In force 1 October 2026
Permanent residence fee rises to ¥200,000
Permanent residence now costs ¥200,000 in revenue stamps when it's granted, up from ¥10,000, for applications received from 1 October 2026.
What's changing in Japan's visa and PR rules
Renewal and PR fees went up in October. From April 2027, PR applicants are expected to have B1 Japanese and a projected pension that reaches a benchmark, spouses wait longer, and PR can be revoked for deliberate non-payment. Unpaid health insurance may soon count against ordinary renewals too. Juncho tracks each change in English and links to the government page it comes from.
Sources last checked 6 November 2026
Coming up
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1 April 2027
- Permanent residence can be revoked for deliberate non-payment Decided
- PR applicants will be assessed on Japan's rules and systems Decided
- PR applicants will be expected to have Japanese at B1 level Decided
- PR: a 3-year permit stops counting as the maximum period of stay Decided
- PR: long absences from Japan will count against you Decided
- PR: projected pension will be compared with a benchmark Decided
- Spouse route to PR: 5 years married, 3 years in Japan Decided
- 育成就労 replaces the Technical Intern Training Program Decided
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No date yet
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Data sharing is due from March 2027 onward, and health insurance data from June 2027. These are government targets. We haven't found a published rule on how unpaid amounts will be treated.
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By situation
Most people fit more than one.
- PR: 10-year route Working toward permanent residence on the standard route: 10 years in Japan, 5 of them on a work or residence status. 7
- PR: spouse or child route Spouses and children of Japanese nationals, permanent residents or special permanent residents applying for PR. 8
- PR: Highly Skilled Professional route Applying for PR after 1 year (80+ points) or 3 years (70+ points) under the HSP points system. 7
- PR: Long-Term Resident route Long-Term Residents (定住者) applying for PR after 5 years. 7
- Already a permanent resident People who already hold PR: what can affect keeping it. 1
- All foreign residents Changes that touch every mid- to long-term resident: fees, cards, renewals, and payment records. 3
- Business Manager visa Holders of, and applicants for, the Business Manager (経営・管理) status. 1
- SSW, trainees and 育成就労 Specified Skilled Workers, technical intern trainees, and the 育成就労 system that replaces technical intern training. 1
- Naturalisation Applying for Japanese nationality. 1
What to do now
A late payment from three years ago can't be fixed the week before you apply. See what to keep, what to check each year and which deadlines to watch, route by route.
See what to do nowAlready in force
All in force In force 1 October 2026
PR: household income is expected to beat the Japanese average
A permanent residence applicant's household income is generally expected to stay above the average income of a Japanese household of the same size. ISA says it won't publish the yen figures. This part of the 1 October 2026 guideline already applies to pending applications.
In force 1 October 2026
Renewal and change-of-status fees rise
From 1 October 2026, renewing or changing your status of residence online costs ¥27,000 for a 1-year permit and ¥65,000 for 5 years, plus a small payment fee. Applying at the counter costs more.
In force 14 June 2026
Residence card and My Number card can now be combined
Since 14 June 2026, you can get a 特定在留カード: a residence card with My Number card functions built in. It's optional.
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A short briefing each week until the 2027 changes are in, and a separate alert on the day something changes for the situations you tick. It's free, and every email has an unsubscribe link.
Every entry links to the government page it's based on and shows when we last checked it. If we get something wrong, we fix the entry and add a dated note saying what changed. How Juncho works