Hiring a Japanese Chef in Spain: Work Authorisation and SMI 2026

Spain has no chef visa and no special rule for cooks from Japan. A Japanese restaurant hires a cook from abroad through the general route for employed work, and the question that decides everything is whether the "national employment situation" allows it. This guide explains how that is tested, why a restaurant cook usually has to go the longer way, and where the working holiday programme fits.

1. How Spain decides whether you can hire from abroad

The route is the initial temporary residence and work authorisation for employed work (autorización inicial de residencia temporal y trabajo por cuenta ajena). Spain's migration ministry sets out three ways an employer can show the labour market allows the hire:

1. The job is on the catalogue of hard-to-fill occupations (Catálogo de Ocupaciones de Difícil Cobertura), published every quarter by the state employment service SEPE.
2. If it is not, the employer registers a job offer on the Empléate portal and with the public employment services, and obtains documentation that recruitment has been difficult.
3. An international agreement exempts the worker. The ministry names Chile and Peru. Japan is not among them.

The employer, not the worker, submits the application.

2. The shortage catalogue, and why restaurant cooks are not on it

The catalogue for the third quarter of 2026 was published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado on 2 September 2026. It is short. It covers professional athletes and coaches, a list of merchant navy jobs, electricians, aluminium and metal carpentry fitters, and crane operators.

The only cooks on it are cocineros de barco, ship's cooks, listed as part of the merchant navy group for coastal provinces plus Lleida and Madrid. Restaurant cooks and chefs are not on the catalogue. SEPE's province-by-province catalogue for the first quarter of 2026 shows the same thing: every cook entry, in every province, is a ship's cook.

3. Proving the job cannot be filled locally

Because restaurant cooks are not on the catalogue, the employer has to go through the job offer route. In outline, according to the migration ministry's information sheet:

• Register the vacancy on the Empléate portal and with the public employment service.
• Obtain the documentation showing that the offer could not be filled, which then supports the work authorisation application.

This step is where most applications are won or lost. A vague offer for a "cocinero" will attract local applicants who can reasonably do it, and the employment service will expect you to consider them. A precise offer that states what the job actually requires (handling and breaking down whole fish for raw service, preparing sushi rice to a set standard, Japanese language to work with suppliers and a Japanese head chef, years of experience in a Japanese kitchen) is more honest and more likely to show a real gap. Our sushi chef job description can help you define the role.

The ministry's sheet does not set a fixed advertising period in the summary we reviewed. Ask your regional employment service how long the offer must run and what documentation it issues.

4. The employer's application

In practice, from the first job offer to the cook arriving, you are looking at many months. Also check the collective agreement that covers your business: where it sets a higher minimum for the job grade than the SMI, your contract should meet it.

The regulations behind this route were reformed by Royal Decree 1155/2024, and the SEPE catalogue is now produced under the reformed article 65. If you are relying on guidance written before 2025, check that it reflects the current regulation.

5. Working holiday: the faster first step

Spain and Japan started a working holiday programme on 1 July 2017. According to the Spanish Embassy in Tokyo, participants must be between 18 and 30, can stay for up to one year, and may work to supplement their travel funds within Spanish law. The first year allowed 500 participants from each side; Japan's foreign ministry now lists a maximum of 700 visas a year.

For a restaurant, a working holiday cook is a legal hire without the labour market test. It is also temporary. If you want to keep the person, you will need the general route above, and you should start it well before their year ends.

6. The 2026 minimum wage

Royal Decree 126/2026 of 18 February 2026 set Spain's minimum wage (salario mínimo interprofesional) for 2026, with effect from 1 January:

• €1,221 a month (or €40.70 a day), paid in 14 instalments
• €17,094 a year as the annual minimum

This is the floor for the work authorisation. Your hospitality collective agreement may set higher minimums by job grade, and a skilled Japanese cook will expect pay well above the legal floor. For international comparisons, see our salary guide by country.

7. A realistic plan for a Spanish Japanese restaurant

1. Look for people who can already work in Spain. EU nationals, and people who already hold Spanish permission that allows them to work, avoid the whole process. Ask every Japanese applicant what status they hold before you rule them out.
2. Use working holiday hires to bring in young cooks for a year, and to find out who you would want to keep.
3. For a key senior hire, start the job offer route early. Write a specific offer, run it properly through the employment service, and document every applicant.
4. Train locally. The long lead time for foreign hires makes a strong local sous chef essential. See training local staff in Japanese cuisine.
5. Budget for relocation. Flights, first month's housing and help with paperwork matter more to a candidate than a small salary difference. See relocation packages for chefs.

For neighbouring markets, compare our guides to France and Italy. To reach Japanese cooks, including those planning a working holiday, post a job on WashokuJob.

General information gathered from official sources in September 2026, not legal or immigration advice. The catalogue changes every quarter and procedures vary by province; confirm with the relevant Oficina de Extranjería or an adviser before acting.