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Thailand Work Permit for a Japanese Chef: Requirements and Cost

Whether your Thai company can employ a Japanese chef: the Foreign Business Act question, THB 2 million capital, four Thai staff per foreigner, the THB 50,000 salary floor, fees, first year cost and the 90 day duties.

Updated September 27, 2026 WashokuJob

A Thai restaurant company can employ a Japanese chef on a Non-Immigrant B visa and work permit if it has THB 2 million of paid-up capital per foreign worker, four Thai employees per foreigner, and pays the chef at least THB 50,000 a month, the floor for Japanese nationals. A foreign majority company needs permission under the Foreign Business Act first. Budget about THB 620,000 for the first year at the floor, plus housing and flights.

This page is for owners and Japanese groups checking whether their Thai company can employ a Japanese chef, and what the permit route costs and takes. Bangkok's market, diners and the cost of the Thai team are on our Bangkok page; an opening staffing plan with the per chef formula is in our Bangkok opening staffing plan (in Japanese).

On this page

  1. First question: who owns the company?
  2. The three company tests
  3. Writing the role so it is allowed
  4. What to pay above THB 50,000
  5. First year cost and fees
  6. Timeline, and the duties after arrival
  7. The local pool

1. First question: who owns the company?

Answer this before anything about visas. Under the Foreign Business Act, the sale of food and beverages is on List 3: a company with majority foreign ownership may not run it without permission from the Director-General of the Department of Business Development, after approval by the Foreign Business Committee.

Your companyWhat comes first
Thai majority ownedGo straight to the company tests in section 2.
Foreign majority owned, no BOI promotionA Foreign Business Licence or another exemption. Without it, the work permit question does not arise.
BOI promotedThe capital rule does not apply; BOI approves foreign positions and the Single Window handles permits. Few restaurants qualify.

2. The three company tests

TestRuleFor two Japanese chefs
Paid-up capital (non-BOI)THB 2 million per foreign worker; capped at 10 permits unless the company meets conditions such as THB 3 million income tax paid last year or 100 Thai staffTHB 4 million
Thai headcountAt least 4 Thai employees per foreigner, for the one year extension of stay (police notification of 30 June 2014, in force 29 August 2014)At least 8 Thai staff
SalaryAt least THB 50,000 a month for a Japanese national, under the same notification. Audited accounts for two years and proof the hire is neededTHB 50,000+ each

New restaurants usually fail the headcount test first. Hire and register your Thai team with social security before the chef's extension falls due, not after.

3. Writing the role so it is allowed

Cooking is not on Thailand's list of 27 occupations closed to foreigners, so a chef can hold a work permit. The trap is the category of two occupations open only to workers under government MOUs: unskilled labour and shop assistant. A role described as general kitchen help reads as unskilled labour. Describe the job with skilled duties: head chef, sushi chef or kitchen manager, with menu design, fish preparation and training Thai staff.

4. What to pay above THB 50,000

Figures checked 27 September 2026. THB 50,000 a month: minimum for a Japanese national's extension of stay (police notification, 2014). Social security: 5% from each side on wages up to THB 17,500, so THB 875 a month maximum, from 1 January 2026 to 2028; the ceiling rises to THB 20,000 in 2029. MHLW 2025: cooks in Japan average ¥286,600 a month in regular pay.

We found no official Thai figure for what Japanese chefs earn, so the THB 50,000 floor is the only hard number. It is a legal minimum, not a market rate, and Bangkok has the second largest Japanese community of any city abroad, so the chef you want already has offers. Set the offer in three steps:

  1. Start at the floor only for a cook you will train. For a head sushi chef, start from what they earn in Japan and add the cost of moving.
  2. Decide housing separately. We could not confirm whether Immigration counts housing or other benefits towards THB 50,000, so keep the salary itself at or above the floor.
  3. Compare with the region. The same chef can apply to Singapore or Kuala Lumpur; our sushi chef salary by country page lists the official figures that exist.

5. First year cost and fees

At the THB 50,000 floor, from official fee schedules. The work permit fee depends on the permit length.

ItemYear one
Salary, THB 50,000 x 12THB 600,000
Social security, employer, THB 875 x 12THB 10,500
Work permit: application THB 100, permit up to one year THB 3,000THB 3,100
Extension of stayTHB 1,900
Multiple re-entry permitTHB 3,800
TotalTHB 619,300
Non-B visa fee, Workmen's Compensation Fund, housing, flights, agentYour quotes

6. Timeline, and the duties after arrival

The fee and permit steps are official; the weeks are planning allowances, not published processing times.

WhenStep
12 weeks beforeCheck ownership, capital and Thai headcount. Pull two years of audited accounts.
10 weeks beforeChoose the chef. Collect English employment and education certificates.
6 weeks beforeChef applies for the Non-Immigrant B visa at a Thai embassy or consulate, with your invitation letter.
4 weeks beforeVisa granted. Only now does the chef resign in Japan.
Arrival90 days' permission to stay. No work until the work permit is issued.
Weeks 1 to 3Work permit application at the Department of Employment: certificates, a Thai doctor's health certificate, company registration, shareholder list, social security filings, role and salary.
Before day 90Extension of stay to one year at Immigration (THB 1,900). This is where the THB 50,000 and 4:1 tests are checked. Extend the work permit to match.
Every 90 days90 day address report to Immigration while the chef stays in Thailand.
Before any trip abroadRe-entry permit, or the extension lapses when the chef leaves.

The invitation letter for the Non-B application, on company letterhead:

[Date]
To: The Royal Thai Embassy / Consulate-General, [City]
Re: Non-Immigrant Visa Category B for [Full name], passport no. [ ]
[Company name] Co., Ltd., registration no. [ ], operates [restaurant name], a Japanese restaurant at [address], with [number] Thai employees and registered paid-up capital of THB [ ].
We have offered [Full name] the position of [Head Chef (Japanese Cuisine)], responsible for [menu design, fish preparation and training our Thai kitchen staff]. Employment starts on [date] at a monthly salary of THB [ ].
We will apply for a work permit for [him/her] after arrival and take responsibility for [his/her] stay while employed by us.
[Name], [Title], authorised director — signature and company seal

7. The local pool

MOFA counted 72,113 Japanese nationals in Thailand on 1 October 2025, 51,297 in Bangkok, and 69,380 of the national total were long term residents rather than permanent residents. Most are tied to an employer or are dependants, so hiring one means a new work permit under your company, with the same three tests. MAFF counted 5,920 Japanese restaurants in Thailand in 2025, up 590 on 2023, which also means experienced Thai sushi cooks exist; they fall outside every foreign worker rule. One Japanese head chef with a trained Thai team is the model the 4:1 rule already pushes you towards. See training local staff in Japanese cuisine.

Expiring figures: the social security wage ceiling (THB 17,500 to 2028, THB 20,000 from 2029) and immigration and work permit fees. The THB 50,000 and 4:1 rules date from 2014 and change rarely. Next check: January 2027.

Frequently asked questions

What is the minimum salary for a Japanese chef's work permit in Thailand?

THB 50,000 a month, the minimum for Japanese nationals under the 2014 police notification on extensions of stay. It is checked when the chef applies for the one year extension. Keep the salary itself at or above it rather than relying on housing or allowances.

How many Thai employees do we need to hire one Japanese chef?

At least four Thai employees per foreigner, so four for one chef and eight for two. Branches and representative offices of foreign companies get a 1:1 ratio, but an ordinary restaurant company does not.

How much paid-up capital does a restaurant need to hire a foreign chef?

THB 2 million of registered paid-up capital per foreign worker for a company without BOI promotion. A foreign majority company also needs Foreign Business Act permission to sell food and beverages.

What does a Japanese chef cost in the first year?

At THB 50,000 a month, salary, employer social security (THB 875 a month) and government fees for the work permit, extension and re-entry permit come to about THB 619,300. Visa fee, housing, flights and agent fees come on top.

What must the chef do after arriving in Thailand?

Get the work permit before working, extend the stay to one year before day 90, report their address to Immigration every 90 days, and take a re-entry permit before leaving the country so the extension does not lapse.

General information checked in September 2026 against Thai government fee schedules and JETRO's summaries of Thai law, not legal or immigration advice. Thai immigration practice varies between offices. Confirm with the Department of Employment, Immigration or a Thai lawyer before applying.

Sources

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