HalalBoss

How to Check if a Body Is JAKIM Recognised

Published by HalalBoss, an independent register on 6 July 2026

Checking a certifier against an online list on a laptop

To check whether a halal certification body holds JAKIM recognition, confirm the body's exact legal name, look it up by country in this directory, then verify its status on JAKIM's Halal Malaysia portal. A recognised body appears on JAKIM's current list with a defined scope and a two-year appointment period. If the body is absent, expired, or withdrawn, its certificates carry no standing for the Malaysian market.

To check whether a halal certification body holds JAKIM recognition, work through three steps in order. Confirm the body’s exact legal name. Look it up by country in this directory. Then verify its status on JAKIM’s official Halal Malaysia portal. A recognised body appears on JAKIM’s current list with a defined scope and a two-year appointment period. If the body is absent, expired, or withdrawn, its certificates carry no standing for the Malaysian market. This page is about checking the certifier organisation, not one specific document. To confirm a single certificate is genuine, see our guide on how to verify a halal certificate.

Recognition attaches to a named certification body, so the check starts with an accurate name. Take the exact legal name from the certificate, the body’s own website, or the packaging logo. Match it letter for letter, including any abbreviation in brackets. Lookalike names are a known tactic, and JAKIM lists dozens of certifiers whose names differ by only a word or a country. A near match is not a match.

Record two more details while you have them: the country the body operates in, and the scope you care about. JAKIM recognises a body for specific activities, such as food and beverage manufacturing, cosmetics, or slaughtering, rather than for everything it does. A body recognised for one scope is not automatically recognised for another.

Step 2: Search this directory by country or scope

This directory indexes the certification bodies that hold JAKIM recognition, organised so you can find a certifier fast. Search the body by country to see whether it currently appears and which scopes it is recognised for. Each entry ties the certifier to its country and its recognition status, so you can confirm the name you copied in Step 1 against a real listing rather than a memory of a logo.

If the body does not appear anywhere in the directory, that is your first signal. It may mean the certifier is not recognised, or that it operates only under another national scheme such as MUIS in Singapore or BPJPH in Indonesia. Either way, do not assume recognition. For background on how the scheme itself works, read what JAKIM recognition means.

Step 3: Confirm on JAKIM’s official Halal Malaysia portal

The authoritative source is JAKIM, the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia. JAKIM publishes its recognised certification bodies on the Halal Malaysia portal at halal.gov.my and through the myeHalal system. The same dataset feeds the JAKIM endorsed Verify Halal app, developed by Serunai Commerce, which lets you search bodies, brands, products, and premises. Open the portal, find the recognised certification bodies list, and confirm the body by name and country.

Read three things on the entry:

  • The name and country match what you recorded in Step 1.
  • The scope covers the product or activity you are checking.
  • The listing is current, not an archived edition of the list.

A body that clears all three is recognised. A body that is missing is not, whatever its logo suggests.

What recognised means, and what expired or withdrawn means

Recognition is a status, not a permanent badge. It has three states worth knowing:

StatusWhat it meansEffect for the Malaysian market
Recognised (current)On JAKIM’s live list, within its appointment periodCertificates accepted as halal for import
ExpiredAppointment period lapsed and not yet renewedNot accepted until recognition is renewed
WithdrawnRemoved by JAKIM for failing requirementsCertificates rejected after any grace period

An expired or withdrawn body is a common reason a genuine looking certificate fails at the border. When a body is delisted, JAKIM usually sets a grace period for goods already certified, then stops accepting its certificates. Our guide to withdrawn JAKIM recognitions tracks recent removals and what they mean for certificates already in circulation.

The two-year validity cycle and the list date

JAKIM grants recognition for a two-year appointment, then runs a review audit before deciding whether to renew. Between reviews, the recognised body reports on its monitoring and audit activity. This cycle is why the date on the list matters as much as the names on it. Always check the edition date of the list you are reading. A certifier that was recognised on an older list may have lapsed or been withdrawn since, and only the current list settles the question.

Put simply: the body’s name, its scope, and the list date together decide whether a certifier is JAKIM recognised right now. Confirm all three on the official portal, and treat anything you cannot confirm there as unrecognised.

Sources

  1. Halal Malaysia Portal (JAKIM)
  2. Halal Malaysia Portal (JAKIM): Recognised Certification Bodies
  3. Verify Halal (Serunai Commerce, JAKIM endorsed)

Verified 2026-07-06

Frequently asked questions

How do I check if a certification body is JAKIM recognised?

Note the body's exact legal name from its certificate or website, search it by country in this directory, then confirm it on JAKIM's official Halal Malaysia portal at halal.gov.my. A body that appears on the current recognised list, for the relevant scope and within its appointment period, is recognised. If it is missing, treat it as unrecognised until proven otherwise.

Where does JAKIM publish its list of recognised certification bodies?

JAKIM publishes the recognised certification bodies on the Halal Malaysia portal at halal.gov.my and through the myeHalal system, and the same list feeds the JAKIM endorsed Verify Halal app. Each entry names the body, its country, and the scopes it is recognised for, such as food and beverage, cosmetics, or slaughtering.

How long does a certification body stay recognised by JAKIM?

A recognition appointment runs for two years, after which JAKIM conducts a review audit before renewing it. Recognition can also be withdrawn mid cycle if a body stops meeting JAKIM's requirements, so a name on last year's list is not proof that the body is still recognised today. Always read against the current list.

What does it mean if a body is not on JAKIM's recognised list?

It means certificates from that body are not accepted for goods described as halal on the Malaysian market. The body may still be a genuine certifier with standing in other schemes, but without JAKIM recognition its certificates carry no weight under Malaysia's Trade Descriptions rules for imported halal goods.

Is checking a body different from verifying a certificate?

Yes. Checking a body confirms the certifier organisation holds JAKIM recognition. Verifying a certificate confirms one specific document is genuine, current, and covers the product. Both matter: a real certificate from an unrecognised body still fails for the Malaysian market.

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