Japan govt to cut passport application fee by nearly half
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Japan is amending its laws to encourage more people to own passports and “promote international exchanges”.
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TOKYO – Japan plans to lower the application fee for a 10-year passport for people 18 years old and older to about 9,000 yen (S$74) from around 16,000 yen, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Dec 23.
The move is aimed at increasing the ownership rate of Japanese passports, which stood at 17.8 per cent in 2024, according to the Foreign Ministry.
At present, the application fee is 16,300 yen if applied for in person and 15,900 yen if applied for online.
The government aims to revise the passport law during an ordinary parliamentary session in 2026.
In addition to reducing application fees, it plans to raise the departure tax from the current 1,000 yen per trip to more than 3,000 yen in July.
“We hope this will promote international exchanges,” Mr Motegi told reporters.
The fee for a five-year passport for people aged under 18 will be cut to 4,500 yen. The current fee is 11,000 yen for those aged between 12 and 17, and 6,000 yen for children under 12.
A five-year passport will no longer be available for those aged 18 and older, according to the government’s plans.
Among other countries, Britain had a passport ownership rate of 76.7 per cent in 2021 while Canada had 70 per cent in 2023. The rate was estimated at 50 per cent in the United States in 2024. KYODO NEWS
