Japan Permanent Residence Fee Expected to Increase to JPY 200,000 from October 2026 | Start Preparing Early
Masakazu SugitaIn July 2026, a major development was reported that could significantly affect foreign nationals planning to apply for permanent residence in Japan.
Currently, the government fee for obtaining permanent residence is JPY 10,000. However, according to recent reports, the Japanese government is considering increasing this fee dramatically to JPY 200,000, with the new fee expected to take effect around October 2026.
This represents a 20-fold increase and, if implemented, would have a substantial impact on many foreign residents who are planning to obtain permanent residence in Japan.
In this article, we summarize the information currently available and explain, from the perspective of an immigration law professional, why those considering permanent residence should start preparing as early as possible.
Permanent Residence Fee Expected to Increase to JPY 200,000
Currently, when permanent residence is granted in Japan, the applicant is required to pay a government fee of JPY 10,000 at the time of approval.
However, the Japanese government is currently reviewing various residence-related fees, including the fee for permanent residence. According to recent reports, the permanent residence fee is expected to be increased to JPY 200,000.
Please note that, as of now, the relevant Cabinet Order and other official regulations have not yet been promulgated. The actual effective date and detailed application rules are expected to be officially announced later by the Ministry of Justice and the Immigration Services Agency of Japan.
Therefore, the information in this article is based on the information currently available at the time of writing.
When Will the New Fee Apply?
At present, the Japanese government has not yet officially announced the detailed rules regarding when the increased permanent residence fee will apply.
However, based on previous revisions to immigration-related government fees, it has been customary that applications submitted before the effective date of a fee increase remain subject to the previous fee, even if the application is approved after the new fee comes into effect.
For this reason, it is possible that the same approach will be adopted for the upcoming increase in the permanent residence fee.
That said, the final rules will depend on the official announcement to be issued by the Ministry of Justice and the Immigration Services Agency of Japan, and applicants should carefully monitor future updates.
In any event, applying for permanent residence is not a process that can be completed overnight.
Preparing an application typically requires time to gather supporting documents, verify tax and pension payment records, obtain employment-related documents, and prepare the application forms and supporting statements.
Therefore, if you are considering applying for permanent residence, we recommend that you confirm your eligibility and begin preparing your application as early as possible, rather than waiting until shortly before the new fee is expected to take effect.
How Will This Affect Permanent Residence Applicants?
For those who are planning to apply for permanent residence in Japan, the biggest concern is likely to be:
"Which government fee will apply to my application?"
At this time, however, the Japanese government has not yet officially announced the detailed rules regarding when the new fee will take effect or which applications will be subject to it.
For this reason, we do not recommend assuming that there is still plenty of time before you need to start preparing.
If the fee increase is implemented as planned, it is reasonable to expect that many applicants will try to submit their permanent residence applications before the new fee becomes effective.
As a result, you may experience:
- Increased demand for immigration legal services and longer waiting times for consultations.
- Delays in obtaining the documents required for a permanent residence application.
- Insufficient time to prepare your application before the new fee is introduced.
If you are considering applying for permanent residence, starting the preparation process as early as possible is the best way to avoid unnecessary delays and uncertainty.
Applying for Permanent Residence Is Not a Quick Process
Applying for permanent residence in Japan is not a procedure that can be completed immediately after your initial consultation.
In most cases, applicants must complete a number of preparatory steps, including:
- Confirming that they meet the eligibility requirements for permanent residence.
- Reviewing their current immigration status.
- Verifying their tax payment history.
- Confirming their pension contribution records.
- Collecting employment-related documents.
- Obtaining official certificates from their local municipal office.
- Arranging a qualified guarantor.
- Preparing the application forms, supporting statement, and other required documents.
In addition, once the application documents are reviewed, it is not uncommon for additional issues to arise, such as:
- Missing or incomplete supporting documents.
- The need to clarify tax or pension records.
- Organizing information regarding previous job changes or overseas travel history.
As a result, preparing a permanent residence application often takes several weeks or even several months, depending on the applicant's individual circumstances.
For this reason, we strongly recommend beginning the preparation process as early as possible rather than waiting until shortly before the anticipated fee increase takes effect.
If You May Be Able to Apply This Year, We Recommend Consulting Early
If you are currently in any of the following situations, we recommend consulting with an immigration professional as early as possible:
- You are considering applying for permanent residence.
- You may be able to apply sometime this year.
- You were originally planning to apply next year.
- You are not sure whether you are already eligible to apply.
After reviewing your situation, it may turn out that:
"If you start preparing now, you may still have enough time to apply."
On the other hand, there may also be cases where:
"It would be better to wait a few more months before applying."
The most important first step is to accurately understand your current situation and determine whether you are eligible to apply now, soon, or at a later date.
Professional Support for Japan Permanent Residence Applications
At Sugita International Administrative Scrivener Office, we specialize in assisting foreign nationals with permanent residence applications in Japan.
With the expected increase in the permanent residence application fee, many applicants are wondering:
- "Can I apply before the new fee takes effect?"
- "Should I start preparing now?"
To help you answer these questions before contacting us, we provide two free online tools:
- Permanent Residence Eligibility Checker – Instantly estimate your eligibility for permanent residence.
- Automatic Fee Estimator – Receive an instant estimate of our service fee based on your situation.
Both tools are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, allowing you to check your eligibility and estimated service fee at your convenience—without the need to call or send us an email first.
If, after using these tools, you would like to discuss your individual circumstances, have a more complex case, or simply wish to receive professional advice, we would be happy to assist you personally.
▶ Explore Our Japan Permanent Residence Support Service
- Check your eligibility instantly
- Receive an automatic fee estimate
- Learn about our application support services
- Start your application with confidence
ENGLISH PAGE: https://office-sugita.com/en/service/permanent-residency-support/
日本語ページ：https://office-sugita.com/service/permanent-residency-support/
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Greeting
President / Immigration Lawyer
Masakazu Sugita (Mr.)
Personal history
Birth date: Oct. 7, 1991.
Home town: Koshigaya-city, Saitama pref.
After graduated Koshigaya High-school, entered Dokkyo Univ. Foreign Language Dept.
Learned English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Linguistics, Intl. relations, US novels, translation, etc.
Took one year leave from Univ. to earn tuition, and earned much larger amount than planned. With this surplus, went to US and traveled from west coast to east coast.
After graduated the Univ., joined foreign affiliated trading firm. Engaged in sales activity of industrial seal products such as mechanical seal, gland packing, oil seal, semi-metal gasket, etc.
After leaving the trading firm, joined a Japanese pump & blower manufacturer. As sales engineer / interpreter, mainly engaged in petrochemical plant construction projects. Specifically, engaged in sales, interpretation, document management, translation of drawings, exportation of products, finding foreign vendors, marketing, etc.
After 5 years, left the company and found Immigration Lawyer SUGITA International Office.
At the same period in the company, also worked as a freelance translator. Made freelancer contracts with US and Japanese translation companies, and mainly engaged in translation of patent, legal document, company WEB site, marketing material, etc.
Hobbies are stroll, taking picture of wild bird, bass guitar, writing and reading novel.
TOIEC score is 930.
About our office
We appreciate your visiting our WEB site.
Immigration Lawyer SUGITA International Office specializes in only immigration affairs such as visa acquisition / change / extension, permanent residency, and employment of foreign workers.
We support our clients with the national certification called "Gyousei-shoshi (行政書士)" in Japanese. Person with this certification is permitted to engage in many kinds of procedures in the wide fields including constructor's license, succession procedure of property, conversion of agricultural land, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), adult guardianship, etc. This wide permitted field is one of the strong points of the Gyousei-shoshi certification, however, our office intentionally engages in only immigration services.
Why specialize in only Immigration & International Services?
The reason why we handle only immigration affairs is because the services of immigration field affect clients' lives much more directly and strongly than the services in the other fields.
For example, what would happen if application of extension of VISA that an immigration lawyer handles have been denied by Immigration Services Agency for the immigration lawyer's lack of ability? First of all, the applicant can no longer live in Japan, which means the applicant must leave Japan and go back to his/her home country. In this situation, the applicant has to leave the company he/she works for, prepare new house in the home country, and take procedures on the school of his/her child. Additionally, the applicant also has to find job in the home country. Those procedures must be taken in really short period if the application is denied.
This kind of occasion can raise fatal problems on not only the applicant him/herself but also the people around such as applicant's family and employer. This can lead to make their lives instable.
If we handle other fields in addition to the immigration field, we cannot spare enough time to keep sufficient knowledge and know-hows in each field or keep learning the latest legal information, which can lead to losses for our clients like the abovementioned situation.
To prevent abovementioned fatal disadvantages on our clients' lives, we have decided to handle only immigration & international services as "a professional who is always familiar with the latest circumstances".
Personal history of president
Birth date: Oct. 7, 1991.
Home town: Koshigaya-city, Saitama pref.
After graduated Koshigaya High-school, entered Dokkyo Univ. Foreign Language Dept.
Learned English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Linguistics, Intl. relations, US novels, translation, etc.
Took one year leave from Univ. to earn tuition, and earned much larger amount than planned. With this surplus, went to US and traveled from west coast to east coast.
After graduated the Univ., joined foreign affiliated trading firm. Engaged in sales activity of industrial seal products such as mechanical seal, gland packing, oil seal, semi-metal gasket, etc.
After leaving the trading firm, joined a Japanese pump & blower manufacturer. As sales engineer / interpreter, mainly engaged in petrochemical plant construction projects. Specifically, engaged in sales, interpretation, document management, translation of drawings, exportation of products, finding foreign vendors, marketing, etc.
After 5 years, left the company and found Immigration Lawyer SUGITA International Office.
At the same period in the company, also worked as a freelance translator. Made freelancer contracts with US and Japanese translation companies, and mainly engaged in translation of patent, legal document, company WEB site, marketing material, etc.
Hobbies are stroll, taking picture of wild bird, bass guitar, writing and reading novel.
TOIEC score is 930.
