Work Permit for a Japanese Chef in Indonesia: RPTKA, KITAS, Cost

To bring a Japanese chef to Indonesia, file a foreign worker plan (RPTKA) on TKA Online under the position "Chef" (Juru Masak Ahli, code 3434), the only kitchen title on the list of jobs open to foreigners in restaurants. The chef needs at least five years of documented experience. You pay US$100 a month in DKP-TKA, name an Indonesian counterpart to train, and enrol the chef in BPJS. Plan on about 14 weeks from choosing the chef to first shift.

1. Why Indonesia is different

• MAFF counted 6,580 Japanese restaurants in Indonesia in 2025, up 2,580 on 2023, the largest increase in MAFF's top ten and enough to pass Thailand.
• Only 15,266 Japanese nationals lived in Indonesia on 1 October 2025, 5,419 of them in South Jakarta (MOFA). That is about 2.3 per Japanese restaurant, against about 12 in Thailand.

Two consequences. There is almost no pool of Japanese chefs already in the country, so a Japanese chef is nearly always an import. And the system is built on the rule that a foreigner holds a job only until an Indonesian can take it over (Government Regulation 34 of 2021), so every filing asks who will replace the chef.

2. The one job title that fits: Chef, code 3434

Minister of Manpower Decision 228 of 2019 lists the positions foreigners may hold, sector by sector. It is still in force according to the ministry's legal database. In the accommodation and food service section there are twelve positions, and only one is in the kitchen:

There is no "sous chef", "cook" or "sushi chef" line. File under "Chef", describe the job as a skilled head of a Japanese kitchen, and use exactly that title in the RPTKA, the contract and the organisation chart. A younger cook you want as a second pair of hands does not fit the list.

3. Proving five years: what the file needs

Minister of Manpower Regulation 8 of 2021 requires education suited to the position, at least five years of work experience in line with it, and readiness to transfer skills to Indonesian staff. When the employer enters the chef's data on TKA Online, the documents listed include the diploma, a qualification certificate or proof of work history, the employment contract and a colour passport scan.

Applications fail on weak experience evidence. Build the file like this:

• One employment certificate (在職証明書) per past employer, on letterhead, with start and end dates, position and duties. Five years must add up from the dates, in positions that match "Chef".
• Culinary school diploma and Japan's cook licence (調理師免許), if held, as the education evidence.
• English translations. Indonesia and Japan are both in the Apostille Convention; we could not confirm whether TKA Online requires apostilled copies, so ask your agent before the chef orders them.

The chef can send this request to each former employer:

4. The route: RPTKA, DKP-TKA, VITAS and ITAS

1. RPTKA on TKA Online. The plan sets out the position, duties, period and location, the Indonesian headcount, the named counterpart and the training commitments. Supporting documents include the deed of establishment, NIB, business licence, proof of location, organisation chart and manpower report. The ministry assesses it, including by video call with the employer. Periods are usually one to two years.
2. Worker data and DKP-TKA. Upload the chef's documents, then pay US$100 per month of employment in advance, US$1,200 for 12 months. Approval follows payment. If the chef does not come, a refund can be claimed within a year.
3. Immigration fees, then the e-visa. Immigration tells the employer to pay the fees from visa approval to ITAS, runs background checks and sends the electronic visa, valid three months for entry.
4. ITAS. After entry at a designated airport, the electronic ITAS reaches the employer a few days later, with a re-entry permit. The first ITAS runs up to two years.
5. After arrival. Police registration within 30 days of the ITAS, then local registration; the Jakarta steps are on our Jakarta page. BPJS enrolment for anyone working more than six months.

5. Setting the chef's pay

We found no official Indonesian figure for what a Japanese chef earns, and the minimum wage is irrelevant at this level. Set the offer by comparison instead:

1. Start from the chef's pay in Japan. A chef who meets the five year rule is past junior level. Your net offer, after Indonesian tax and housing, has to beat what they take home now.
2. Add the move. Housing near the restaurant, a flight home each year, and for Muslim majority areas, time to adapt the menu and kitchen practice (see halal Japanese kitchen staffing).
3. Check the regional alternatives. The same chef can apply to Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur or Singapore. Our sushi chef salary by country page sets out the official figures that exist.

6. First year cost of one hire

Because there is no market figure to plug in, the table works per IDR 10 million of monthly salary; multiply by your own figure. Employer rates from BPJS: old age savings (JHT) 3.7%, death (JKM) 0.3%, work accident (JKK) 0.24% to 1.74% by risk class. BPJS says the pension programme (JP) is not required for foreigners. Health (BPJS Kesehatan) is 4% from the employer under Presidential Regulation 64 of 2020, up to a wage ceiling.

7. Timeline from decision to first shift

The regulations do not publish processing times for the RPTKA assessment. The weeks below are planning allowances, not official times.

8. The counterpart duty

You must name an Indonesian counterpart, train them in the chef's skills, and give the chef Indonesian language training. Treat the counterpart as your future sous chef: pick someone already in your kitchen, write down the skills and dates, and keep a monthly log. When the RPTKA comes up again, that log is your evidence. Our guide to training local staff in Japanese cuisine has a skills ladder you can use.

General information checked in September 2026 against Indonesian regulations, BPJS and JETRO summaries, not legal or immigration advice. Procedures and fees change; confirm with the Ministry of Manpower, the Directorate General of Immigration or a licensed Indonesian adviser before acting.