Requirements · MPPHM 2020

JAKIM's halal certification requirements, room by room.

JAKIM's halal certification requirements, set in its manual MPPHM 2020, apply to every company producing in Malaysia, whether registered there or overseas. Each applicant needs a valid business registration and local-authority licence, three months of full operation and records before a new application, halal-only production, traceable raw materials, a prayer space and an internal halal system. Food and drink makers add permanent Malaysian Muslim workers on every shift and trained food handlers.

01Front office02Store03Processing floor04Hygiene & premises05Surau & staff room06Packing & labels
Illustration: a food and drink factory with its walls cut low. The numbers are the six rooms of the walk below; each station opens on its own room of this drawing.
  1. 01Front office
  2. 02Store
  3. 03Processing floor
  4. 04Hygiene & premises
  5. 05Surau & staff room
  6. 06Packing & labels

Who JAKIM's requirements apply to: anyone producing in Malaysia.

JAKIM (Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia, the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia) sets its requirements in the Manual Prosedur Pensijilan Halal Malaysia (Domestik) 2020, MPPHM 2020. The manual applies to companies registered in Malaysia or overseas that carry out business or production in Malaysia, so a company registered abroad that makes its product here meets the same requirements; where it is registered changes its fees and its certificate term.

Every applicant meets the conditions of procedure 5 and the general requirements of procedure 17, whatever it makes: the raw-material rules, the prayer space, the hygiene rules and the records are general requirements. Procedure 18 then adds a list for each of the nine schemes. The walk below uses a food and drink factory because procedure 18(1) is the list a food manufacturer meets; the other eight schemes are in the table further down.

Made outside Malaysia? Two other routes.

A product made outside Malaysia is a different case, with two routes. One is a certificate from a foreign body on JAKIM's recognised list: under the Trade Descriptions (Certification and Marking of Halal) Order 2011, para 5, imported food and goods described as halal must meet the requirements or be certified by such a body (JAKIM's list, 21 August 2026). The other is JAKIM's own procedure for international manufacturing, in use since 1 January 2024: a company registered in Malaysia (a branch, subsidiary, importer, distributor, trader or agent) applies for the overseas factory, under five schemes, for a 2-year certificate, with an audit at the plant of at least four days and a Halal Assurance System in place. JAKIM's routes for overseas companies sets them side by side, and JAKIM vs a foreign certificate compares the two certificates.

MPPHM 2020 · 1(3)(a)–(b), procedures 4, 5, 17 and 18; Trade Descriptions (Certification and Marking of Halal) Order 2011, para 5

Checked against JAKIM's documents on 5 October 2026. JAKIM's 2026 circular, Pekeliling Pensijilan Halal Malaysia Bil. 1 Tahun 2026 (in force 1 April 2026), reprints the manual as amended: procedures 5, 6, 17(1), 17(3)–(5), 17(8)–(11), 17(14)(b)–(d), 17(15)–(16), 18(1), 19, 20, 21 and 22, as quoted here, read the same in it; 17(12) on training changed (below). New rules are announced by circular or on the authority's portal before they apply (62(3)), and where the English and the Malay differ the Malay manual is final (70). Certificate terms: confirm with JAKIM.

The walk

What each room must meet: six rooms, one factory.

MNS Modulaz walks the factory of the drawing above, room by room: in each, what JAKIM's manual asks, the clause it sits in, and what MNS Modulaz prepares with your team before you apply. Its services are the gap analysis, the documents and SOPs, the internal halal control system JAKIM asks for at the company's size, and training.

01

Front office

Registration and records come first.

Who the company is, how long it has run, and the internal halal system that keeps it compliant: all of it is held in the office.

Registrations and records

  • A valid business registration: a certificate from the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM), a cooperative registration, or an establishment document under an Act of Parliament or a ministry. The manual does not say which one a company registered overseas uses: confirm it with JAKIM.MPPHM 2020 · 5(1)
  • A licence or approval from the local authority (PBT), or a valid confirmation or support letter from a government agency.MPPHM 2020 · 5(2)
  • For food and drink, a valid food premises registration certificate from the Ministry of Health's Food Safety and Quality Division (BKKM).MPPHM 2020 · 5(3), 18(1)(a)
  • Where relevant: veterinary certification or a support letter from the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS), a manufacturer's licence from NPRA, or an establishment licence from the Medical Device Authority.MPPHM 2020 · 5(4)–(6)
  • Fully operating for at least three months before a new application, or for at least one month at a new premises after a move.MPPHM 2020 · 5(7)–(8)
  • At least three months of documents and records for the audit of a new application, and every record kept for at least three years.MPPHM 2020 · 17(14)(c)–(d)
  • Business run within all laws and regulations in force; the competent authority may reject an applicant found in breach.MPPHM 2020 · 17(16)(a), (c)

The internal halal system

  • Small and micro companies: an Internal Halal Control System (IHCS), made of a halal policy, a raw-material control procedure and a traceability procedure, built on JAKIM's MHMS 2020 manual.MPPHM 2020 · 18(1)(f)(ii)–(iii), 19
  • Medium and large companies: a Halal Assurance System (HAS), a Halal Executive at every branch, and an Internal Halal Committee of at least four members (a chairman, the Halal Executive, someone from purchasing and someone from processing or operations).MPPHM 2020 · 18(1)(f)(i), 20
  • Small companies also appoint a Halal Supervisor at the premises: a permanent Malaysian Muslim employee who supervises the processing area or the management side.MPPHM 2020 · 18(1)(f)(ii); definitions
  • A Halal Executive is a Muslim Malaysian citizen in a permanent post, with a Diploma in Halal Management (or equivalent) or five years' experience in halal management, and a Halal Executive certificate from a training provider registered under JAKIM's Halal Professional Board (HPB).MPPHM 2020 · definitions, PDF p.7

What changes with turnover: JAKIM's rules by company size · the terms: IHCS, HAS, Halal Executive.

We get ready with youMNS Modulaz checks the registrations and licences against procedure 5, and prepares the halal file and the internal halal control system JAKIM asks for at the company's size with your team.

MPPHM 2020 · 5(1)–(8), 17(14), 17(16), 18(1)(a), (f), 19, 20; definitions

02

Store

Every raw material, traced to its maker.

In the store the question is where each raw material came from, and what proves it is halal.

What JAKIM's manual asks

  • Every raw material halal, safe and not contaminated, and traceable to its original producer.MPPHM 2020 · 17(1)(a), (e)
  • Clearly labelled with its name and producer, and declared in the MYeHALAL form in detail, as on its label.MPPHM 2020 · 17(1)(g)–(h)
  • Raw materials from animals: a valid halal certificate from the competent authority or a recognised halal certification body.MPPHM 2020 · 17(1)(b)
  • Imported animal-based raw materials, such as beef, chicken or gelatin, only from slaughterhouses or plants approved by DVS.MPPHM 2020 · 17(1)(c)
  • No halal certificate, or one from a body JAKIM does not recognise: complete supporting documents showing composition, flow chart and source.MPPHM 2020 · 17(1)(d)
  • Raw materials cut, pre-mixed or repacked by a third party, suppliers and intermediaries included, need their own valid halal certification.MPPHM 2020 · 17(1)(f)
  • Storage kept for halal raw materials and products only, traded products included.MPPHM 2020 · 17(4)(a)

Which foreign certifiers count: JAKIM's recognised bodies, by country (the PDF list) · JAKIM vs a foreign certificate.

We get ready with youMNS Modulaz prepares the raw-material list with your team: one line per raw material, with its producer and its halal certificate or supporting documents, the details JAKIM's Appendix F summary asks for.

MPPHM 2020 · 17(1)(a)–(h), 17(4)(a); Lampiran F

03

Processing floor

Muslim workers on every shift, halal lines only.

In the manual's definition the processing area runs from receiving raw materials to finished products: storage, weighing, preparation, manufacturing, packing, distribution, serving and selling.

What JAKIM's manual asks

  • Only halal products made or handled at the premises, traded products included; every product still made there goes on the application.MPPHM 2020 · 5(9)–(10)
  • The processing area free of non-halal or doubtful materials, and used only for certified halal products unless a halal control mechanism is in place.MPPHM 2020 · 17(3)(b)–(c)
  • No equipment or utensils from animal sources unless their halal status is identified, such as water filters, bristle brushes and crockery.MPPHM 2020 · 17(5)(c)
  • Food and drink: permanent Malaysian Muslim workers on duty in the processing area throughout every operating period or shift: at least one in micro and small companies, at least two in medium and large ones. The Halal Executive and the Halal Supervisor are not counted among them.MPPHM 2020 · 18(1)(f); definition of Pekerja Muslim
  • No objects or elements of worship anywhere in the processing area.MPPHM 2020 · 17(15)
  • Food and drink: MS 1500:2019 Halal Food – General Requirements, the Food Act 1983, the Food Regulations 1985 and the Food Hygiene Regulations 2009 are complied with.MPPHM 2020 · 18(1)(e)

One worker or two: JAKIM's rules by company size.

We get ready with youMNS Modulaz sets out what 18(1)(f) asks of a company your size and writes the SOPs for the floor with your team. Hiring and rostering the workers is your company's to do.

MPPHM 2020 · 5(9)–(10), 17(3), 17(5)(c), 17(15), 18(1)(e)–(f); definitions

04

Hygiene & premises

Hygiene and the premises, clean and written down.

The hygiene rules cover the building as well as the floor, and the records kept about both.

What JAKIM's manual asks

  • Cleaning of the processing area runs to a schedule; pest control is regular, by a contractor or in-house, and recorded.MPPHM 2020 · 17(10)(a), (c)
  • Working hand-wash points with soap and tissue; enough bins, in good condition and covered.MPPHM 2020 · 17(10)(d)–(e)
  • Toilets clean, with a cleaning procedure, and not opening directly onto the processing area.MPPHM 2020 · 17(10)(f)
  • Workers wear protective equipment suited to the job, keep personal items, food and drink out of the processing area, and do nothing that can contaminate, such as smoking or spitting.MPPHM 2020 · 17(9)(d)–(f)
  • Every food handler holds a Food Handler Training certificate from an institution the Ministry of Health recognises, and a valid anti-typhoid vaccination.MPPHM 2020 · 18(1)(b)–(c)
  • The premises, offices, canteens and workers' quarters included, free of non-halal materials such as alcohol and pork; fenced or controlled against pets, wild animals and pests; laid out to avoid cross-contamination; workers' quarters outside the premises area, or separated with no direct route to processing.MPPHM 2020 · 17(8)

We get ready with youMNS Modulaz writes the cleaning, pest-control and hygiene SOPs and their record sheets with your team, and lists the food handler certificates the audit asks about.

MPPHM 2020 · 17(8), 17(9)(d)–(f), 17(10), 18(1)(b)–(c)

05

Surau & staff room

A place to pray, and the time to go.

Staff facilities are a general requirement of procedure 17: every applicant meets them, under every scheme. A surau is a prayer room.

What JAKIM's manual asks

  • A prayer room or space for Muslim workers, in a reasonable location, big enough and well kept.MPPHM 2020 · 17(11)(a)
  • Time off for the daily prayers, Friday prayers included.MPPHM 2020 · 17(11)(b)
  • A changing room, an eating or rest area, and storage for personal belongings.MPPHM 2020 · 17(11)(c)–(e)

We get ready with youMNS Modulaz writes the prayer-time arrangement into your staff SOPs and lists, in the gap analysis report, what 17(11) asks for.

MPPHM 2020 · 17(11)(a)–(e)

06

Packing & labels

Names and labels that match the application.

The names on the pack must pass the naming rules and match the names declared in MYeHALAL.

What JAKIM's manual asks

  • No “halal” in the company, product, menu, ingredient or brand name, and no other wording that presents them as for Muslims.MPPHM 2020 · 5(12)
  • Names that refer to or resemble non-halal products, such as ham, bak kut teh, bacon, beer, rum, hot dog or char siew, are not eligible. Since 2026 the competent authority may allow a short list of names, such as luncheon or cocktail, with a qualifying word (Chicken Luncheon Meat, Beef Sausage Cocktail): ask it for a ruling.MPPHM 2020 · 6(7), Lampiran A; A(2)–(3) as amended 2026
  • Product and menu names in MYeHALAL exactly as on the label or menu display.MPPHM 2020 · 17(2)(c), 21(5)(e)
  • Names in a foreign language translated into Malay and/or English.MPPHM 2020 · 21(5)(f)
  • Repacking needs a recognised, valid halal certificate for the product. Finished products only relabelled, with no process in Malaysia, are not eligible.MPPHM 2020 · 5(11), 6(8)
  • The Malaysia Halal logo is used only by holders of a valid certificate (SPHM) with the competent authority's permission.MPPHM 2020 · 41(1)

We get ready with youMNS Modulaz checks every product name and label against 5(12), 6(7) and your application before you apply.

MPPHM 2020 · 5(11)–(12), 6(7)–(8), 17(2)(c), 21(5)(e)–(f), 41(1); Lampiran A

Which records the audit asks for: on the plan of the same building.

At the audit the company shows its documents and records. The manual lists them in 17(14)(b) and says the list is not the limit; here each one sits in the room it belongs to, on a plan of the factory above seen from straight overhead. The office holds most of them.

  1. 01Front office
    • Halal application file
    • MHMS file: the IHCS or HAS
    • Copies of the company's halal certificates, if any
    • Staff records
    • Halal training records
    • Records of earlier halal audits or monitoring
  2. 02Store
    • Raw-material purchase records
    • Supplier halal certificates, or the supporting documents
  3. 03Processing floor
    • Product processing records
  4. 04Hygiene & premises
    • Pest-control records
    • The cleaning schedule
  5. 05Surau & staff room
    • No record on the 17(14)(b) list: the room and the prayer time are what 17(11) asks for.
  6. 06Packing & labels
    • Labels and menu displays that match the names declared in MYeHALAL

MPPHM 2020 · 17(14)(b) (PDF p.33); supplier certificates 17(1)(b), (d); cleaning schedule 17(10)(a); labels 17(2)(c), 21(5)(e)

Can your company apply? Twelve conditions, thirteen exclusions.

Procedure 5 lists the conditions every application must meet; the number beside each is the room where it is checked. Procedure 6 lists what the manual does not accept at all. The competent authority rejects an application that is incomplete or filed under the wrong scheme or category (21(7)).

Conditions to apply

Procedure 5 · every application

  1. (1)Valid registration: SSM, a cooperative registration or an establishment document01
  2. (2)Local authority (PBT) licence or approval, or a government agency's support letter01
  3. (3)Food premises registration from BKKM, where relevant01
  4. (4)Veterinary certification or letter from DVS (JPV), where relevant01
  5. (5)Manufacturer's licence from NPRA, the drug regulator, where relevant01
  6. (6)Establishment licence from the Medical Device Authority, where relevant01
  7. (7)Fully operating for at least three months before a new application01
  8. (8)At least one month at a new premises after moving01
  9. (9)Halal products only, traded products included03
  10. (10)Every product or menu still made at the premises applied for03
  11. (11)Repacking: a recognised, valid halal certificate (natural materials: documents showing the source)06
  12. (12)No “halal” in company, product, menu, ingredient or brand names06

Not eligible

Procedure 6 · not accepted

  1. (1)Products and menus that are not halal
  2. (2)Companies that make or distribute both halal and non-halal products, food delivery services included
  3. (3)One brand used for both halal and non-halal products or services in Malaysia
  4. (4)Products or services with no standard or guideline to refer to
  5. (5)Products or premises with negative religious or social implications: drugs, shisha, cigarettes, hair dye, nail polish, karaoke and entertainment centres
  6. (6)Natural products that are not processed, modified, packed or labelled, such as fresh fish, vegetables and eggs
  7. (7)Names that refer to or resemble non-halal products
  8. (8)Finished products, made in Malaysia or abroad, relabelled with no process in Malaysia
  9. (9)Food premises that serve non-halal menus
  10. (10)Products still at the early research and development stage
  11. (11)Products, menus or services that can lead to deviation of faith, superstition or fraud
  12. (12)Hotels with a kitchen that prepares or serves pork-based menus
  13. (13)Products that need no halal certificate, or that would confuse if certified: fertiliser, paper, cement, tiles, insecticide, carpets

MPPHM 2020 · 5(1)–(12), 6(1)–(13), 21(7), PDF pp.14–16, 61

Which JAKIM scheme is yours? Nine schemes, nine certificates.

The walk is the food and drink products scheme. JAKIM certifies eight other kinds of business, each with its own applicants, its own list in procedure 18 and its own certificate term. Pick the scheme and category that match what your business does: the competent authority rejects an application filed under the wrong one (21(5)(a), 21(7)).

SchemeWho may applyCertificate
Food and drink productsThe producer or manufacturer, a repacker, a central kitchen operator or the brand owner2 yearsMPPHM 2020 · 35(2)(b)
Food premisesHotel kitchens and restaurants, restaurants and cafés, canteens, bakeries, chain food premises, caterers, convention central kitchens, mobile premises, food-court cafeterias and kiosks2 yearsMPPHM 2020 · 35(2)(b)
SlaughterhousesSlaughterhouses for poultry or rabbits; for goats, sheep, deer, cattle, buffalo or camels; for other halal animals, with approval1 yearMPPHM 2020 · 35(2)(a)
CosmeticsThe producer or manufacturer, a repacker or the brand owner3 yearsMPPHM 2020 · 35(2)(c)
PharmaceuticalsThe producer or manufacturer, a repacker or the brand owner3 yearsMPPHM 2020 · 35(2)(c)
Consumer goodsThe producer or manufacturer, a repacker or the brand owner3 yearsMPPHM 2020 · 35(2)(c)
LogisticsTransport by land, sea or air; warehousing; retail3 yearsMPPHM 2020 · 35(2)(c)
Contract manufacturing (OEM)A manufacturer or repacker making products for other companies under the food and drink, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, consumer goods, slaughterhouse or medical device schemes. The OEM certificate does not certify the products made: each product needs its own SPHM under its scheme (18(8)(b))3 yearsMPPHM 2020 · 35(2)(c)
Medical devicesThe producer or manufacturer, a repacker or the brand owner3 yearsMPPHM 2020 · 35(2)(c)
JAKIM's nine schemes, who may apply under each, and the term of the certificate (SPHM). The walk above is the food and drink products scheme (shaded).Sources: MPPHM 2020, procedures 4, 18(8)(b), 21(19) and 35(2) (PDF pp.14, 54, 62–64, 83–84). Terms as set in the manual: confirm with JAKIM.

How long a JAKIM certificate lasts: one to five years.

  • 1year

    Slaughterhouses

    MPPHM 2020 · 35(2)(a)

  • 2years

    Food and drink products, food premises

    MPPHM 2020 · 35(2)(b)

  • 3years

    Cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, logistics, OEM, medical devices

    MPPHM 2020 · 35(2)(c)

  • 2years

    Any application from a company registered overseas that carries out business or production in Malaysia

    MPPHM 2020 · 35(2)(d)

  • 5years, if JAKIM sets it

    A holder of five years or more, compliant, with no nonconformity found and no halal-control action taken, running its halal management system well; it may decline

    MPPHM 2020 · 35(3)–(4)

Source: MPPHM 2020, 35(2)–(4) (PDF pp.83–84). Terms as set in the manual: confirm with JAKIM. The renewal window is below and on the process page.

Training and renewal: two rules that keep running.

Two requirements do not stop at the certificate: halal training on a three-year cycle, and a renewal that has its own window before the certificate expires.

Halal awareness training

  1. Appointmenta new worker joins
  2. Within 3 monthshalal awareness training
  3. Every 3 yearsagain, for every worker in processing

The training covers the halal concept and the Malaysian halal certification procedure. Given by an outside party, it must come from an organisation registered under JAKIM's Halal Professional Board (HPB) or from the competent authority; the company's own Halal Executive or Halal Supervisor may also give it in-house, to its own staff.

Members of the Internal Halal Committee, which medium and large companies set up, take halal competency training at least every three years, from a training provider registered under HPB or from the competent authority. Training records are kept for the audit.

MPPHM 2020 · 17(12)(a)–(b), (e)–(f), (h); 17(12)(c), (i), as amended 2026

Renewal: a three-month window

A renewal goes in no earlier than six months and no later than three months before the certificate expires. Once it has expired, its renewal counts as a new application. A renewal cannot add products, food premises or menu items: new ones need their own application.

MPPHM 2020 · 22(2)–(3), 22(4)(a)

Where to next

More questions are answered in our guides and in the FAQ.

Start here

Check your factory against the list with MNS Modulaz first.

MNS Modulaz runs a gap analysis against the MPPHM 2020 clauses on this page and lists what is missing, before you apply to JAKIM yourself. Tell us what you make and where it is made.

MNS Modulaz Sdn. Bhd. is entry 18 on JAKIM's Rakan Strategik MIHA list (RSMIHA-2026-025, valid 1 June 2026 – 31 May 2029): JAKIM's list of 18 June 2026, p.12.

WhatsApp +60 10-469 1445sales.mnsmodulaz@gmail.com

Office +60 3-6021 5288 · No 47-1, Jalan Adenium 2G/6, Pusat Perniagaan Adenium, Seksyen BB5, Bukit Beruntung, 48300 Rawang, Selangor, Malaysia