Japan's Immigration Services Agency will apply the current lower immigration charges to cases it receives by September 30, 2026, even when officials approve them after the new rates begin. The cutoff is the agency's acceptance of the application, not the date an applicant receives a decision or card.
The revised residence-fee schedule starts on October 1, 2026. A case accepted before then remains under the earlier rates, while an application received on or after that date moves to the new charges.
The rule covers applications to change status, extend a period of stay, or seek permanent residence. The timing can determine whether an applicant pays ¥10,000 or ¥200,000 for the same type of permanent-residence application.
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The approval can come later.
A transition explanation says cases submitted before the change remain under the existing prices even if immigration issues its decision after the revised charges take effect. The acceptance date therefore fixes the applicable fee before officers complete the review.
“applications for a Change of Status of Residence, Extension of Period of Stay, or Permanent Residence filed before October 1, 2026 will remain subject to the current fee schedule, regardless of whether a decision is issued on or after the new fees take effect.”
The current permanent-residence charge is ¥10,000. It will become ¥200,000, a 20-fold increase. Change-of-status and extension applications currently cost ¥6,000 at an immigration counter or ¥5,500 when filed online.
Those existing rates remain available only when the agency receives the application before the new schedule starts. The revised charges then separate applications by the length of the requested stay and by filing method.
The new charges vary by stay length and filing method
The announced counter and online rates are:
| Application type | Stay length | Counter fee from October 1 | Online fee from October 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Change of status or extension | Up to 3 months | ¥10,000 | ¥10,000 |
| Change of status or extension | 1 year | ¥33,000 | ¥27,000 |
| Change of status or extension | 3 to under 5 years | ¥64,000 | ¥56,000 |
| Change of status or extension | 5 years or more | ¥75,000 | ¥65,000 |
The new structure keeps online filing cheaper in several categories. For a one-year application, the online rate is ¥27,000, compared with ¥33,000 at the counter. The difference is ¥8,000 for a stay of 3 to under 5 years and ¥10,000 for a stay of 5 years or more.
The short-stay category carries the same listed charge through both methods, at ¥10,000 for up to 3 months. Permanent-residence applications have a separate revised fee of ¥200,000.
The government approved the change on August 25
The Japanese government approved the revision in a cabinet decision on August 25, 2026. The changes are scheduled to begin October 1, 2026.
The Immigration Services Agency published the revised framework in July 2026 before the cabinet formalized it. The decision set the actual charges below the maximum amounts allowed under the revised law.
The fee increase follows a change to statutory ceilings. The revised law permits charges of up to ¥100,000 for temporary residence-related procedures and up to ¥300,000 for permanent residence. The cabinet decision established lower amounts for the categories listed in the new schedule.
The agency's transition treatment applies even when processing continues beyond the start date. A person whose case reaches immigration before the cutoff does not switch to the new price merely because review takes longer.
The date immigration accepts the case controls the price
The practical division is between cases received before October 1 and those received on or after October 1. The first group remains under the earlier fee schedule. The second group faces the revised charges.
That distinction also separates filing from approval. An application accepted on September 30, 2026, keeps the old price even if immigration grants the permit after October 1.
Applicants cannot use a later approval date to claim the earlier rates. The relevant event occurs when immigration receives and accepts the filing.
The same principle applies across the covered procedures. It protects the old ¥6,000 counter charge and ¥5,500 online charge for status changes and extensions, as well as the ¥10,000 permanent-residence fee, when the application arrives before the transition date.
The increase makes the filing deadline especially consequential for people already preparing eligible applications. A permanent-residence fee of ¥200,000 would be ¥190,000 higher than the current charge.
The new rates take effect on October 1, 2026. Cases received before that date continue under the earlier schedule even when immigration completes them later.
