India Employment Visa for a Japanese Chef: Salary Rules (2026)

India's Employment visa requires a gross salary above Rs 16.25 lakh a year; we re-checked the Ministry of Home Affairs document setting this figure in September 2026 and it is still the current published text. The "ethnic cook" exemption from this floor applies only to cooks employed by foreign diplomatic missions, never a commercial restaurant. Japanese nationals get better visa terms than most nationalities (3 years, multiple entry, no FRRO appearance required), but the same salary floor as everyone else. Documented, tax-valued accommodation can count towards the total.

1. A small market growing fast

• MAFF's 2025 survey lists 630 Japanese restaurants in India, up 220 on 2023, an increase of more than half in two years.
• MOFA recorded 8,865 Japanese nationals in India on 1 October 2025, up 9.4%. Of those, 8,459 are long-term stayers and only 406 permanent residents.

With only 406 permanent residents, the settled Japanese population you might recruit from is very small. Expect your chef to come from Japan or from a Japanese restaurant in another country, and plan for the Employment visa from the start.

2. The salary threshold, and the cook exemption that does not apply to you

The Ministry of Home Affairs' published visa details describe the Employment visa as for a highly skilled and/or qualified professional, not for jobs qualified Indians can fill, and not for routine, secretarial or clerical work. On pay, the text is specific: a foreign national sponsored for an Employment visa in any sector should draw a gross salary in excess of Rs 16.25 lakh a year. We fetched this document again in September 2026 to confirm it is still MHA's current published text; an older US$25,000 figure sometimes quoted is not what the document itself uses.

How the threshold is calculated works in an employer's favour:

• It counts salary and all other cash allowances.
• It also counts perquisites, such as rent-free accommodation, that are included in salary for income tax purposes.
• Those perquisites must be quantified and stated in the employment contract.
• For an Employment visa of less than a year, the threshold applies pro rata.

Now the exemption people misquote. The floor does not apply to a short list of categories, and the first is "ethnic cooks employed by foreign Missions in India", with the text adding in brackets that this will not apply to ethnic cooks employed in a commercial venture. A cook for an embassy or high commission is exempt. A cook for your restaurant is not.

3. Foreign specialist chefs

The same MHA document separately lists foreign specialist chefs as an eligible category, and states that for specialist chefs employed in a commercial venture, the same minimum salary of Rs 16.25 lakh a year applies.

Two things follow for a restaurant. First, a chef is an eligible category in its own right; you are not stretching a rule written for engineers to fit a cook. Second, the salary floor is the test that decides the case, alongside the requirement that the job is not one qualified Indians can do. Your application should explain why the role needs a specialist trained in Japanese cuisine: the techniques, the menu, and the training of your Indian team.

4. Special terms for Japanese nationals

The MHA document has a section headed "Specific provisions relating to the grant of Employment visa to Japanese nationals." For a Japanese applicant who is a highly skilled and qualified professional coming to work for a company, organisation or industry in India (outside the IT sector and certain government arrangements), the Employment visa is granted for three years with multiple entry, longer than the general rule of up to two years or the assignment term, whichever is less.

Further provisions for Japanese nationals:

• An extension of two more years, on a year to year basis, beyond the initial three years may be granted subject to documents, taking total possible stay towards 5 years.
• Family members (a dependent spouse and children forming part of the same household) may receive multiple entry dependent visas.
• Japanese Employment visa holders may be granted a residential permit co-terminus with the visa.
• Japanese nationals who must register with the FRRO/FRO need not attend in person for initial registration or later extensions; an authorised representative can do it.

The visa is longer and the registration lighter for a Japanese chef than for a comparable hire from most other countries, but the Rs 16.25 lakh salary floor does not move.

5. Building a compliant package: a worked example

Because valued accommodation can count towards the threshold, one common structure is cash salary plus accommodation, with the accommodation valued in writing for income tax purposes. A worked example, using round numbers to show the method, not a market rate:

This clears the floor by Rs 25,000 a year, which is thin. Build in headroom rather than aiming exactly at the line, since the contract's stated value of the accommodation is what an officer checks against, not your intention. If the visa is granted for less than 12 months, apply the threshold pro rata to the period. Items to settle in the offer:

• Gross annual cash salary and each allowance, listed separately.
• Accommodation, with its value stated in writing.
• Flights at start and end, and home leave.
• Who handles FRRO registration (for a Japanese national, your representative can do this without the chef attending).
• Menu authority and the training role with local cooks, which also supports the "specialist" case.

What a Japanese head chef is actually paid in Mumbai, Delhi or Bengaluru, and how local practice values housing for the contract, is covered in our city guide; use it to check whether Rs 16.25 lakh sits above or below the market in your city, and set your offer accordingly rather than assuming the floor is the going rate. Our guides to relocation packages and contract clauses cover the rest of the offer.

6. After arrival: registration and extensions

If the Employment visa is valid for more than 180 days, the holder must register with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) or Foreigners Registration Office (FRO) within 14 days of arrival. Extensions are handled by the FRRO/FRO, up to a total of five years from the date the first Employment visa was issued.

The MHA text says an Employment visa is non-convertible to other visa types except in specific cases. Get the visa type right before the chef travels; do not let anyone start work on a business or tourist visa while paperwork is pending.

7. Step by step

1. Set the role as a specialist chef position and write down why it needs Japanese training.
2. Build the package so cash plus valued perquisites clears Rs 16.25 lakh a year with headroom, not exactly on the line.
3. Check your city's market rate against the floor using our Mumbai/Delhi/Bengaluru guide before finalising the offer.
4. Search in Japan and among Japanese chefs working abroad.
5. Interview with a practical test; see our guide to remote skills tests.
6. Issue the contract with perquisites quantified in writing.
7. The chef applies for the Employment visa from Japan.
8. Register with the FRRO/FRO within 14 days of arrival if the visa exceeds 180 days.

General information gathered from official sources, re-checked in September 2026, not legal or immigration advice. The MHA visa details cited here were first published in February 2018 and remained live at the same URL as of our September 2026 check. Indian visa rules and procedures can change without notice, so confirm the current position with the Indian mission or the Bureau of Immigration before acting.