Hiring a Japanese Chef in Norway: The Skilled Worker Permit

Norway does not have a salary threshold for ordinary skilled workers like Sweden's, and it has no shortage list for cooks. The deciding question is different: can your chef prove they are a skilled worker in the sense the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) uses? For a Japanese chef who trained on the job rather than through a long vocational programme, that question is where most of the work lies.

1. The route: skilled worker permit

A Japanese national who will work for a Norwegian restaurant needs a residence permit. The Norwegian government's information service for newcomers (Ny i Norge) summarises the main route: people who have completed higher education or vocational education can apply for a skilled worker residence permit, and they will normally need a job offer. The detailed conditions sit on UDI's skilled workers page.

2. Does a Japanese chef count as skilled?

UDI accepts three kinds of qualification. The chef needs one of them, and the qualification must be relevant to the job.

For many itamae, the career path is years of work under a senior chef rather than a formal three-year programme. That points to the special qualifications route, and it means the application stands or falls on the evidence of experience. Collect employment certificates from each restaurant in Japan, with dates, position and duties, and get them translated. A MAFF cooking skills certificate can support the story but is not a Norwegian qualification; see our guide to the MAFF certification.

3. Job offer, hours and pay

• A concrete job offer from one specific employer in Norway.
• Full time as a rule. UDI accepts a position of at least 80 percent.
• Pay and conditions no poorer than normal in Norway for that work.

Norway has no general minimum wage, but hospitality is one of nine sectors where collective agreement rates apply by law. The Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority lists a starting rate of NOK 204.79 an hour (from 15 June 2025) for workers in onshore hotels, restaurants and catering who are over 20, or over 18 with four months' experience. That is a legal floor for all staff, not a guide to what a skilled chef from Japan should earn. For a skilled worker permit, offer what an experienced chef in Norway would normally be paid.

If a chef later loses the job, UDI allows them to stay for up to six months to look for new work while the permit remains valid.

4. Why chef applications get extra scrutiny

UDI openly names chef among a small group of trades (with car mechanic, carpenter, painter, bricklayer and hairdresser) where it applies extra checks to education documents from nine countries: Bangladesh, China, India, Iran, Kosovo, Nepal, Pakistan, Türkiye and Vietnam. Japan is not on that list. UDI's page also mentions cook among job types where processing can take longer.

The practical lesson is that a chef application in Norway is read closely. Clear, verifiable Japanese documents and a job description that matches them are the best protection against delay.

5. How long the permit lasts

If the position requires vocational training at upper secondary level, UDI grants the permit for up to one year at a time. Positions requiring a university degree can get up to three years. For most chef hires, plan for yearly renewals, and diarise each one.

6. Other ways to staff an Oslo kitchen

Japan's foreign ministry counted 1,769 Japanese nationals in Norway as of 1 October 2025, 909 of them permanent residents. It does not publish a figure for Oslo alone. That is a small community, so a Japanese restaurant in Oslo cannot expect a steady stream of local Japanese applicants.

Japan and Norway have run a working holiday programme since 2013, and Japan's foreign ministry lists no annual cap. Working holiday makers can fill gaps for a season, and one who proves themselves might later qualify for a skilled worker permit if their experience meets UDI's standard. Our European working holiday guide covers the wider picture. The other lever is training local cooks under a Japanese head chef; see training local staff in Japanese cuisine.

7. Checklist

1. Decide which qualification route fits the candidate: vocational training or at least six years' relevant experience.
2. Collect dated employment certificates and training documents from Japan, with translations.
3. Write a job description that genuinely requires a skilled chef.
4. Offer full time (at least 80 percent) and pay at the normal Norwegian level, above the hospitality minimum.
5. Allow extra processing time, and plan yearly renewals for vocational level permits.

For contract terms and relocation costs, see our contract checklist and relocation guide. To reach experienced Japanese chefs, you can post a job on WashokuJob.

General information gathered from official sources in September 2026, not legal or immigration advice. UDI assesses each application individually; confirm the current requirements on udi.no before applying.