Japan hikes foreign residency fees up to 20-fold, effective October
Japan has adopted an ordinance that will sharply raise the fees foreign nationals pay to renew or change their residency status, with some applications costing more than 12 times the current rate. Starting October, the fee for extending or changing residency will rise from a flat ¥6,000 to as much as ¥75,000 depending on the length of the new status. Applications for up to three months will cost ¥10,000; one-year extensions ¥33,000; three-to-less-than-five-year extensions ¥64,000; and five-year or longer extensions ¥75,000. The most dramatic jump is for permanent residency: the fee leaps from ¥10,000 to ¥200,000, a 20-fold increase. The changes follow a June 2026 revision that already raised visa fees - single-entry visas now ¥15,000 (up from ¥3,000) and multiple-entry visas ¥30,000 (up from ¥6,000). Japan’s foreign resident population stood at 4.13 million at the end of 2025, and the government says the higher revenue will fund immigration management, Japanese-language education and compliance measures.
For Nigerians and other foreigners living in Japan, the increase means substantially higher costs to maintain legal status, potentially affecting decisions about long-term stay, work, study or family reunification. Reduced fees may be granted under humanitarian exemptions - for example, if the applicant is solely responsible for raising a Japanese-national child or if denying residency would be deemed inhumane. Knowing the exact fee tiers and the October effective date allows individuals to budget ahead, explore exemption eligibility, or consider alternative destinations if costs become prohibitive.