Japan's parliament on Friday passed an immigration control law revision to raise the maximum fee for residence status applications by foreigners and introduce an online pre-entry travel authorisation system for overseas arrivals.

Once the fee changes are implemented later this fiscal year, the upper limit will be set at 100,000 yen for visa renewals and 300,000 yen for permanent residency applications, marking a sharp increase from the existing threshold of 10,000 yen.

Currently, the fees are 6,000 yen for changing residence status or extending the period of stay and 10,000 yen for permanent residency.

The new fees will be formally set by a cabinet order after soliciting public comments.

The government, which has cited rising costs for the revision, has said it will ease the payment burden on humanitarian grounds and for those facing financial difficulties, but lawmakers have pointed out during parliamentary deliberations that the criteria for such considerations remain unclear.

The Immigration Services Agency plans to formulate guidelines setting forth specific requirements and other details.

The latest revision also establishes the Japan Electronic System for Travel Authorization, which is expected to be implemented in fiscal 2028.

The system aims to prevent terrorism and illegal employment and targets 74 countries and regions whose citizens qualify for visa-free entry for short stays.

Travellers will be required to provide information online, such as their name, purpose of visit, and destination, several days prior to departure, which will be cross-checked against criminal records and other databases. If there is a suspicion of illegal overstaying, travellers will be denied boarding on planes or ships.

The number of foreign residents in Japan at the end of 2025 stood at approximately 4.13 million, a record high.

Source: Bangkok Post