Being a country with different races, eateries in Singapore are required to know and abide by the rules and regulations in the food and beverage industry. This is important especially for Muslim food which is necessitated to be Halal for their consumption.
To understand the importance and implications of being Halal Certified, you need to know the concept of Halal. This article will equip you with the necessary information on what Halal is, Halal application process and how to make your restaurant Halal-certified.
Halal is an Arabic word which means “allowable” or “lawful”. Muslims are not allowed to eat certain foods or take certain drinks. These class of consumables are called Haram or Non-Halal, while foods and drinks that can be taken are classified as Halal. A Halal certificate gives the assurance that a product or food is made in compliance with the dietary requirement of Islam. Hence, Muslims are more confident to use products or pay for a service that is Halal-certified.
The following things are considered to Haram and prohibited:
That you are Halal-certified does not mean that only ingredients should be Halal, utensils and other things used for preparing food should also be Halal. The major reason for Halal Certification is to serve both the national and international Muslim communities and ensure that they comply with their religion demands. Muslims must slaughter only the Halal animals and also say a short prayer. A sharp knife should be used to slaughter the animals and their blood must be drained quickly to hasten their death.
Aquatic animals like fish die shortly after being out of the water and they do not have blood like animals, therefore, they don’t need to be slaughtered like animals. Also, raw ingredients like gelatine should be Halal because they may have bones or skin extracts of animals that are Haram.
Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS) or an appointed agent from the body must perform some rituals to cleanse any utensils that have come in contact with Haram ingredients like dog or pig. Such utensil must not be used to prepare Halal food unless appropriately cleansed.
Furthermore, for your restaurant to be Halal-certified, there are some requirements that must be met. Below are some necessary information that will guide on how to make your eatery Halal-certified
The MUIS which is also the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore is responsible for awarding Halal certification. There are 7 different schemes for various types of food establishments. However, retail food establishments in Singapore including restaurants are classified under the Eating Establishment Scheme (EE Scheme).
The scope of certification of the EE Scheme includes:
Every applicant must abide by the conditions stated in the EE Scheme for MUIS Halal Certification. Every prospective applicant is strongly advised to go through the conditions for MUIS Halal Certification properly before applying for the certification.
Though there are other conditions, some of the conditions to be complied with are addressed here:
Halal certification should be applied for online via the MUIS eHalal System.
What happens after your application?
After submitting your application via the MUIS eHalal System, you will be audited before you are giving the certificate.
The application process takes an average of 7 days for renewal of Halal certificate while new applications may to up to 14 days starting from the day you make payment.
The time taken to process the application for certification depends on how fast the applicant responds to the audit outcome. The applicant must rectify every shortcoming before the application process for the certification can start.
It is therefore recommended that you should regularly check the MUIS eHalal System for any updates on your application status, a notice of any shortcoming and reports from the auditor.
For restaurant owners, their scheme is EE RESTAURANT. The application fee must be paid within 7 days of submitting the application. MUIS will reject any application fee not paid within the 7 days.
Stages | For New Application | For Amend Application | For Renewal Application |
Stage 1` | 100% Application fee + 40% Certification fee | No fee payable as yet | 40% Certification
fee |
Stage 2 | 60% of Certification fee | 100% payable if applicable | 60% Certification fee |
All payments must be made online now. Cash and cheques are no longer accepted at the MUIS office
Note: Only new applicants are to pay the application fee.
Scheme | Description | Application Fee | GST 7% | Total Payable | Remarks |
EE Restaurant | Issue of a Halal certificate for a period of one year for any restaurant with a total floor area not exceeding 186 square metres | $775.00 | $54.25 | $829.25 | Applicable to food shop with self-managed dining area |
EE Restaurant | Issue of a Halal certificate for a period of one year for any restaurant with a total floor area exceeding 186 square metres | $1,140.00 | $79.80 | $1,219.80 | Applicable to food shop with self-managed dining area |
Halal Foundation Programme Level 1 is compulsory for 1 Muslim staff and one other employee of the premise that is to be certified. It is a 2-day programme of seven hours per day. It aims at training participants the essential knowledge of basic Halal concepts. After completing the course, each participant will know how to apply the knowledge gained into their daily business operations in compliance with the Singapore Muis Halal Quality Management System (HalMQ). The training fee for level 1 is $214 per person.
Halal Foundation (Operational Level) – English is a 2-day programme that will equip foodservice industry operations-level staff to confirm food products are of Halal status, know their roles and responsibilities within Halal team, ensure documentation is in accordance with Halal Certification requirements and accept any corrective actions taken for breaching Halal conditions. The course is in English Language and each participant must know how to read and write in English. The training fee for this course is $417.30 per person.
It is a 2-day programme that will equip foodservice industry staff at the operational level to confirm food products are of Halal status, know their roles and responsibilities within Halal team, ensure documentation is in accordance with Halal Certification requirements and accept any corrective actions taken for breaching Halal conditions. The course is in Malay Language and each participant must know how to read and write in Malay. The training fee for this course is $417.30 per person
There is also a level 2 Halal Foundation Programme where participants will be trained on how to develop and implement HalMQ. It is a 2-day programme that aims to assist trainees to have an understanding of the concepts and requirements of the 10 principles of the HalMQ. At the end of the course, each participant will know how to prepare and document the procedures of HalMQ.
This level is not compulsory for Halal Team leader and members within the Halal-certified premises but it is strongly recommended for them. The training fee for this level is $535 per person.
There are limited spaces available. Interested applicants should apply as soon as possible as applications will be treated on first come first serve.
Programme | Training fee |
Halal Foundation Programme Level 1 | $214 |
Halal Foundation (Operational Level) – English | $417.30 |
Halal Foundation (Operational Level) – Malay | $417.30 |
Halal Foundation Programme Level 2 | $535 |
You will receive an email that your certificate is ready for collection if your application is approved. You must have paid every certification fee before you can collect it. You must display only the original Halal certificate within your restaurant where people can easily view it.
However, you do not have the permission to display the Certificate of Attendance / Achievement for public viewing because it is not equivalent to MUIS Halal Certificates and for people not to mistake it to be the Halal Certificate.
The Halal certificate is renewable and it is only valid for the period stated on the certificate which may be a year or two. Renewing the certificate depends on the condition stated by MUIS for Halal Certificate during that period.
It is free if you are renewing your certificate within 90 days to its expiration date. However, certificates to be renewed with less than 30 days to the expiration date will be treated as a fresh application with the application fee.
There will be a continuous inspection to ensure certified promises abide by the conditions for MUIS Halal certification. Where a certification holder defaults, he/she must rectify the issue before the given deadline.
MUIS reserves the right to suspend or revoke the certification of any holder found to have breached any of the conditions for MUIS Halal certification after written notice.
The Certificate of Achievement is issued by MUIS Academy. The certificate can be collected at Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS), 273 Braddell Rd Singapore 579702, Reception, Level 1. You should also note that the certificate must be collected within 1 month that you received a mail that your certificate is ready for collection.
We do not mail the certificate out. You can only collect the certificate at Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS), 273 Braddell Rd Singapore 579702, Reception, Level 1. You may arrange for your own courier to collect the certificate. You need to fill the Authorisation Form before you can collect the certificate.
To be Halal certified in Singapore is not that an easy. The entire process can overwhelm you, especially if you do not know how to go about it. Ihcas is a Halal certification consultant in Singapore. We help companies that operate according to Halal requirements to secure MUIS Halal Certification for their products or services.
Also, if you want your product on the international market, we will help you to secure the right Halal certification that meets the requirements of your countries of interest. Some of our services are:
Ihcas consultants will provide you with requisite info towards ensuring that your products or services meet every requirement for Halal Certification. We will assist with selecting the appropriate scheme for your business, reviewing your business operations to ensure you comply with Halal requirements, facilitating HALMQ principles, preparing Halal documentation, rectifying shortcomings on applications, meeting with Halal team and your company and reviewing your company’s Halal process before getting certified.
Implementing and documenting Halal Principles
We can help your business with the implementation of the ten HALMQ Principles to secure Halal certification. The principles are:
After you are certified, we can also help with maintaining and renewing your certification when it is the right time.
We help local companies that want to go international to secure Halal certification of other countries like Indonesia and Malaysia.
On a general note, our processes for applying Halal certification in Singapore include:
Our consultants will guide you through each stage to ensure you get certified.
You can contact us if you want to obtain Halal certification for your business or you want your business on the international market. Our consultants are always ready to serve and help you with everything you need. We will make your certification an easy process.