Hiring a Japanese Chef in China: Work Permit Categories and Points

Mainland China has more Japanese restaurants than any other country, and it is also where the number fell furthest between 2023 and 2025. For an operator hiring a chef from Japan, the rules have not changed much in that time: every foreign worker needs a work permit under a system that sorts applicants into three categories. What has changed is the market around it. This guide covers both, using official and JETRO sources checked in September 2026. Hong Kong and Macau have separate systems; see Hong Kong and Macau.

1. China in numbers: a market that shrank

• Japan's agriculture ministry (MAFF) counted about 63,500 Japanese restaurants in mainland China in 2025, still the most of any country but 15,260 fewer than in 2023. MAFF attributes the roughly 10% fall across Asia mainly to China's economic slowdown. It was the first fall in the worldwide total since the survey series began in 2013.
• 92,928 Japanese nationals were registered in China on 1 October 2025, down 4.7% on the year (MOFA). Shanghai alone had 31,733, down 8.5%, and remains the fifth largest Japanese community of any city abroad. See hiring a Japanese chef in Shanghai.

For hiring, a shrinking restaurant count cuts both ways. There are more experienced cooks in China looking for their next job, and fewer operators competing for a senior Japanese chef. But a smaller Japanese resident community means fewer customers for high end concepts, and fewer Japanese nationals already in the country with work rights.

2. The foreigner work permit system

China introduced a unified foreigner work permit system on a trial basis in several provinces and cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, from October 2016, and nationwide from 1 April 2017. According to JETRO, the category rules come from two 2017 notices (外专发〔2017〕36号 and 40号). Anyone working in China on a work basis must hold a Z visa, and the Z visa is issued on the strength of a work permit notification.

3. Categories A, B and C

Most Japanese chefs will be assessed as B or C. A head chef with a degree and two years in a relevant role meets the first B test directly. A chef without a degree needs either the skills certificate test or 60 points. We found no official statement on whether Japan's MAFF cooking skill certification (see the MAFF certification guide) counts as an internationally recognised vocational certificate, so do not build an application on that assumption.

4. Where a Japanese chef scores

The points table published with the 2017 notice (as summarised by JETRO) awards points for these factors:

An illustration, not an assessment: a 38 year old sushi chef with no degree, ten years of relevant experience, a salary of CNY 300,000 and a full year in China would score about 14 (salary) + 13 (experience) + 15 (months) + 15 (age) = 57. That is just short of B. HSK level 4 Chinese would add 4 and take them over 60, as could a higher salary or a provincial bonus. The authorities do the actual scoring, and local practice varies, so use this only to see which levers matter.

5. The process, step by step

1. Work permit notification. The employer applies online through the Service System for Foreigners Working in China. JETRO puts the usual processing time at about 15 working days. Typical documents: application form, proof of work history, highest degree and vocational certificates, criminal record certificate, medical certificate, employment contract, passport and photo. For the Japanese police certificate, see police certificates from Japan.
2. Z visa. The chef applies at a Chinese embassy or consulate with the notification and passport.
3. Work permit and residence permit after arrival. The residence permit must be applied for at the public security bureau within 30 days of entry, with fingerprints taken. Renewals take 15 working days. Local deadlines for collecting the work permit itself can be shorter; Shanghai, for example, asks for the application within 15 days of entry.

6. What this means for hiring

• Check the points before you make an offer. Salary, experience, age and Chinese language are the levers you and the candidate can influence.
• Recruit inside China first. With the restaurant count down 15,260, experienced Japanese and Chinese cooks trained in Japanese kitchens are more available than they were in 2023.
• Budget the timeline. Notification, visa, travel and the in-country steps each add time after the documents are ready, and gathering certificates from Japan is often the slowest part.
• Think about the customer base. If your concept depends on Japanese expatriate customers, the MOFA figures show that base shrinking in several cities.

General information based on official Chinese and Japanese sources and JETRO summaries checked in September 2026, not legal or immigration advice. The category criteria and points table date from 2017 and are applied by provincial authorities, which can add local rules. Confirm current requirements with the local foreign experts or human resources authority before applying.