How to Get JAKIM Halal Certification in Malaysia (2026): The Foreign-Owned Company Guide to MPPHM 2020 and the 2026 Amendment, Muslim Staffing Rules, Fees, MyHALALINGREDIENTS and MYeHALAL 2.0

A Malaysian halal certificate is voluntary in law and close to compulsory in the market. Supermarket chains, hotel and airline caterers, institutional buyers and most food-court landlords will not list a product or take a tenant without one, and exporters to Muslim-majority markets use it as a passport. For a foreign-owned company, the route is well defined but unforgiving: the Malaysian Halal Certification Procedure Manual (Domestic) 2020, as amended by JAKIM's Halal Certification Circular No. 1 of 2026, sets the eligibility, staffing, documentation and audit rules; the MYeHALAL portal handles the application; the MyHALALINGREDIENTS database carries the ingredient evidence; and the Trade Descriptions Act 2011 punishes halal claims made without a valid certificate with fines of up to RM5 million for a company. This guide, updated in September 2026, sets out the current rules, the fees, the Muslim staffing requirements that decide most foreign applications, what MYeHALAL 2.0 changes, and a realistic timeline.

What the certificate is, and the law behind it

The certificate is the Sijil Pengesahan Halal Malaysia (SPHM), issued by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) or by a State Islamic Religious Department or Council (JAIN/MAIN), under a single national procedure. Its legal teeth come from two orders made under the Trade Descriptions Act 2011:

• The Trade Descriptions (Definition of Halal) Order 2011 (P.U. (A) 430/2011), in force since 1 January 2012, which defines halal for the purposes of trade and makes it an offence to supply food or goods through any representation likely to make a person believe they are halal, including by using Quranic verses or Islamic symbols.
• The Trade Descriptions (Certification and Marking of Halal) Order 2011 (P.U. (A) 431/2011), which makes JAKIM and the state authorities the competent authorities for certification and lists the foreign halal certification bodies whose marks Malaysia recognises.

So the legal position is simple: nobody is forced to certify, but nobody may describe or mark food, goods or services as halal in Malaysia without a valid Malaysian certificate or a recognised foreign mark.

What changed in 2025–2026

Who can apply: the foreign-owned company question

There is no foreign equity restriction on halal certification. A 100% foreign-owned Sdn Bhd operating in Malaysia applies through the domestic route on MYeHALAL, exactly as a Malaysian-owned company does. What decides eligibility is not ownership but operation and staffing:

• A registered business with valid SSM registration and the relevant local authority licences for the premises.
• Fully operating for at least three months before applying (one month at new premises after a relocation), so that the audit sees a real operation.
• Producing or handling only halal products in the certified scope, with segregation where the company has any non-halal activity.
• The Muslim staffing and halal management structure required for the company's size, described below.

An overseas manufacturer with no Malaysian entity that wants to export into Malaysia uses a different route: either certification by a foreign body on JAKIM's recognised list, or JAKIM's international certification procedure. A Malaysian subsidiary that imports finished products for resale does not certify those products itself; it relies on the manufacturer's recognised certificate.

The Muslim staffing rules that decide most foreign applications

This is where foreign applications most often fail. The management system has to be run by Malaysian Muslims in permanent roles, and the number scales with company size. Company size follows JAKIM's categories based on annual sales.

The Halal Executive must be a Malaysian citizen, Muslim, in a permanent position, and hold at least a diploma in halal management or have five years' experience in halal management, with a Halal Executive certificate from a training provider registered with JAKIM's Halal Professional Board. The Internal Halal Committee for medium and large companies typically includes the chairperson, the Halal Executive and representatives from procurement and operations.

Ingredients: MyHALALINGREDIENTS and the recognised-body list

The ingredient file is the most time-consuming part of a manufacturer's application. Every raw material in the certified products has to be traceable to halal evidence: a Malaysian halal certificate, a certificate from a foreign body on JAKIM's recognised list, or (for inherently halal materials) documentation that satisfies JAKIM. That evidence is registered in MyHALALINGREDIENTS, which MYeHALAL uses during review.

For companies sourcing from Greater China, two practical points follow.

1. Check the certifier, not just the certificate. A halal certificate from a body that is not on the current recognised list is treated as no certificate. The list changes by gazetted amendment; bodies are added and removed. The 2026 additions of SGH (Shanghai) and THCD (Taiwan) help Chinese and Taiwanese supply chains, but every supplier must still be checked against the current list on the date of application.
2. Documents must match exactly. Supplier specifications should be on the supplier's letterhead, show the manufacturer, and match the certificate's product name, and the certificate must be valid. Mismatched names between an invoice, a specification and a certificate are one of the most common reasons for queries.

Fees and the application steps

JAKIM charges certification fees by scheme and company size. For products and services under MPPHM 2020, the annual fee schedule is set by company category:

The government fee is small next to the compliance cost: staff, training, segregation works, laboratory testing where required, and management time. Confirm the fee shown on MYeHALAL at the payment stage, as the amended manual and portal are the final reference.

1. Set up the Malaysian base. Incorporate the Sdn Bhd, obtain the council business premise licence, and for food businesses complete the Food Act 1983 requirements for handlers and premises.
2. Build the halal management system. Appoint the Halal Executive or Supervisor, form the committee or internal control system, write the halal policy and procedures, train staff through a registered provider, and set up complaint and corrective-action records.
3. Prepare ingredients and suppliers. Verify every certifier against the recognised list and register ingredients in MyHALALINGREDIENTS.
4. Operate for three months, keeping records that show the system working.
5. Apply on MYeHALAL under the correct scheme (food products, food premises, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, consumables, logistics, OEM, slaughterhouse and so on), upload documents and pay the fee.
6. Answer document review queries promptly through the portal.
7. Host the on-site audit. Auditors inspect premises, lines, storage, cleaning and records and may take samples.
8. Panel decision and e-certificate. Download the certificate, display it, and only then use the Malaysian halal logo.

MYeHALAL 2.0 and the whitelist: what to expect

On 23 May 2026, JAKIM Director-General Sirajuddin Suhaimee said on Bernama TV that MYeHALAL 2.0 would be introduced within the next few months. The system is designed to review each application against the MyHALALINGREDIENTS database with AI support, shortening the review period. JAKIM also described a whitelist for companies with high commitment and strong compliance records: if a whitelisted company applies and submits supporting documents promptly, approval can be completed within a week.

Two practical conclusions follow for a first-time foreign applicant. First, a clean, complete ingredient database becomes even more valuable, because automated review surfaces gaps immediately. Second, whitelist status is earned through compliance history, so a new entrant should expect the standard route for its first certificate and treat clean audits, prompt answers and proper reporting of changes as an investment in faster renewals later. Check the portal for the actual launch status before planning around it.

Keeping the certificate: changes, renewals and lapses

• Report changes before they happen. New products, new suppliers, recipe changes and premises changes need to be notified and approved; they are not automatically covered.
• Renew early. Submit the renewal between six and three months before expiry. The validity period is printed on the e-certificate.
• Expect surveillance. JAKIM may audit at any time, with or without notice, and the 2026 amendment makes suspension, withdrawal and account freezing explicit outcomes.
• If it lapses, the logo comes off. Packaging, menus, signage, websites and marketplace listings must stop using the halal mark immediately; continuing is a Trade Descriptions Act offence.

Common mistakes by foreign applicants

• Treating halal as a document exercise. Applying before the Muslim staff and halal management roles are in post and before three months of operation.
• Home-country halal marks on imported packaging. A mark from a body Malaysia does not recognise is a misleading halal representation.
• Unverified suppliers. Discovering during review that a key ingredient's certifier is not on the list, forcing a reformulation.
• Wrong scheme or category. Food premises versus food products, or understating company size to fit a lower staffing tier.
• Shared facilities without segregation. Non-halal storage, lines or utensils without documented physical separation and cleaning.
• Launching new SKUs under an old certificate. Every new product must be within the approved scope before it carries the logo.

Halal claims also sit inside Malaysia's broader consumer and advertising rules. Our guide to consumer protection and price marking for businesses explains how the halal orders fit alongside the Consumer Protection Act, price marking and online-selling rules, and our F&B licensing guide covers the restaurant view.

Our recommendation

Decide on halal at the investment stage, not after the factory or restaurant is built. The decision changes the layout, the supplier list, the hiring plan and the launch date. If the answer is yes, recruit the Halal Executive or Supervisor early, audit the supply chain against the recognised-body list, and plan on roughly three months of operation plus the review and audit period before the logo can go on the pack.

ONEKEY BIZ sets up foreign-owned food, F&B, cosmetics and consumer-goods companies in Malaysia and coordinates the licensing around them, including the Food Act 1983 requirements through our food handling certification service. Talk to our team for a halal readiness review before you commit to premises or packaging.

This article is general information only, not legal, tax or immigration advice. Policies, thresholds and official fees are set by the relevant Malaysian authorities and may change. Talk to our consultants about your specific situation.