Japan has increased visa fees for all foreigners fivefold in the first price hike in almost half a century. The visa fee modifications, the first since 1978, were made to “reflect inflation and exchange rate fluctuations,” Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi told reporters on Friday. “We do not expect it to have an immediate impact on inbound tourism,” he continued.
The Japanese yen has been on a steady decline since 2021 and is now sitting at around record 40-year lows. Travel resurgence post-pandemic and this has led to a boom in tourists to Japan. And last year the country had a record 42.7 million international visitors. In May, the Upper House in Japan approved legislation to increase various charges connected to immigrants.
The modification will increase the ceiling of applications for permanent residency under the law to 300,000 yen, or 30 times the current ceiling of 10,000 yen. The cost for changing resident status or extending a duration of stay will also be up to 100,000 yen, compared to the present 10,000 . Authorities proposing the cost hikes say Japan needs to align its visa- and residency-related fees more closely with those of other G7 economies.
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