The government plans to lower passport application fees by up to ?7,000 ($45), Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi has announced.
It aims to submit a passport law amendment to next year¡¯s ordinary parliamentary session, slated to begin in January, and secure its enactment during the session so the reductions can be implemented in July, according to Motegi, who was speaking at a news conference Tuesday.
Currently, 10- and five-year passports are available to people age 18 or over. The application fee will be lowered to about ?9,000 from about ?16,000 at present for the 10-year passport, while the five-year passport will be abolished.
For five-year passports for those under 18, the fee will be set at a uniform level of about ?4,500. The fee now stands at about ?11,000 for applicants between the ages of 12 and 17 and at about ?6,000 for those 11 or below. The five-year passport is the only option available to those 17 and younger, a policy that will remain in place.
The government plans to cover the revenue drop from the passport application fee cuts with a planned increase in the departure tax, imposed on people leaving Japan.
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