The Atarashift Blog
Insights for working in Japan
Guides, interviews, and honest advice for international talent building a career in Japan.
The Atarashift Blog
Guides, interviews, and honest advice for international talent building a career in Japan.
Japan's visa renewal fee rose from ¥6,000 to as much as ¥75,000 on 1 October 2026. When to apply, how long it takes, and what to bring.
A work visa renewal in Japan is an application for an extension of period of stay. You file it in person or online, from three months before your current period ends. For the most common work visa, approval took 40.8 days on average in July 2026.
The fee changed on 1 October 2026. It now depends on the stay you are granted: ¥33,000 for one year and ¥75,000 for five years at the counter. Online is cheaper. Until 30 September, every renewal cost a flat ¥6,000, and most guides still quote that number.
This guide covers the new fees, when to apply, how long renewal really takes, and what happens if your card expires while you wait.
An Extension of Period of Stay is what Japan calls a visa renewal (zairyū kikan kōshin in Japanese). It lets you keep the same status of residence past the date printed on your residence card. For most office jobs, that status is Engineer/Specialist in Humanities.
A change of status is a different application. You need it when your activity moves to a different category, such as from student to employee.
Changing employers usually does not need one. If the new job fits your current status, you keep your period of stay and renew as normal. You must still file a notification within 14 days. Our guide to transferring your work visa when you change jobs covers that step.
Renewal is your application, not your employer's. Article 21 of the Immigration Control Act puts it on you. In practice, many employers help, and some file it for you.
You can apply from three months before your period of stay ends, as long as your current period is six months or longer. The last possible day is the expiry date itself.
The Immigration Services Agency (ISA) accepts earlier applications only in special cases. Its examples include a long overseas posting ordered by your employer, a birth due during your window, a hospital stay, and family members applying together. Contact the bureau first and bring proof.
One trap catches people every year. You cannot apply online on your expiry date. If you leave it to the last day, you must go to the counter in person.
We suggest filing in the first month of the window. ISA counts the days you spend answering its requests for extra documents, so a slow reply adds straight to your wait.
ISA's official standard is two weeks to one month. Its monthly data shows most renewals take longer, once you count the time to receive the result.
We analyzed ISA's 13 monthly processing reports from July 2025 to July 2026. For Engineer/Specialist in Humanities renewals, the average time from application to approval notice was:
ISA reports two clocks for renewals. One stops when the review ends. The other stops when you receive the approval at the bureau.
In July 2026, the review took 31.1 days, but the approval notice came at 40.8 days. Over the 13 months, the review averaged 28.1 days. So about 11 days of the typical wait falls between a finished review and the applicant collecting it.
That gap is partly in your hands. When the bureau's postcard arrives, collect your card that week.
Waits are similar across most statuses. Here are the 13-month averages we calculated from the same reports:
| Status of residence | Days to approval notice | Days to end of review |
|---|---|---|
| Business Manager | 46.9 | 38.1 |
| Spouse of Japanese National | 45.4 | 32.5 |
| Intra-company Transferee | 41.5 | 28.8 |
| Specified Skilled Worker (i) | 41.3 | 27.5 |
| Engineer/Specialist in Humanities | 39.3 | 28.1 |
| Dependent | 37.0 | 26.9 |
| Skilled Labor | 30.3 | 20.5 |
Renewals are also steadier than first-time applications. Over the same months, the Certificate of Eligibility for this status swung from 49.8 to 71.8 days before April hiring. Renewals, we found, stayed within a 12-day band all year.
From 1 October 2026, the fee depends on the period of stay you are granted. The new amounts follow a 2026 amendment to the Immigration Control Act. Before that, every renewal cost ¥6,000 at the counter or ¥5,500 online.
| Period of stay granted | At the counter | Online (with payment fee) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 months or less | ¥10,000 | ¥10,330 |
| Over 3 months, up to 6 months | ¥18,000 | ¥15,330 |
| Over 6 months, under 1 year | ¥25,000 | ¥21,330 |
| 1 year | ¥33,000 | ¥27,330 |
| Over 1 year, under 3 years | ¥48,000 | ¥42,330 |
| 3 years to under 5 years | ¥64,000 | ¥56,550 |
| 5 years or more | ¥75,000 | ¥65,550 |
Engineer/Specialist in Humanities is granted for five years, three years, one year or three months. So the numbers that matter most are ¥75,000, ¥64,000, ¥33,000 and ¥10,000 at the counter.
A three-year grant costs ¥64,000, not ¥48,000. The ¥48,000 band covers periods longer than one year but shorter than three. A full three years falls into the next band up.
Applications received by 30 September 2026 pay the old ¥6,000, or ¥5,500 online, even if approval comes later.
Yes, by a wide margin. At the counter, one year costs ¥33,000. Three years works out at about ¥21,300 a year, and five years at ¥15,000 a year.
You do not choose the period, though. The form lets you state the period you want, but ISA decides when it approves you.
A longer period also matters if you plan to stay for good. Permanent residency now generally requires the longest period available for your status, usually five years. A three-year period still counts until 31 March 2027. Our permanent residency guide explains that deadline.
You pay when the renewal is approved, not when you file. If you applied at the counter, ISA posts you a postcard showing the amount. You pay with revenue stamps (shūnyū inshi) on a fee form when you collect your new card.
ISA asks applicants to buy the stamps in advance at a large post office. Shops inside the bureaus have limited stock, and stamps are sold for cash only. Wrong stamps cannot be refunded, only swapped at a post office for ¥5 each.
If you applied online, you now pay at a convenience store or by bank payment through ISA's payment agent. Credit cards and QR-code payments are not accepted. ISA lists the only two email senders it uses on its online fee page, and warns that any other payment email is a scam.
A reduced fee of ¥10,000 is available to people in serious financial hardship, such as those on public assistance. Some other humanitarian cases also qualify. You must apply at the counter with proof, because the online system cannot process reductions.
No law says. The application is yours, so by default the fee is too. Some employers cover renewal costs as a benefit. With fees now up to ¥75,000, ask HR before you file.
For Engineer/Specialist in Humanities, the list depends on your employer's category. ISA sorts employers into four groups by size and tax filings. Listed companies are Category 1, and Category 4 covers firms without a prior-year payroll tax return, such as new startups. Our guide to Japan's four company categories explains each group.
Everyone submits:
Category 1 and 2 employers: nothing else, in principle.
Category 3 and 4 employers add:
First renewal after moving to a Category 3 or 4 employer: you also add documents on your new job and the company. These include your employment terms, the company registration and a description of its business.
If your role now relies mainly on language: you need proof of CEFR B2 ability. This applies if your duties changed to work like translation or front-desk service. ISA treats any JLPT N2 pass or a BJT score of 400 or more as B2. If you have done the same job all along, you do not need it at renewal. Our guide to JLPT levels for jobs covers the rule.
Health insurance: ISA asks to see proof of health insurance at the counter. Japan stopped issuing paper insurance cards in December 2024. You can show the My Number Portal screen, the eligibility notice or an eligibility certificate. ISA says that not showing it will not, on its own, lead to a refusal.
There are three routes.
Online demand spikes before rule changes. In late September 2026, ISA reported that applicants could not log in or reach the application screen. People were rushing to file before the new fees. ISA suggested off-peak hours, or the counter for urgent cases.
You are covered by the special period. The special period is a grace period, called tokurei kikan in Japanese. If you apply before your period of stay ends and no decision comes by the expiry date, you can stay and keep working. This lasts until the decision, or two months after the original expiry date, whichever comes first.
Your proof depends on how you applied. At the counter, the back of your residence card is marked to show the application is pending. Online applications get no such mark.
ISA tells online applicants to carry the acceptance email at all times. It arrives the day after your application is accepted and shows the application number. Forward it to HR too. ISA advises anyone checking a card with a past date to look for proof that an application is pending.
Planning to travel abroad while your renewal is pending? Check with the bureau before you book. The special period has a hard end date, and you need to be back in time.
ISA's renewal guideline, last revised in June 2026, lists the factors it weighs. Renewal is discretionary, so meeting all of them does not guarantee approval.
The tax point catches people out. Residence tax is billed a year in arrears, so a bill can arrive after you leave a job. If it was not taken from your pay, it may be sitting unpaid. Our income tax guide explains how residence tax is billed.
The same goes for pension and health insurance during a gap between jobs, when you pay them yourself instead of through payroll.
Use this checklist, starting four months before your expiry date.
If family members hold Dependent visas, file their renewals at the same time. ISA lists family members applying together as a reason it may accept an early application.
If you are weighing a move to a larger employer, start with companies that offer work visa sponsorship. Platforms like Atarashift filter roles by visa support, so you only see employers ready to sponsor.
Three months before your period of stay ends, if your current period is six months or longer. ISA accepts earlier applications only in special cases, such as a long overseas posting or a hospital stay. Contact your bureau first.
From 1 October 2026, the fee depends on the period granted. At the counter, one year costs ¥33,000, three years ¥64,000 and five years ¥75,000. Online, the same periods cost ¥27,330, ¥56,550 and ¥65,550 including the payment fee.
ISA's standard is two weeks to one month. In practice, Engineer/Specialist in Humanities renewals took 33.9 to 46.0 days from application to approval notice between July 2025 and July 2026. The review itself averaged 28.1 days.
Yes, if you applied before your period of stay ended. The special period lets you stay and work until a decision, or two months after the original expiry, whichever comes first. Keep your stamped card or acceptance email as proof.
Not right away. If the new job fits your status, your current period stays valid. File the 14-day notification instead. At your next renewal, you submit the new employer's documents.
You can state the period you want on the form, but ISA decides. It weighs your record, your employer and your situation. Highly Skilled Professional (i) holders are always granted five years.
Processing times come from ISA's monthly processing period reports. We extracted the extension-of-stay columns for each status from July 2025 to July 2026. The 13-month averages are our own simple averages of the monthly figures. ISA's notes say renewal days run to the approval notice, when the applicant receives the permit at the bureau. They include time spent waiting for extra documents. Refusals and withdrawals are excluded.
The application window, who can file, counter hours, counter fees and the standard period are from ISA's extension of period of stay page. Online fees, payment methods and the scam warning are from ISA's online fee page. The reduced fee is from ISA's fee reduction page, and stamp buying from its revenue stamp page.
Documents by category are from ISA's Engineer/Specialist in Humanities page. The special period is from ISA's special period explainer, and online proof of a pending case from its notice on online applications. The factors ISA weighs and the health insurance rule are from its renewal guideline, revised June 2026.
Online eligibility and the expiry-day rule are from ISA's online procedures page. The September 2026 congestion is from ISA's notice of 28 September 2026. The combined residence card is described on ISA's specified residence card page.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Every case is reviewed on its own facts. Data retrieved 2 October 2026.
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