Japan to lower passport fees from July, around 1,400 TWD cheaper for adults
To combat low passport ownership rates, the Japanese government will slash the online application fee for a 10-year adult passport by 7,000 yen starting in July. The departure tax will be tripled to fund this.
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- 📰 Published: April 24, 2026 at 13:35
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Central News Agency
(Central News Agency, Tokyo 24th, Comprehensive Foreign Dispatch) The Japanese House of Councillors passed a bill today, allowing the Japanese government to significantly lower the fees for applying for a passport starting in July. Adults aged 18 and above applying online for a 10-year passport will find the fee 7,000 yen (about 1,400 TWD) cheaper than the current cost.
According to the "Nihon Keizai Shimbun", the House of Councillors plenary session unanimously passed the Passport Act amendment bill today. Because the proportion of Japanese citizens holding passports is lower than in other countries, the Japanese government hopes to encourage more people to apply.
After the law is amended, starting in July this year, when Japanese adults aged 18 and over apply online for a 10-year passport, the fee will be reduced from the current 15,900 yen (about 3,190 TWD) to 8,900 yen (about 1,780 TWD). In addition, applications for 5-year passports by adults will no longer be accepted.
Furthermore, the online application fee for Japanese citizens aged 12 to under 18, and those under 12, will uniformly be reduced to 4,400 yen.
In conjunction with this measure, the Japanese government will raise the international tourist passenger tax (departure tax) levied when travelers leave Japan from the current 1,000 yen to 3,000 yen (about 600 TWD). The increased tax revenue will serve as a complementary measure for lowering the passport application fee and as a financial source to address issues like overtourism.
The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs points out that in 2025, there are approximately 21.93 million valid ordinary passports in Japan, representing an ownership rate of only around 18.9%.
According to statistics from the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA), in 2023, the passport ownership rate was 60% in Taiwan and the UK, 50% in the US, and 40% in South Korea. The fee for a Japanese passport application is about 10,000 yen (about 2,000 TWD) more expensive than in South Korea and Taiwan.
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi stated at the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee on the 10th of this month, "It will be easier for the public to obtain a passport in the future, and we expect the public to increase international exchange through overseas travel." (Translator: Yang Wei-ching) 1150424
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(Central News Agency, Tokyo 24th, Comprehensive Foreign Dispatch) The Japanese House of Councillors passed a bill today, allowing the Japanese government to significantly lower the fees for applying for a passport starting in July. Adults aged 18 and above applying online for a 10-year passport will find the fee 7,000 yen (about 1,400 TWD) cheaper than the current cost.
According to the "Nihon Keizai Shimbun", the House of Councillors plenary session unanimously passed the Passport Act amendment bill today. Because the proportion of Japanese citizens holding passports is lower than in other countries, the Japanese government hopes to encourage more people to apply.
After the law is amended, starting in July this year, when Japanese adults aged 18 and over apply online for a 10-year passport, the fee will be reduced from the current 15,900 yen (about 3,190 TWD) to 8,900 yen (about 1,780 TWD). In addition, applications for 5-year passports by adults will no longer be accepted.
Furthermore, the online application fee for Japanese citizens aged 12 to under 18, and those under 12, will uniformly be reduced to 4,400 yen.
In conjunction with this measure, the Japanese government will raise the international tourist passenger tax (departure tax) levied when travelers leave Japan from the current 1,000 yen to 3,000 yen (about 600 TWD). The increased tax revenue will serve as a complementary measure for lowering the passport application fee and as a financial source to address issues like overtourism.
The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs points out that in 2025, there are approximately 21.93 million valid ordinary passports in Japan, representing an ownership rate of only around 18.9%.
According to statistics from the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA), in 2023, the passport ownership rate was 60% in Taiwan and the UK, 50% in the US, and 40% in South Korea. The fee for a Japanese passport application is about 10,000 yen (about 2,000 TWD) more expensive than in South Korea and Taiwan.
Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi stated at the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee on the 10th of this month, "It will be easier for the public to obtain a passport in the future, and we expect the public to increase international exchange through overseas travel." (Translator: Yang Wei-ching) 1150424
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Text, images, and audio/video on this website cannot be reproduced, broadcast, transmitted, or utilized without authorization.