With over 700,000 residents, Subang Jaya is one of the most densely populated townships in the Klang Valley, and a popular spot to open F&B outlets.
Spend five minutes in SS15 and you’ll notice every other shop is a bubble tea cafe!
If you’d like to enter the market and set up a food outlet in Subang Jaya, you’ll need a license from Majlis Bandaraya Subang Jaya (MBSJ).
Obviously, this means a bit of homework and our guide explains the process of obtaining an MBSJ restaurant premise license.
Here’s how we’ve broken it down:
- The two categories of F&B premise licenses
- Requirements for either license type
- Requirements for a restaurant’s signboard
- Steps in the license application process, and
- Associated fees
If you’d like to do some extra reading, check out MBPJ’s licensing by-laws for food establishments.
Otherwise, to quote Joe Flizzow, let’s havoc!
License categories
MBSJ places all F&B premise licenses fall Category C, but distinguishes between two sub-categories:
- Conventional food business premise licenses, and
- Instant approval premise licenses (referred to as ‘lesen serta-merta’ in Bahasa Melayu)
As you can guess, the difference is food businesses that fall under the second sub-category can get approval on the same day the application is submitted and paid for.
Businesses that need a conventional food premise license will only receive full approval upon passing a physical premise inspection by MBSJ officers. However, they may be granted a temporary license to operate for the next five months.
The tables below show the full details of the difference between the two.
Instant approval
| Criteria | Details |
| Premises Type | Single lot premises or ground floor premises Single lot premises in a shopping complex |
| Approval Issuance | Issued on same day |
| Payment | One day approval is issued |
| Premise Inspection | Inspection within 2 months from date instant licence was issued |
| Duration | One (1) year |
Regular approval
| Criteria | Details |
| Premise Type | Premises exceeding one lot / located on upper floors |
| Approval Issuance | Application presented at Technical Meeting within 14 working days |
| Payment | Upon approval |
| Premise Inspection | Within 14 working days after application is submitted |
| Duration | One year. However, a 6-month provisional license may be considered while awaiting other approvals from Technical Departments such as:• Renovation permit• Ramp permit• Wall partition permit• Building modification approval• Internal sanitary system approval• Others |
Requirements for food premise licenses
Food handlers
- Must obtain a medical examination and TY2 injection.
- Must wear bright-coloured aprons and clean head coverings
- Strictly prohibited from having poor hygiene and inappropriate dressing
- Must attend a food handler training course with an accredited training school (like MISHU!)
Shameless promo time: we can train you and your staff with our HRDF-certified food handler course delivered by the stunningly handsome Azlan Saw.
Dining area
- Floor must be tiled properly, and wall tiles extend at least 1.5 metres from the floor
- Sufficient sinks and hand washing materials for customes
Kitchen
- Provide adequate food preparation areas kept clean at all times
- Appropriate refrigeration (Chiller 0ºC – 4ºC and Freezer – 18ºC and below)
- Raw or uncooked food stored separately from cooked food (cooked food on the upper shelves, raw food on the lower shelves)
- Food / stock must be kept off the floor and wall (20cm from floor and 15cm from the wall).
- Install a chimney / exhaust fan in cooking areas
- All items, equipment, and food ingredients must be in good condition and clean
- Install grease or oil traps in sinks and food preparation areas
- Kitchen walls and floors must be fully tiled up to the kitchen ceiling
- Provide at least two sinks for washing food preparation equipment
- Washing equipment on the floor is strictly prohibited
- Toilets must be tiled and clean, with sufficient cleaning materials
Storage room
- All items, equipment, and food ingredients should be in good condition and clean, stored on racks, cabinets, or tables made from suitable materials (wood, steel, tiles, glass, etc.)
Others
- Cooked food always covered and protected from pests
- Must be free from insects, rodents, and pets
Chairs and tables
- Specific permit is required for placing chairs and tables on pavement in front of the premises
In–premises stalls
- Activity permit required if stalls are placed inside the food premises
- Can have up to 2 stalls in mid-lot premises and up to 5 stalls in corner lot premises
Signboard requirements
All businesses are required to have a signboard clearly stating their name and purpose, and which complies with the sizing requirements.
Specifically, the following details must be met:
- Bahasa Melayu used in all advertisements alone or with other languages
- Bahsa Melayu displayed 30% larger and more clearly compared to other languages
- Bahasa Melayu must be used with correct spelling and grammar.
- Applicants must obtain approval from Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka regarding the grammar used in the advertisement visuals
License fee
The fee for an MBSJ premise license fee for restaurants, eateries, coffee shops, milk bars, and snack bars varies by premise size, and can be found on their official page here (sorry, not available in English!).
If you trust us, we’ve posted the prices in the table below.
| AREA | FEE RATE |
| Up to 90 square meters | RM 250.00 |
| 91 square meters to 120 square meters | RM 500.00 |
| Above 121 square meters | RM 750.00 |
As mentioned above, the license is valid for one year upon approval.
Application process
To apply for a restaurant premises license with MBSJ, follow these steps:
Step 1: Complete application form
Download and fill out a digital version of the MBSJ Business and Advertisement Licence Application Form or collected at the MBSJ Headquarters counter.
Step 2: Prepare and attach required documents
Ensure you attach the following documents to your application:
- Business and Advertisement Licence Application Form
- One (1) copy of the Identification Card (for Malaysian citizens) or a copy of Passport and Trade Visa (for non-citizens) stamped ‘For MBSJ Use Only’
- One (1) passport-sized photograph
- Company Registration Documents
- Certificate of Fitness for Occupation (CF) / Certificate of Completion and Compliance (CCC)
- Tenancy Agreement or Sale and Purchase Agreement for the building / Land Title (for private land)
- One (1) copy of the premises location plan
- One (1) copy of the floor plan of the premises
- Photographs showing the front, back, inside, and side views (if corner lot)
- Visuals of the advertisement board with measurements in square metres, approved by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka for grammar
- Copy of the Doctor’s Examination Letter and TY2 Injection Certificate
- Copy of the Food Handling Course Certificate
- Photos of the grease trap or oil trap at the sink and food preparation areas
- Copy of the pest control and disease carrier service certificate
Step 3: Additional approvals (if applicable)
This is only if you want to make modifications involving wall partitions, drain covers, ramps, or awnings.
In that case, you must obtain a permit from the MBSJ Building Department.
And if you don’t want to go through the hassle yourself, we’d be happy to do it for you – for a price!
Let MISHU secure your MBSJ restaurant license
We’d be happy to prepare the documents for your MBSJ restaurant license application including all permits such as private parking or alcohol licenses. Get in touch and we’ll help where possible!