Guide
Japan’s 2026 Immigration Law Amendments: JESTA Is Coming, Fee Caps Will Rise
Japan has promulgated a 2026 immigration law amendment creating JESTA, an electronic travel authorization system, and raising the statutory upper limits for certain residence-procedure fees — but the ISA page does not yet give operating start dates or new fee amounts.
Japan has passed a 2026 immigration law amendment that matters for both visitors and residents: it creates JESTA, an electronic travel authorization system, and raises the legal ceiling for some immigration procedure fees.
The key dates are May 29, 2026 and June 5, 2026 — but these are not the same as a JESTA launch date or a fee-change start date.
Timeline guardrail: the amendment was passed on May 29, 2026 and promulgated on June 5, 2026. The ISA page does not announce when JESTA will start operating, when applications will be accepted, or the new actual fee amounts.
Who’s affected
Two groups should pay attention.
First, people who travel to Japan may eventually be affected by JESTA (電子渡航認証制度), a new electronic travel authorization system. The official page confirms the system is being created, but it does not yet give the practical details travelers need before a trip.
Second, foreign residents in Japan may be affected by higher fee ceilings for procedures such as permission to change status of residence. The page says the amendment raises the maximum amounts that can be charged, but it does not publish the actual revised fees.
What changes
The 2026 amendment covers two headline items:
- creation of JESTA, Japan’s electronic travel authorization system
- increase of the upper limits on fees for certain residence procedures, including permission to change status of residence
This is a legal framework update. It is not yet a complete user manual.
The catch
Do not read “promulgated on June 5, 2026” as “JESTA starts on June 5” or “new fees apply from June 5.” The ISA source provided does not say that.
That distinction matters. Immigration changes often involve several separate dates:
- law passed by the Diet
- law promulgated
- enforcement date
- operational start date
- application acceptance start date
- actual fee schedule taking effect
Only the first two are stated on the cited ISA page.
What you should do now
If you are planning travel to Japan, keep watching for the official JESTA operating details before assuming any new pre-travel filing is required.
If you are in Japan and planning a residence procedure — especially a change of status — budget for the possibility that fees may rise, but do not rely on unofficial numbers until ISA publishes the actual amounts and start date.
The practical takeaway: the law has moved, but the user-facing rules are not fully published yet.
Sources: ISA — 2026 Immigration Control Act amendments
Common questions
Is JESTA already operating?+
The official ISA page says the 2026 amendment creates JESTA, but it does not state an operating start date on the cited page. Do not treat promulgation as the date you must start applying.
Are immigration application fees already higher?+
The amendment raises the statutory upper limits for fees such as permission to change status of residence, but the cited ISA page does not list the new payable amounts or the date they will apply.
What happened on May 29 and June 5, 2026?+
The amendment bill passed the 221st Special Diet session on May 29, 2026, and was promulgated on June 5, 2026 as Act No. 32 of 2026.