Shanghai Work Permit for a Japanese Chef: Deadlines and Pay

A Shanghai restaurant hiring a chef from Japan files the national work permit notification, then a Z visa, then collects the physical work permit within 15 working days of the chef's entry, and a residence permit within 30 days. There is no official Shanghai chef salary figure, but the city's average monthly wage is CNY 12,577 (2025); a Category B application without a degree needs 60 national points or a salary at least four times that average. Even a Japanese national already living in Shanghai needs the same permit before working for you.

1. The Shanghai permit timeline, as a countdown

Shanghai's own guide (22 January 2026) runs the process in two stages: a notification before the chef enters China, and the work permit itself, applied for within 15 days of entry. Score the candidate against the national points table (China guide) before you start the clock below.

2. What the employer must produce

The chef supplies the personal documents in our China guide's schedule. On the employer's side, Shanghai's process expects:

• Business licence for the operating company, current and matching the entity that will employ the chef.
• An invitation or employment letter stating the post, salary and term, on company letterhead.
• A job justification explaining why the post needs a foreign national rather than a local hire; ready evidence is a skills gap in Japanese cuisine technique and a training plan for local staff (see training local staff in Japanese cuisine).
• An undertaking to comply with the terms of the permit and to notify the authorities of any change in the chef's employment.

Prepare these alongside the chef's own documents so the notification does not stall on the employer's side while the chef's paperwork is ready.

3. Shanghai pay against the points test

We found no official Shanghai figure for what a Japanese head chef or a sushi counter chef is actually paid; recruiters and job boards publish ranges, but none of them are official statistics, so we do not repeat them here. What the official wage figure does give you is the salary-only route into Category B: four times CNY 12,577 a month is roughly CNY 50,300 a month, a level few independent restaurants can justify for a single role. In practice, most Japanese chefs in Shanghai clear Category B on the degree-plus-experience test or on points, not on salary alone; see the worked profiles on our China guide.

Set the offer with two references in view: the national points table, where a higher salary buys points in bands (CNY 250,000 to 350,000 a year scores 14, CNY 350,000 to 450,000 scores 17), and what the chef earns in Japan today, so the offer reads as a real move rather than a lateral one. Cooks in Japan average ¥286,600 a month in regular pay (MHLW, 2025). Put housing and any relocation support in the same conversation as salary; see relocation packages for chefs.

4. Hiring a Japanese national already in Shanghai

It is tempting to hire the Japanese spouse of an expatriate, or a Japanese resident between jobs, on the assumption that living in Shanghai legally is enough. It is not. Shanghai's own guide states that foreigners employed in the city must obtain a work permit regardless of their nationality, visa type or the length of their employment.

So a local hire still means a full application in your company's name, scored on the same national points table. The advantage of a local hire is time and cost, not paperwork: no relocation, and the candidate is already settled, but the notification, the 15 day work permit deadline and the residence permit application all still apply.

5. Where to file

Shanghai handles on-site submission through its talent service centres: a municipal centre in Jing'an district, a combined work-and-residence-permit window in Pudong, and district branches in Huangpu, Jing'an, Xuhui and Changning among others. Addresses and opening hours change, and some centres close early on Fridays, so confirm the current list and book, where the centre allows it, on the Shanghai government portal before you go rather than relying on a printed address.

6. A hiring plan for a Shanghai kitchen

1. Decide which roles truly need a Japanese national. Usually the head chef or sushi lead. Fill station roles with experienced local cooks; see training local staff in Japanese cuisine.
2. Score the candidate before you offer, using the profiles on our China guide.
3. Treat local Japanese candidates as full permit hires, with the same 15 day and 30 day deadlines once they land the role.
4. Prepare the employer's document pack early: business licence, invitation letter, job justification and undertaking, alongside the chef's certificates.
5. Put the full package in writing, including housing, travel and the salary reference points above.

For comparison with other large Asian cities, see Hong Kong and Singapore. Shanghai's Japanese community, and what its recent fall means for your customer base, is covered on our China guide.

General information checked against the Shanghai government portal, the Shanghai Human Resources and Social Security Bureau and Japanese government statistics in September 2026, not legal or immigration advice. Procedures, service centre locations and hours change. Confirm current requirements with the Shanghai talent service centres and exit entry authorities before applying.