years of preparation required before qualifying.
The Certificate of Eligibility (COE / zairyu shikaku ninteisho) is a document issued by Japan's Regional Immigration Services Bureau confirming that a prospective visa applicant meets the requirements for the status of residence they are applying for. Filing the COE application is completely free of charge, and the COE is applied for inside Japan by the sponsoring employer, university, or family member — not by the applicant from abroad. Processing takes 1 to 3 months, and once issued, it is sent to you to present at a Japanese embassy or consulate in your home country.
Several costs in Japan's visa process surprise applicants: document translations must be done professionally (¥3,000 to ¥5,000 per page), official documents from your home country often need notarization and apostille certification (fees vary by country, typically ¥5,000 to ¥30,000 total), multiple trips to the immigration bureau may be needed if documents are incomplete (each trip costs transportation and potentially time off work), and in some cases foreign documents require authentication at your home country's embassy in Tokyo before immigration will accept them.