Japan increased visa application fees 5 times

On June 19, the Japanese Government announced its decision to increase visa fees for foreign citizens.

According to the new regulations, the single-entry visa fee increases from 3,000 yen (about 490,000 VND) to 15,000 yen (about 2.5 million VND). For multiple-entry visas, the fee increased from 6,000 yen (about 980,000 VND) to 30,000 yen (about 4.9 million VND).

This adjustment comes based on a law passed by the Japanese Senate last month, allowing fees related to visas and stays to increase by up to 30 times.

Specifically, the legal ceiling for fees for changing status of residence or extending period of stay increased from 10,000 yen to 100,000 yen (about 16 million VND). Fees for applications for permanent residence (permanent residence) increased from 10,000 yen to 300,000 yen (about 49 million VND).

Explaining the reason, former foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi said the current visa fee has been applied since 1978, so it needs to be adjusted according to inflation and exchange rate fluctuations.

“The decision was made after careful consideration of many factors and we do not expect to have an immediate impact on the wave of international tourism to Japan,” Mr. Motegi said.

The Japanese government said the fee increase was necessary to get closer to Western countries, thereby building a more stringent immigration management system. For example, visa extension fees in the US currently range from 420 to 470 USD (about 10.7-12 million VND), while in Germany it is 93-98 euros (about 2.5-2.7 million VND).

Additional revenue from the new policy will be used to manage the record-growing foreign resident community in the country, reaching 4.13 million people by the end of 2025. This capital will also be used to expand Japanese language training programs and strengthen measures against illegal labor and residence.

According to travel agencies, Vietnam is currently one of the countries with a large number of people staying, working and traveling in Japan. The decision to increase fees is expected to significantly impact the cost of applying for new documents as well as renewing documents for hundreds of thousands of interns, international students and Vietnamese tourists in the near future.