A Quick Guide To Halal Certification Fees In Malaysia
It should come as no surprise that pursuing Halal certification by the Malaysian Department of Islamic Development (JAKIM) is not cheap.
As a result, it’s only logical for businesses to get a sense of them before committing, and assuming the Halal application is self-handled, there are two main types of fees:
- predictable and standard official JAKIM fees, and
- less predictable costs of complying with Halal requirements
Below, we list out the first and do our best to give readers a ballpark figure for the second.
Let’s begin.
Official Halal certification fees
JAKIM imposes three main types of certification fees:
- processing fees
- certification fees
- miscellaneous fees (and quite a few of them)
All of them are payable via JAKIM’s MyeHALAL portal at various points of the application.
Application processing fee
Every application is subject to a non-refundable processing fee of RM20 for local companies or RM200 for foreign entities manufacturing in Malaysia.
Certification fee
The certification fees are based on type of operation, size, and number of years issued, with first-time applicants generally granted the following validity periods:
- 1 year for slaughterhouses
- 2 years for F&B products, food premises, and foreign manufacturers
- 3 years for cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, logistics, OEM, and medical devices
The table below shows certification fees for each year.
| Category | Products, Logistics, OEM, Medical Devices, & Central Kitchens | Catering, Service Providers, & Convention Centers | Slaughterhouses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Micro | RM100 | – | – |
| Small | RM400 | RM100 | RM100 |
| Medium | RM700 | RM400 | RM400 |
| Large | RM1,000 | RM700 | RM700 |
For more on how JAKIM determines operation size, see our full guide to HALAL certification requirements.
Miscellaneous fees
These are situational use-cases where an existing Halal certificate holder needs to request additional documentation or make changes:
- RM200 to add menus / promotional menus for two years
- RM50 per Halal logo poster printing
- RM50 / certificate reprint for local companies
- RM1,000 / certificate reprint for foreign companies
- RM100 / consignee for consignment notes
Ok, that’s the easy part done – now for the not-so-easy part!
The ‘hidden fee’ of Halal certification
We of course refer to the costs of meeting Halal requirements, then ensuring continuous compliance.
While we don’t really think it’s a hidden cost, business who don’t know the exact requirements they must meet may not appreciate the full scale of the commitment required, which can include:
- employing the minimum number of permanent Malaysian Muslim employees required
- hiring a qualified Halal Executive or Halal Supervisor where required
- establishing an Internal Halal Committee for medium and large organisations
- developing and implementing the right Internal Halal Management System
- training employees on Halal compliance and maintaining competency
- replacing non-compliant ingredients, suppliers, or packaging materials with Halal-approved alternatives
- modifying production layouts or workflows to prevent cross-contamination
- purchasing dedicated equipment or carrying out sertu (ritual cleansing) where necessary
- preparing for and responding to JAKIM field audits, including any corrective actions required following non-conformance reports (NCRs)
These costs vary significantly by industry and scale – for a small, already largely Halal-compliant café that only needs to make minor changes, it may be as low (relatively speaking) as RM2,000.
On the other hand, a manufacturing facility producing multiple product lines may need to invest well into five figures to implement new systems, restructure production processes, employ additional personnel, and meet ongoing compliance obligations.
We wish we could give a more detailed answer, but there are just too many factors for a general estimate, and readers who want an estimate tailored to their business are welcome to get in touch
Otherwise, we wish you all the best with getting your business Halal-certified 🙂
Let MISHU help obtain your Halal certification
If you’re interested in pursuing Halal certification or renewal for your business, our team can help prepare and submit necessary documents, liaise with the authorities, and guide you through each step of the process. Get in touch!