Hiring a Japanese Chef in Italy: Decreto Flussi 2026–2028

Italy admits most non-EU workers through quotas set by decree, with applications submitted online on fixed "click days". For a Japanese restaurant, two details in the current decree matter a great deal: restaurants are an eligible sector, and Japan is on the list of countries with reserved places. And from April 2026, a new working holiday agreement opened a second door.

1. How Italy admits foreign workers

For most employment, an employer in Italy must obtain a nulla osta (clearance) for the worker from the Sportello Unico per l'Immigrazione at the prefecture. The number of clearances for non-seasonal and seasonal employment is capped each year by the Decreto Flussi, the decree on entry flows.

Some categories are admitted outside the quotas, and the decree refers to entries "within and outside the quotas". For a restaurant cook, though, the quota route is the normal one.

2. The 2026 to 2028 quotas

The current decree (DPCM of 2 October 2025, published in the Gazzetta Ufficiale no. 240 of 15 October 2025) sets quotas for three years at once: 497,550 entries in total.

The sectors open to non-seasonal quota hires expressly include "servizi di alloggio e ristorazione" (accommodation and food services) and tourism services. A restaurant can therefore apply for a cook under the non-seasonal quota.

3. Japan's place in the decree

Article 6(2) of the decree reserves places within the non-seasonal quota for nationals of countries that cooperate with Italy on migration. The list includes Albania, Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Morocco, the Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand and others, and it also includes Giappone (Japan): 25,000 places a year across all these countries from 2026 to 2028.

Being on that list matters in two ways. First, Japanese cooks can be hired under the reserved share rather than competing only for the general pool. Second, the seasonal quota in article 7 is open only to nationals of the countries in article 6(2), so Japanese nationals are also eligible for seasonal tourism work, for example in resort areas.

4. The job centre check before you apply

Before requesting a nulla osta for a non-seasonal worker, the employer must check that no worker already in Italy is available for the job. The government's integration portal explains the procedure, based on article 22(2-bis) of the Consolidated Immigration Act as amended by Decree-Law 145/2024:

• The employer sends a staff request on the Ministry of Labour's form to the job centre (Centro per l'Impiego) for the province of its residence or registered office.
• The job centre publishes the offer so eligible workers can apply.
• The employer can proceed if the job centre does not report available workers within 8 calendar days, if the worker it sends is not suitable, or if the worker does not attend the interview without good reason (after at least 20 working days from the request).
• The employer attaches a self-certification of the outcome to the nulla osta application.

This check is not required for seasonal workers. Note that the article describing it dates from November 2024; confirm the current form with your job centre.

5. Click days and timing

Applications are pre-filled online in the months before, then submitted from 9:00 on the click day. For the 2026 quotas, the Ministry of Labour announced:

The 2026 click days have passed. The decree already fixes the 2027 quotas, but we did not find official 2027 click day dates at the time of writing. Watch the Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of Labour announcements from autumn 2026, and prepare the job centre check and documents before pre-filling opens.

Plan backwards: the candidate, contract terms and job centre check should all be ready before the click day. A missed click day usually means waiting for the next round.

6. The new Italy–Japan working holiday

An Italy–Japan working holiday agreement, ratified by Law no. 136 of 17 September 2025, entered into force on 1 April 2026. According to Italy's Ministry of Labour:

• Participants are aged 18 to 30.
• They can stay up to one year.
• Their work may last no more than six months.
• No nulla osta is needed for that work.

Japan's foreign ministry lists a maximum of 500 visas a year. For a restaurant, this is a route that lets a young Japanese cook work for you without a quota or a job centre check. The six-month work limit is the constraint. Use it for a season, or as a trial before applying for a quota place for the following year.

7. A plan for Italian Japanese restaurants

Japan's agriculture ministry found the number of Japanese restaurants in Italy fell by about 300 between 2023 and 2025, while Germany, the Netherlands and the UK all grew. Staffing choices matter for the restaurants that remain.

1. For a key cook, plan a year ahead. Identify the candidate, agree terms, and be ready with the job centre check before the next round of pre-filling.
2. Use the reserved quota. Make sure your application is filed under the correct category for a Japanese national.
3. Use the working holiday for the short term. Up to six months of work, with no quota. Good for a busy season or a trial.
4. Seasonal businesses: resort restaurants can use the tourism seasonal quota, which does not require the job centre check.
5. Build the local team. The lead times make a strong local kitchen essential. See training local staff in Japanese cuisine.

We have not included Italian pay benchmarks because we did not find an official occupation-level wage source for cooks to cite. See our salary guide by country for comparisons, and our guides to Spain and France. To reach Japanese cooks, including working holiday participants, post a job on WashokuJob.

General information gathered from official sources in September 2026, not legal or immigration advice. The Decreto Flussi procedures are detailed and change with each round; check the prefecture and ministry pages or consult an adviser before acting.