Hiring a Japanese Chef in Germany: Specialty Cook and Other Routes

Germany still has a rule written specifically for cooks from abroad. It also has a provision that applies only to a short list of nationalities, Japan among them. Neither is automatic, and both involve the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit, BA) checking whether a local candidate could do the job first. This guide sets out the options with the legal references, so you can have an informed conversation with the BA or your adviser.

1. Germany in numbers

• 44,648 Japanese nationals lived in Germany as of 1 October 2025, the eighth largest Japanese community abroad (Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
• Japan's agriculture ministry found the number of Japanese restaurants in Germany rose by about 290 between 2023 and 2025, while the global total fell for the first time. Europe as a whole had about 19,200.
• The statutory minimum wage is €13.90 an hour from 1 January 2026, rising to €14.60 on 1 January 2027.

2. A head start for Japanese nationals

Under §41 of the Residence Ordinance (AufenthV), Japanese nationals, along with citizens of Australia, Israel, Canada, South Korea, New Zealand, the UK and the US, can enter Germany without a visa even for a long stay, and apply for the residence permit they need from inside Germany. The application must be made within 90 days of entry.

For an employer, this removes the slowest step in most countries: waiting for a visa appointment at a German mission abroad. The candidate can fly in, register an address, and file with the local foreigners' authority (Ausländerbehörde). What it does not do is give them permission to work on arrival. Employment has to be covered by the residence title, and in most cases the BA must first approve it.

3. Four routes for a cook, compared

4. The specialty cook rule (§11 BeschV)

Germany still has a dedicated route for specialty cooks (Spezialitätenköche). §11(2) of the Employment Ordinance (BeschV) allows the BA to approve full-time employment in a specialty restaurant for up to four years, with a priority check. The first approval is for a maximum of one year. After the four years, the same person cannot be approved again as a specialty cook until three years have passed since the earlier permit expired.

The BA's own leaflet on specialty cooks (September 2025) sets out how it applies the rule:

• The restaurant. It must mainly serve dishes of one country, prepared to that country's recipes, and present as an upscale restaurant of that cuisine. Snack bars, fast food, canteens, catering companies and delivery services do not qualify.
• How many. A maximum of two specialty cooks per site, with exceptions possible where the business creates positive effects such as apprenticeships or training for local staff.
• Nationality. The cook must be a national of the country whose cuisine the restaurant serves. For a Japanese restaurant, that means a Japanese cook.
• Qualifications. A completed cook training at a vocational school lasting at least two years, plus at least two years' practical work in qualified establishments. Six years' work as a cook can be accepted only where vocational school training is not available in the home country.
• Pay. The BA treats the role as comparable to the collective agreement grade "Chef de partie / Alleinkoch". The contract must state gross pay.
• Documents. Employment declaration, menu, business description, employment contract, CV, and certificates.
• Timing and cost. The BA charges no fee, but says the approval procedure usually takes several months.

The qualification rule is the one that trips up Japanese applicants. Many excellent Japanese cooks trained on the job rather than at a two-year culinary school, and Japan does have vocational culinary schools, so the six-year alternative may not be accepted. A cook who graduated from a 調理師 school and then worked two years in a proper restaurant is the profile that fits most cleanly.

5. Any employment for Japanese nationals (§26 BeschV)

§26(1) BeschV lists a handful of countries, including Japan, whose nationals can be approved by the BA "for any employment regardless of the employer's location", with a priority check. The ordinance sets no qualification requirement and no two-cook limit for this route.

This is discretionary ("kann"), and the priority check still means the BA looks at whether suitable candidates who have priority (German, EU and similar) are available, and whether pay and conditions match those of comparable local workers. But for a Japanese restaurant, it is a genuine alternative when the cook's training does not fit the specialty cook criteria. The BA's International Placement Services (ZAV) is the contact the BA names for specialty cook approvals; ask it which basis it would apply to your case before you file.

6. Skilled worker routes: §18a and §6 BeschV

Two further routes come from Germany's skilled immigration rules. For §18a the law says approval is given without a priority check (§39(2) AufenthG), and §6 BeschV does not set one out either. The BA still checks that pay and working conditions match those of local employees.

§18a AufenthG: skilled worker with vocational training

The cook's foreign qualification must be recognised in Germany as equivalent to German vocational training. The job must be skilled work, but it does not need to match the training. Applicants aged over 45 coming to Germany for the first time need a gross salary of at least €55,770 (2026) or adequate pension provision. Recognition of a Japanese culinary qualification is a separate procedure that can take time, so start it early.

§6 BeschV: experienced workers

This route skips formal recognition. The BA's April 2026 newsletter sets out the conditions: a state-recognised vocational qualification of at least two years (or a degree) from the country where it was obtained, at least two years of relevant experience at skilled level within the last five years, and a salary of at least €45,630 a year in 2026. The salary requirement does not apply if the employer is bound by a collective agreement and pays the agreed rate. Under §6 itself, the candidate must have a competent body in Germany confirm that the qualification is state-recognised in the country where it was obtained.

For a Japanese restaurant, §6 is worth serious attention if you are paying a senior chef properly. It rewards exactly the combination of school plus experience that the best candidates have.

7. Why the EU Blue Card rarely fits

The EU Blue Card requires a German or comparable foreign academic degree (at least three years of tertiary study) and a salary of at least €50,700 a year in 2026, or €45,934.20 in shortage occupations and for new entrants. The IT exception for people without a degree does not extend to cooks. Most chefs do not hold a qualifying degree, so this is only relevant in unusual cases.

8. Working holiday

Germany and Japan have run a working holiday programme since 2000, and Japan's foreign ministry lists no annual cap on the German side. According to the German Embassy in Tokyo:

• Applicants must be at least 18 and under 31 when they apply.
• Stays run from 3 months to 1 year, once in a lifetime.
• They need at least €2,000 for a year (€4,000 with only a one-way ticket).
• They can work for German employers, but the main purpose must be the holiday. Someone who has already arranged an employment contract or internship should apply for a work visa instead.
• Japanese nationals can apply at a German mission or, after entering visa free, at the local foreigners' authority.

A working holiday is a good way to meet a cook and see them work. If it goes well, plan the switch to a proper work permit well before the year ends. Our visa sponsorship overview explains how this fits with other countries.

9. Pay floor

The legal minimum is €13.90 an hour in 2026. That is not what the BA will accept for a sponsored cook: it compares your offer with local pay for the same role and, for specialty cooks, with the chef de partie grade of the relevant collective agreement. Hospitality collective agreements in Germany are set regionally, so check the one for your state. The BA's Entgeltatlas publishes regional pay data by occupation and is the reference the agency itself uses.

We could not extract a single official national median for cooks from the Entgeltatlas for this guide, so none is quoted here. For comparisons with other countries, see our sushi chef salary guide.

10. Step by step

1. Decide which basis fits your candidate: specialty cook (§11), any employment (§26), recognised skilled worker (§18a) or experienced worker (§6).
2. Advertise the role in Germany and the EU and keep records, since a priority check applies to §11 and §26.
3. Draft a German employment contract stating gross pay at or above the relevant collective agreement grade.
4. Collect the cook's certificates, employment references and a translated CV. For §11, prepare the menu and business description.
5. The cook either applies for a visa at a German mission or enters visa free and applies to the foreigners' authority within 90 days. The BA approval runs in the background.
6. After arrival: address registration, social insurance registration from the first day of work.

For interview and onboarding advice, see onboarding a chef from Japan. To reach Japanese cooks already in Europe, you can post a job on WashokuJob.

General information gathered from official sources in September 2026, not legal or immigration advice. German approvals are case by case; confirm with the BA, the foreigners' authority or a qualified adviser before acting.