On June 19, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it would revise the fees for issuing visas required for foreign nationals visiting Japan. Similar to the reduction in passport application fees and the increase in the International Tourism Tax (departure tax) rate, these changes will take effect for applications submitted on or after July 1.
On June 19, the Cabinet approved a partial amendment to the “Cabinet Order Concerning Fees Collected by Consular Officers,” which sets visa fees. The fee for a “single-entry visa,” which allows entry only once, will be raised from the current approximately 3,000 yen to approximately 15,000 yen, while the fee for a “multiple-entry visa,” which allows multiple entries and exits within its validity period, will be raised from the current approximately 6,000 yen to approximately 30,000 yen.
Please note that the amounts listed above may vary depending on the purpose of travel and nationality. As a general rule, fees must be paid in the currency of the country or region where the Japanese embassy or consulate general issuing the visa is located.
In addition, visa exemptions are in place for short-term stays only for citizens of 74 countries and regions, including the United States, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, Italy, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
At a press conference held by the Minister of Foreign Affairs on the 19th, regarding the first revision in 48 years—since 1978—Toshimitsu Motegi stated, “We conducted this review to address price increases and exchange rate fluctuations to date. “We set the amounts after carefully considering various factors, and we do not anticipate that this will have an immediate impact on inbound tourism, for example,” he added.
© Source travel watch