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Sending a Chef From Japan to Singapore: Documents, Steps, Pay

The Japan side of a chef's move to Singapore: who files, the documents the chef prepares, a week by week plan for leaving Japan, and Singapore pass minimums converted to yen against Japanese cook pay.

Updated September 27, 2026 WashokuJob

When a chef moves from Japan to Singapore, the Singapore employer files the pass and the chef waits in Japan for the result. The chef supplies mainly their passport photo page and, only if you need qualification points, verification proof of a degree. On pay, the S Pass minimum of S$3,300 is about ¥407,000 a month and the EP minimum of S$5,600 about ¥691,000, against an average of ¥286,600 for cooks in Japan.

For a head office in Japan sending a chef to Singapore, or a Singapore operator recruiting a chef who is still in Japan. This page covers only the Japan side: how the move is arranged, the documents the chef prepares, and how Singapore pay compares with Japanese pay. Which pass and what it costs are on the Singapore hiring hub. EP points are on COMPASS points for chefs, quotas on the kitchen workforce page, and the job ad on the FCF page.

On this page

  1. Who employs the chef
  2. Documents the chef prepares
  3. Steps on the Japan side, week by week
  4. Singapore pay against Japanese pay
  5. What is decided in Singapore
  6. What to do this week
  7. Questions employers ask

Who employs the chef

For both the EP and the S Pass, the Singapore employer (or its appointed agent) applies, and the candidate does not need to be in Singapore. There are three ways to arrange the move.

ArrangementPassWhat the Japan side needs to know
The Singapore company employs the chef (transfer or local hire)EP or S PassThe floors, COMPASS (EP), quota (S Pass) and the 14 day job ad all apply.
Intra corporate transferee from the Japan head officeEPAt least a year with the group outside Singapore, in a manager, executive or specialist role. Exempt from COMPASS and the job ad, but the EP floor still applies. Family members generally cannot get a Dependant's Pass, and the chef is generally not eligible for later employment in Singapore or permanent residence.
No company registered in SingaporeEP through a local sponsorNeeds the candidate's written consent and MOM's sponsorship form; MOM quotes 6 weeks for most cases.

One point we could not confirm: where part of a seconded chef's salary is paid by the Japanese company, MOM's published pages do not say which amount counts as the fixed monthly salary for the floor and for COMPASS. A mismatch between contract and application can cause trouble, so ask MOM before filing. For secondment terms, see the overseas secondment contract guide (Japanese).

Documents the chef prepares

DocumentRequired by MOM?Notes
Passport personal particulars pageYesA pass runs only to one month before passport expiry. A first pass lasts up to two years, so renew the passport first if it has less than two years and one month left.
Letter explaining a name differenceIf names differ across documentsAdd supporting papers, for example for a maiden name or a different spelling.
University degree with verification proofOnly to claim COMPASS C2 pointsProof must come from an approved background screening company or an official portal; a certificate or notarised copy alone is not accepted. If you do not need the points, do not submit it.
Cook's licence (調理師免許) and culinary school certificateNot on MOM's listJapanese culinary schools are not on the C2 lists, so they earn no points. If you want them for your own hiring check, get English translations (cook's licence translation, certificate translations).
Police certificateNot on MOM's listNot among the EP or S Pass documents. Other countries may ask for one (Japanese police certificate).
Medical examinationIf the IPA says soThe in principle approval states whether one is needed; it is done in Singapore after arrival.

Any document in Japanese goes in as one file with the original and an English translation, which a translation service can prepare. On the employer's side, MOM wants the ACRA business profile and the page behind the QR code on the SFA food shop licence, or the licence application letter for a new outlet.

Send this to the candidate:

JA：シンガポールでの就労パス申請のため、次のものをお送りください。(1) パスポートの顔写真ページの鮮明なカラー画像（有効期限もご確認ください）、(2) 高校卒業後の学歴・資格の一覧（学校名、課程、修業年数、修了年）、(3) 大学の学位をお持ちの場合はその旨、(4) 書類によって氏名の表記が違う場合はその説明。調理師免許証は採用の確認用に写しをいただきます。

EN: For your Singapore work pass application, please send: (1) a clear colour image of your passport photo page (please check its expiry date); (2) a list of your qualifications after high school, with school name, course, length and year completed; (3) whether you hold a university degree; (4) an explanation if your name is spelled differently on any documents. We will also ask for a copy of your cook's licence for our own hiring records.

Steps on the Japan side, week by week

Week 0 is the first shift in Singapore. The Singapore side of the calendar (ad, application, processing) matches the table on the hub page.

WeekJapan side
−13Ask the candidate for qualifications and passport expiry. The job ad starts in Singapore.
−11Offer in writing, with the fixed monthly salary stated in S$. The chef gives notice under their current employer's rules.
−10Employer files online. MOM aims to process within 10 business days.
−8Send the chef the IPA. They must enter and have the pass issued within 60 days (S Pass) or 6 months (EP), so book flights inside that window.
−4 to −2Moving out procedure at the chef's city office (check the office's guidance on whether and when). Consider voluntary National Pension membership. Settle Japanese health insurance.
−1Arrival, pass issuance, fingerprints and photo if required. The card arrives within 5 working days of registration.
0 onwardsFile a residence registration (在留届) with the Japanese embassy. Article 16 of Japan's Passport Act requires it of nationals staying abroad three months or more.

Japan and Singapore have no social security agreement; the Japan Pension Service lists 24 agreements in force as of March 2026, none with Singapore. EP and S Pass holders are outside Singapore's CPF, so a chef hired locally keeps a public pension only through voluntary Japanese National Pension membership, which Japanese nationals abroad can join. See pension and health insurance for chefs abroad and tax for chefs working abroad (both in Japanese).

Singapore pay against Japanese pay

Yen figures use S$1 = ¥123.4, derived from the European Central Bank reference rates of 25 September 2026 (€1 = ¥179.70 = S$1.4563), rounded to the nearest thousand yen.

ItemAmountConverted
Japan: cooks' regular monthly cash earnings, June 2025 (MHLW)¥286,600 a monthabout S$2,323
Japan: the same with annual bonus (computed)about ¥3,790,000 a yearabout S$30,700
Singapore: chef median gross wage, June 2025 (MOM)S$3,650about ¥450,000
Singapore: chef 75th percentileS$4,784about ¥590,000
S Pass minimum, 2026 (age 23 or below to 45 and above)S$3,300 to S$4,800about ¥407,000 to ¥592,000
S Pass minimum from 1 January 2027S$3,600 to S$5,100about ¥444,000 to ¥629,000
EP minimum, 2026S$5,600 to S$10,700about ¥691,000 to ¥1,320,000
EP minimum from 1 January 2027S$6,000 to S$11,500about ¥740,000 to ¥1,419,000

The definitions differ. The Japanese figure includes overtime and excludes bonus. MOM's gross wage also includes overtime and allowances and excludes bonus. The pass floors, by contrast, test fixed monthly salary without allowances.

Even the S Pass minimum is about 1.4 times the Japanese average, and the EP minimum about 2.4 times. Housing narrows the gap: the median rent for an HDB 3 room flat approved June to August 2026 was S$2,900 a month (about ¥358,000; our calculation from HDB data). Show the candidate the rent and any allowance alongside the salary.

Put three things in the offer: the fixed monthly salary in S$ with the rate and date you used to convert it; bonuses and allowances listed separately; and any planned rise to meet the floor at first renewal. For pay structure, see designing pay for chefs abroad (Japanese).

What is decided in Singapore

What to do this week

  1. Check the candidate's passport expiry; ask them to renew if under two years and one month remain.
  2. Send the request message above and collect the qualifications list.
  3. Choose the arrangement: local hire, intra corporate transfer or local sponsor. If Japan pays part of the salary, ask MOM first.
  4. Check the chef's notice rules at their current job and share a calendar counted back from the start date.
  5. Fix the salary in S$ and write the offer with the conversion rate and date.

Figures that expire: EP and S Pass minimums change for new applications on 1 January 2027 and for renewals of passes expiring from 1 January 2028 (both shown above). The yen conversion uses ECB rates of 25 September 2026. Japanese wages come from MHLW's annual wage structure survey; Singapore wages from MOM's Occupational Wage Survey, published each June. Checked 27 September 2026.

Questions employers ask

Can we apply while the chef is still in Japan?

Yes. The employer applies for both the EP and the S Pass, and the candidate does not need to be in Singapore. The chef travels after the in principle approval, within 60 days for an S Pass or 6 months for an EP.

Does the chef need a Japanese cook's licence or culinary school certificate for the pass?

Neither is on MOM's list of required documents, and Japanese culinary schools are not on the COMPASS qualification lists, so they earn no points. Ask for translated copies only if you want them for your own hiring check.

Is it simpler to transfer an employee from our Japan head office?

If they have worked for the group for at least a year and move as a manager, executive or specialist on an EP, COMPASS and the job ad are waived. The EP floor still applies, and family members generally cannot get a Dependant's Pass.

What happens to the chef's Japanese pension?

There is no Japan and Singapore social security agreement, and pass holders are outside CPF. A chef hired locally can join the Japanese National Pension voluntarily; a seconded chef who stays on the Japanese employer's scheme remains in the Japanese system only.

How much more does Singapore pay than Japan?

At the 25 September 2026 rate, the S Pass minimum of S$3,300 is about ¥407,000 and the EP minimum of S$5,600 about ¥691,000, against a Japanese cook average of ¥286,600 a month. Housing costs are high, so present rent and allowances with the salary.

General information checked against official sources on 27 September 2026, not legal, immigration or tax advice. Currency conversions are indicative. Confirm with MOM, the Self Assessment Tool, your city office and the Japan Pension Service before acting.

Sources

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