Hiring a Japanese Chef in the Netherlands After the Asian Cooks Rule

For years, Asian restaurants in the Netherlands had their own arrangement for bringing in cooks. That arrangement is over. Since 1 July 2024, a Japanese cook is assessed like any other non-EU worker, which means a three-month recruitment effort in Europe before you can apply. This guide explains what changed, what the standard route requires, and when the highly skilled migrant scheme becomes a realistic alternative.

1. The short version

Japan's agriculture ministry found the number of Japanese restaurants in the Netherlands rose by about 370 between 2023 and 2025. More restaurants competing for the same cooks, and a tighter route for bringing new ones in, is the backdrop for everything below.

2. What happened to the Asian cooks arrangement

The Dutch employee insurance agency UWV, which issues work permits, states on its page for Asian restaurants that applications to employ Asian cooks have been assessed "in the same way as the application for a work permit for a regular job" (our translation) since 1 July 2024. The earlier sector arrangement for Asian hospitality no longer applies.

In practice that means:

• You must search for a suitable candidate in the Netherlands, the EU/EEA and Switzerland for at least three months before hiring from Asia.
• UWV expects multiple recruitment efforts on both the Dutch and the European labour market.
• The UWV page does not distinguish between Japanese and other Asian cuisines. A sushi restaurant is treated the same as any other Asian restaurant, and both are treated the same as any other employer.

3. The standard route: GVVA and TWV

For a stay of more than three months, the employer usually applies for a combined residence and work permit (GVVA) from the immigration service IND. The GVVA combines the residence permit and the work permit (TWV), and UWV handles the work permit part. The conditions UWV applies for a regular job:

1. Report the vacancy to UWV at least five weeks before applying for the permit.
2. Search for at least three months for a suitable candidate in the EU/EEA or Switzerland, using different media, and keep documents that prove it.
3. Pay a salary appropriate to the position, transferred monthly to the worker's bank account.
4. Arrange safe and clean housing for the worker, and be ready to tell UWV what type it is.
5. A clean record: no fines for breaking labour law in the five years before the application.
6. The worker must be at least 18, and the job a regular position.

The permit is valid for a maximum of two years. The IND fee for a single permit application for paid employment is €423 in 2026.

The three-month search is the real cost. Plan for it: write a proper job description, advertise it in Dutch and English on at least two platforms, and record every applicant and why they were or were not suitable. Our sushi chef job description is a useful starting point, because a specific description of the skills required also helps UWV understand why a general cook from the EU is not a match.

4. Highly skilled migrant: when a chef's salary is high enough

The Dutch highly skilled migrant (kennismigrant) scheme needs no separate work permit, and the IND's page for it sets out no labour market test. The tests are salary and sponsor status: only an IND recognised sponsor can apply, and the pay must meet the income requirement and match what people in the same job earn on average.

The €5,942 threshold is roughly 2.3 times what a 40-hour week at the July 2026 minimum wage pays (about €2,600 a month), but not impossible for an executive chef at a high-end restaurant. There is also a detail worth noticing: the threshold for a candidate under 30 is €1,585 a month lower. A talented 28-year-old sushi chef with ten years at the counter could be within reach where a 35-year-old would not.

Costs in 2026: recognition as a sponsor is €5,080, or €2,539 for businesses with no more than 50 people. The highly skilled migrant application itself is €423.

5. Working holiday

The Netherlands and Japan have run a working holiday programme since 2020. According to the IND:

• Applicants must be 18 to 30 at the time of application.
• The residence permit is valid for up to one year.
• Up to 200 Japanese nationals can take part each year.
• No work permit is required for occasional work, but "other work is not permitted". The IND explains that the work is meant to fund the stay; working full time for the same employer all year is not what the scheme allows.

So a working holiday participant can help in your kitchen, but cannot be your full-time sushi chef for twelve months. Treat it as a way to meet candidates, then apply for a proper permit if you want to keep someone. The 200 places are also few compared with, say, 6,000 for the UK.

6. Minimum wage and what the rules expect

The Dutch statutory minimum wage for workers aged 21 and over is €14.71 an hour from 1 January 2026 and €14.99 from 1 July 2026. That is the legal floor for anyone you employ, including working holiday participants.

For a permit, UWV requires a salary appropriate to the position, which in hospitality will usually mean the rates in the applicable collective agreement for the job grade. We did not find an official Dutch median wage for cooks broken down this way, so none is quoted here. For how Dutch pay compares internationally, see our salary guide by country.

7. A note on the old "Japanese exemption"

You may find older articles saying Japanese nationals can work in the Netherlands without a work permit because of a historic trade treaty. We found no current IND or UWV page that describes such an exemption, and immigration law firms reported at the time that it ended from 1 January 2017. Plan on the basis that a Japanese cook needs the same work authorisation as any other non-EU national, and confirm with the IND if your candidate says otherwise.

8. Step by step

1. Decide the route: regular GVVA, highly skilled migrant (if the salary clears the threshold), or a working holiday as a first step.
2. For the regular route, report the vacancy to UWV and start a documented three-month EU search. Advertise on at least two channels.
3. Line up housing that meets the "safe and clean" standard.
4. Prepare the contract with pay in line with the job grade and the collective agreement.
5. Submit the application to the IND (at least five weeks after reporting the vacancy).
6. On arrival, register the cook with the municipality and complete onboarding. See onboarding a chef from Japan.

For comparisons with neighbouring countries, see our guides to Germany and France. To advertise to Japanese-speaking cooks already in Europe, post a job on WashokuJob.

General information gathered from official sources in September 2026, not legal or immigration advice. Dutch thresholds change every January and July; confirm on the IND and UWV pages before acting.