German restaurateurs ask the same question constantly: can we bring kitchen helpers from India? The honest answer is that Germany's skilled-immigration framework was not built for unqualified roles, and pretending otherwise wastes everyone's time. But three routes genuinely work, and most gastronomy requirements fit one of them.
Why the Obvious Route Does Not Exist
The FEG routes all require a qualification. The experience-based route needs a vocational qualification of at least two years recognised in India plus two years of relevant experience. A genuinely unqualified kitchen helper with no certificate does not meet that, regardless of how badly the role needs filling. There is no general low-skilled work visa for non-EU nationals in Germany.
Route 1: The Specialty Cook Provision
Germany's Employment Ordinance has a dedicated provision for cooks of a foreign national cuisine. An Indian restaurant that serves predominantly Indian food can employ an Indian specialty cook for up to four years without German recognition, where the cook has relevant training or several years of documented experience in that cuisine.
This is the fastest hospitality route available — often eight to twelve weeks with a complete file — and it is why Indian restaurants across Germany can staff kitchens at all. It does not extend to a general European kitchen.
Route 2: The Experience Route for Qualified Kitchen Staff
This is the workhorse for hotel and international kitchens. A candidate with an IHM diploma, a culinary qualification of two years or more, plus two years of experience qualifies as a commis or chef de partie under the experience-based route at the applicable DEHOGA wage.
The practical move for many employers is to reframe: instead of recruiting an unqualified helper, recruit a qualified commis who can do the prep work and grow into a section. The visa works, the pay grade is defensible, and you get someone who stays.
Route 3: Ausbildung for Younger Candidates
For candidates aged roughly eighteen to twenty-eight, the three-year vocational training route (Koch/Köchin, Hotelfachmann/-frau, Fachkraft für Gastronomie) is the cleanest answer. The restaurant pays a training allowance, the vocational school teaches theory, and at the end you have a German-qualified employee who counts toward your skilled headcount.
B1 German is required before the visa, which adds six to eight months in India — but the outcome is a qualified employee rather than a temporary fix. See Ausbildung for Indian candidates.
Structuring the Offer
Whichever route, three things decide whether the file clears:
- Pay at the DEHOGA grade for your state, not the national minimum, where the agreement binds you
- Accommodation, which in city gastronomy is often the difference between a worker taking the job and not
- Honest shift disclosure — split shifts and weekend work stated in the offer, not discovered in week two
What We Recommend
Indian restaurants: the specialty cook provision, every time. Hotels and international kitchens: qualified commis and chefs de partie on the experience route, with helpers recruited locally. Employers with a long horizon: one or two Ausbildung trainees per year alongside, building your own qualified pipeline.
More detail on the hospitality side in Indian chefs and hotel staff for Germany and the hospitality shortage guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can we hire an unqualified kitchen helper from India?
Not under the standard skilled-worker routes, which all require a qualification of at least two years plus experience. The workable alternatives are the specialty-cook provision for Indian cuisine, a qualified commis on the experience route, or an Ausbildung trainee.
How fast is the specialty cook route?
Often eight to twelve weeks from contract to visa with a complete file — the quickest hospitality route Germany offers, because no recognition step is involved.
