1. Identify your export destination
Start with where the product is going. Almost every later decision depends on it, including which certification body you can use.
- Name your target markets: List each destination country and rank them by priority and planned launch date.
- Find the competent halal authority: Identify the government agency that sets halal rules for imports in each market, for example BPJPH in Indonesia or JAKIM in Malaysia.
- Check whether halal is mandatory for your category: Some markets require halal certification by law for certain categories such as meat, poultry, food or cosmetics. In others it is a buyer requirement. Record which applies to each product.
- Note deadlines and transition periods: Record every enforcement date. Indonesia's deadline for most imported products is 17 October 2026, and BPJPH supervision of the market begins after that date.
- Identify your importer or local representative: Several markets require a local importer, distributor or authorized representative to file registrations for you. Confirm who that is and what documents they need from you.
- Ask your buyer what they expect: Importers and retailers often have preferred or required certifiers of their own. Get this in writing before you choose a certification body.
2. Check which halal certification bodies the destination accepts
This is the step exporters skip most often. Go to the destination government's website and download its current list of recognized, approved or registered halal certification bodies. Rely on the official list itself when you check a certifier's status. Recognition is usually granted for specific product categories, and sometimes only for specific countries or offices, so check both.
Examples of how major import markets handle foreign halal certificates:
- Indonesia - Authority: BPJPH (Halal Product Assurance Organizing Agency), Ministry of Religious Affairs. How foreign halal certificates are accepted: A foreign halal certification body (LHLN) needs a mutual recognition agreement with BPJPH, and recognition is granted by product category. Certificates from a recognized body are registered in Indonesia through the foreign certificate registration route (SHLN) on the SIHALAL system. Products without one go through full Indonesian certification. Where to verify: BPJPH website and the SIHALAL list of recognized foreign bodies
- Saudi Arabia - Authority: SFDA Saudi Halal Center. How foreign halal certificates are accepted: Accepts halal certificates from bodies it has recognized. Halal certificates are currently mandatory for meat, poultry and their products, and each consignment needs its own halal certificate from a recognized body. Where to verify: halal.gov.sa and sfda.gov.sa
- Malaysia - Authority: JAKIM (Department of Islamic Development Malaysia). How foreign halal certificates are accepted: Imported products sold as halal need a certificate from a foreign body on JAKIM's recognized list. Halal certification is mandatory for animal products. The list is revised periodically, most recently through an amendment order issued in August 2026. Where to verify: halal.gov.my
- Singapore - Authority: MUIS (Islamic Religious Council of Singapore). How foreign halal certificates are accepted: MUIS does not certify products made overseas. It recognizes foreign halal certification bodies (FHCBs) whose standards align with the Singapore MUIS Halal Standards. Where to verify: muis.gov.sg (FHCB list)
- United Arab Emirates - Authority: MOIAT (Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology). How foreign halal certificates are accepted: Under Cabinet Decree No. 10 of 2014, halal certificates must come from certification bodies registered by MOIAT. Registration requires accreditation from an approved accreditation body such as EIAC. The UAE Halal National Mark is a separate mark that can be licensed for use on pack. Where to verify: moiat.gov.ae (Registered Halal Certification Bodies)
- Other GCC states - Authority: National food authorities; GCC Accreditation Center (GAC). How foreign halal certificates are accepted: Accreditation to GSO 2055-2 is widely referenced. Each country keeps its own requirements, so confirm the rules for Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman individually. Where to verify: Each country's food control authority
Once you have the lists, check the following for your chosen certifier:
- Save the official list: Keep a dated PDF or screenshot of each destination's current list in your export file.
- Check product category scope: Confirm the certifier is recognized for your exact category, such as food, flavors, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods or slaughter.
- Check country and site coverage: Some authorities recognize a certifier only for certain countries of manufacture or specific branch offices. Match this to where your product is made.
- Check validity dates: Recognitions expire and can be suspended. Note the expiry date and set a reminder to check again.
- Ask for accreditation evidence: Request the certifier's accreditation certificates and scope schedules, for example ISO/IEC 17065, GSO 2055-2 or UAE.S 2055-2.
- Plan for several markets: If one certifier cannot cover every destination, decide whether to add a second certifier or phase your market entry.
- Check ingredient certificates too: Some authorities expect halal certificates for critical raw materials to come from bodies they recognize as well.
3. Define your product scope
- Build a product list: For each SKU, record product name, brand, formula code, manufacturing site, HS code and target markets.
- Classify each product by market: Mark which SKUs must be halal certified in each destination and which will be sold without a halal claim.
- Check other market registrations: Halal certification sits alongside product registration and conformity schemes, such as BPOM registration in Indonesia or SFDA registration and SABER conformity certificates in Saudi Arabia. Confirm what applies and who files it.
- Plan for products you won't certify: Indonesia requires products that are not halal certified to carry a non-halal declaration on the label. Decide how you will handle any SKUs outside your certification scope.
- Settle ownership for contract and private label products: Confirm who holds the certificate when a contract manufacturer makes the product or it is sold under a customer's brand.
4. Review ingredients and raw materials
- List every material: Include processing aids, carriers, flavors, colors, enzymes, cultures, vitamins, release agents, lubricants and any packaging that touches the product.
- Flag critical materials: Pay close attention to animal-derived materials (gelatin, collagen, glycerin, fatty acids, emulsifiers such as mono- and diglycerides, L-cysteine, rennet and other enzymes), alcohol and ethanol-derived materials, insect-derived colors such as carmine, and microbial growth media.
- Collect supplier halal certificates: Each certificate should be valid, name the exact material and manufacturing site, and come from a body the destination accepts.
- Collect specifications and origin statements: For materials without a halal certificate, get written statements on source and processing from the supplier.
- Check alcohol limits: Limits on ethanol in finished products and flavors differ by market and standard. Check yours against the destination's standard.
- Set up an approved supplier list and change control: A new supplier, a new material or a reformulation goes through halal review before it is used.
5. Prepare your facility and production controls
- Map product flows: Trace halal and non-halal materials through receiving, storage, production, packing and dispatch.
- Segregate halal materials: Use dedicated or clearly separated and labelled storage, equipment and utensils.
- Control shared lines: Write and validate cleaning procedures for any line shared with non-halal products. Where a line has handled pork or dog-derived material, some standards (Malaysia's, for example) require ritual cleansing (sertu) before halal production.
- Check cleaning chemicals, lubricants and pest control materials: Confirm that anything which can contact the product is free of non-halal ingredients.
- Test traceability: You should be able to trace one step back and one step forward. Run a mock recall and keep the record.
- Brief staff on site rules: Set rules for personal food, drink and personal items in production and storage areas.
- Check warehousing and logistics partners: Third-party warehouses and transporters must keep halal products segregated and protected from contamination.
- Meat and poultry exporters: Confirm that the slaughterhouse and processing plant are approved or listed by the destination, that halal slaughter is supervised, and that each shipment gets its own halal certificate where required.
6. Initiate halal certification
- Choose your certifier: Select a body whose recognitions cover your destinations and categories, based on your findings in section 2.
- Run an internal gap check: Review your system and site against the checklist items above before you apply.
- Prepare the application file: Company registration documents, site list, product list, formulas or ingredient lists, supplier certificates, process flow diagrams and your halal manual.
- Prepare for the site audit: Have records, the halal team and production available on audit day, ideally with the products in scope running.
- Plan for lab testing: Some certifiers or markets require tests such as porcine DNA or ethanol content. Ask in advance.
- Close nonconformities (if any): Respond to audit findings with root cause, corrective action and evidence by the deadline given.
- Check the certificate details: The legal entity name, site address, product names and brands on the certificate should match your labels and commercial documents exactly.
7. Register in the market and document each shipment
- Indonesia: Your importer or representative registers the foreign halal certificate (SHLN) on SIHALAL. You receive an Indonesian registration number, and the Indonesian halal logo and that number must appear on the pack before sale.
- Saudi Arabia: For meat and poultry, a halal certificate from a recognized body accompanies each consignment. Confirm SFDA product registration and any SABER conformity certificates with your importer.
- United Arab Emirates: The halal certificate comes from a MOIAT-registered body. Decide whether you also want to license the UAE Halal National Mark.
- Shipment certificates: Find out whether the destination needs a halal certificate for each shipment in addition to the facility or product certificate.
- Match your documents: Product names, lot numbers, quantities and site details on the halal certificate should match the invoice, packing list and labels.
- Legalization and translation: Some markets require certificates to be legalized by an embassy or chamber of commerce and translated by a certified translator.
- Keep a shipment file: Store copies of every certificate sent with each shipment.
8. Labels and halal claims
- Use the right logo: Check which halal logo the destination requires or allows, and whether a registration or certificate number must appear with it.
- Get artwork approved: Send label artwork to your certifier for approval before printing any halal logo or claim.
- Meet language rules: Arabic is required in GCC markets and Bahasa Indonesia in Indonesia, alongside any other language rules for the label.
- Match the label to the certified formula: The ingredient statement should match the formula that was certified.
- Remove claims from uncertified products: Make sure no halal logo or wording appears on SKUs outside your certificate.
This checklist is general guidance and does not replace the official requirements of any government authority. Requirements were checked in September 2026 and may have changed since. Confirm current rules with the destination authority, your importer and your certification body before shipping.
