How much does halal certification cost for a restaurant in Malaysia?

The gazetted fee for a food premises is RM100 per premises per year, plus a RM20 processing fee. Hotels are charged separately, at RM500 per kitchen or restaurant per year for four star and above and RM200 for three star and below. Caterers are banded by turnover instead, from RM100 to RM700.

What does a restaurant need before applying for halal certification?

A valid food premises registration certificate from BKKM, a food handler training certificate from a Ministry of Health recognised institution for every food handler, and a valid anti-typhoid vaccination for every food handler. These are prerequisites to the application.

Does every menu item need to be included in the halal application?

Yes. Certification must be sought for every menu item served, and the menu declared in MYeHALAL must match the menu on display. Items added later require a separate menu addition application, charged at RM200 covering two years.

How does halal certification work for a restaurant chain?

Chain premises trading under the same brand must apply for each outlet, and the applications must be managed centrally rather than branch by branch. If the chain runs a central kitchen, that kitchen must already hold certification under the food and beverage product scheme before the outlets can be certified.

Halal Certification for Restaurants Malaysia

Three things you need before you apply

The food premises scheme has prerequisites that sit outside halal entirely, and an application missing any of them does not get assessed. Two of the three are per person, not per business, which is what makes them slow: every food handler needs their own certificate and their own vaccination record.

What you must already hold before applying — food premises
Requirement	What the manual says
Food premises registration certificate	A valid Perakuan Pendaftaran Premis Makanan from BKKM, the Food Safety and Quality Division
Food handler training certificate	Every food handler must hold a Sijil Latihan Pengendali Makanan from an institution recognised by the Ministry of Health
Anti-typhoid vaccination	Every food handler must hold a valid anti-typhoid vaccination administered by a registered medical practitioner
Central kitchen certified first	A food premises operating a central kitchen must already hold halal certification under the food and beverage product scheme
Menu declared in full	The menu declared in MYeHALAL must match the displayed menu, and certification must be sought for every menu item served. Undeclared items require a separate menu addition application
Chain premises applied per outlet	Chain premises trading under the same brand must apply for each outlet, and the applications must be managed centrally

Source: JAKIM, Manual Prosedur Pensijilan Halal Malaysia (Domestik) 2020, Prosedur 19, page 34 · edition of 2020

The menu rule

This is the single most common surprise. You must apply for every item you serve, and the menu you declare in MYeHALAL has to match the menu on your wall. A special that is not on the application is not certified, and adding it later is a menu addition application at RM200 covering two years.

The practical consequence is that restaurants with a rotating or seasonal menu need to think about scope before applying, not after. Declaring a broad menu up front is cheaper than a stream of additions.

What it costs

Food premises are charged a flat rate rather than by turnover, which makes this one of the cheapest schemes to hold.

Food premises — statutory fee per premises, per year
Premises type	Criteria	Fee (per premises, per year)
All listed premises types	Any of the seven categories above	RM100

Source: JAKIM, Manual Prosedur Pensijilan Halal Malaysia (Domestik) 2020, Bahagian III, page 14 · edition of 2020

Hotels are charged per kitchen or restaurant rather than per property, and banded by star rating.

Food premises (hotels) — statutory fee per kitchen or restaurant, per year
Hotel rating	Criteria	Fee (per kitchen or restaurant, per year)
4 star and above	4 star and above	RM500
3 star and below	3 star and below	RM200

Source: JAKIM, Manual Prosedur Pensijilan Halal Malaysia (Domestik) 2020, Bahagian III, page 14 · edition of 2020

Caterers, food service operators and convention centre kitchens fall on a turnover band instead.

Catering, food service and convention centre kitchens — statutory fee per year
Annual turnover	Criteria	Fee (per year)
Small	Below RM500,000	RM100
Medium	RM500,000 to RM5 million	RM400
Large	Above RM5 million	RM700

Source: JAKIM, Manual Prosedur Pensijilan Halal Malaysia (Domestik) 2020, Bahagian III, page 15 · edition of 2020

Add the RM20 processing fee to any of these. The full picture across every scheme is on the certification cost page.

Chains and central kitchens

Two rules that reshape the project for anyone with more than one outlet. Each outlet needs its own application, but the applications must be managed centrally rather than left to branch managers. And if you run a central kitchen, that kitchen has to be certified first under the food and beverage product scheme — the outlets cannot be certified ahead of it.

For a growing chain this argues for certifying the central kitchen early, before the outlet count makes the sequencing painful.

What the audit checks on a food premises

Supplier certificates. Every meat, poultry and processed ingredient traced to a supplier with current halal status. Lapsed certificates are the most common finding.
Storage segregation. Separate chillers or clearly demarcated zones, and no non-halal stock on the premises unless the scope explicitly allows it.
Utensils and preparation surfaces. Dedicated, marked, and actually used as marked.
Cleaning and samak. Documented procedures where required, with verification records rather than assurances.
Staff knowledge. Kitchen staff who can explain the halal control points in their own section without being prompted by a manager.

Note: We are independent consultants, not JAKIM or BKKM. Premises registration, food handler training and the halal certificate are issued by those authorities. We prepare the documentation, the menu scope and the team.

Halal certification for restaurants and cafés

Three things you need before you apply

The menu rule

What it costs

Chains and central kitchens

What the audit checks on a food premises

Certifying a restaurant?

Related

Sort the menu scope first