Halal Certification in India for Exporters and Manufacturers

Halal certification is a written confirmation, issued after an audit, that a product or facility meets a named halal standard. The word halal is Arabic and is usually translated as "permissible". In trade, it refers to goods and processes that meet the requirements written into a standard used by a certification body or a government.

The certificate is not a single national document. It is issued by a certification body (CB) under its own scheme or under a scheme set by a government. The CB's standard decides which ingredients are accepted, how raw materials are sourced, how lines are cleaned and how products are kept apart from material the standard does not permit.

What a certificate usually states

• Name and address of the certified company and site
• Products, brands or categories covered
• Standard or scheme used for the audit
• Certificate number, issue date and expiry date
• Name of the certification body and, where relevant, its accreditation or recognition

Who sets the standards

There is no single worldwide halal standard. Common reference points include the Gulf standard GSO 2055-1:2015 for halal food, the GSO 2055-2 standard for halal certification bodies, Malaysia's MS 1500:2019 and Indonesia's Halal Product Assurance law. In India, the i-CAS Halal scheme of the Quality Council of India (QCI) applies to meat exports. Because standards differ, a certificate accepted in one country may not be accepted in another.

Halal certified meaning: a "halal certified" label means a certification body has checked that product's ingredients, process and facility against a halal standard and issued a certificate that is still valid. It does not by itself mean a product is non-vegetarian: vegetarian food, cosmetics and medicines can also be certified.

Businesses usually need a halal certificate when a buyer, a marketplace or an importing country asks for one. For meat exports to listed countries, Indian export policy itself requires it. The table shows the common cases.

Who usually does not

A business that sells only in India and has no buyer request has no legal need for halal certification. The certificate is also never a substitute for a licence. A food business still needs FSSAI registration or a licence, and a cosmetic or drug maker still needs its licence under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.

The owner's religion does not matter to the certifier. Any business that meets the standard and passes the audit can apply.

No central law in India makes halal certification compulsory for goods sold within the country. The one central rule is for exports: halal meat and meat products sent to listed countries must be certified under i-CAS Halal. Here is the legal position as of November 2026.

Proposed changes

A Food Safety and Standards (Amendment) Bill, 2025 was listed in the Rajya Sabha in December 2025. As reported, it proposes bringing religious dietary certifications, including halal, under government agencies. We found no report of it being passed. Until a law changes, certification for the domestic market stays voluntary outside Uttar Pradesh.

Remember that your importing country's rules can make certification mandatory for you even where Indian law does not. That is the main reason Indian exporters apply.

Halal meat exports from India are governed by DGFT export policy conditions, which require i-CAS Halal certification for listed countries. The rules were built in four steps.

The 2023 notification covers ITC(HS) headings 0201, 0202, 0204, 0206, 0207, 0210, 1601 and 1602: bovine, sheep, goat and poultry meat, offal, salted or smoked meat, sausages and other prepared meat. The 2023 notification was issued under Section 3 read with Section 5 of the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992. You can read the original DGFT Notification No. 03/2023 on the APEDA website and the later ones on the DGFT notifications page.

The five policy conditions in Notification No. 34/2024-25

1. Specified meat products may be exported as halal certified only if produced, processed or packed in a facility certified under i-CAS Halal.
2. After shipment, the exporter gives the buyer a valid halal certificate issued under i-CAS by an NABCB-accredited body.
3. Where the importing country has notified halal import rules, the exporter must also meet them and hold certificates from bodies approved under that country's system.
4. Export of non-halal certified meat follows the existing procedure.
5. The conditions apply to the listed countries.

Countries covered

The i-CAS Halal portal of QCI links APEDA-registered meat units and accredited certification bodies. The CB certifies the facility and then the exporter's consignments through the portal.

In India, the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB) under QCI accredits halal certification bodies for the i-CAS Halal scheme. For meat exports, only an NABCB-accredited body can issue the certificate DGFT asks for. For other products, accreditation is not legally required in India, but it is the simplest objective check you have.

Three questions to ask any certification body

1. Is it accredited? For meat, check the list of NABCB-accredited halal certification bodies linked from the i-CAS Halal portal. The NABCB website lists i-CAS Halal among its product certification schemes.
2. Is it recognised by your buyer's country? Each importing country keeps its own list. A body that is NABCB-accredited may still not be on the Malaysian, UAE, Saudi or Indonesian list.
3. Does its scope cover your product? Recognition is often limited to categories such as slaughter, processed food, cosmetics or flavours.

What the i-CAS Halal scheme document sets

The scheme document published by QCI in March 2023 refers to ISO/IEC 17065 and ISO/IEC 17021-1 for certification bodies, and ISO/IEC 17011 for the accreditation body. It sets audits in two stages, a decision by a committee of at least three members, one of whom must have expertise in Sharia law or halal certification, and a three-year certification cycle with surveillance. QCI can revise the scheme documents, so the CB will audit you against the version in force.

We do not recommend or name any private certification body on this page. On the first call, we check the accreditation and recognition of the bodies you are considering against your target markets.

Importing countries accept halal certificates only from bodies they have approved, so the buyer's country decides which certifier you need. Indian rules are only the first layer. Here is a summary of major markets, based on official and reported sources.

Indonesia's phased deadlines

Indonesia is phasing in mandatory halal certification. Government Regulation No. 40 of 2026, issued in October 2026, amended the schedule in Government Regulation No. 42 of 2024. Imported food, beverages and slaughter products must now be halal certified from 18 October 2028, and the deadline for cosmetics, health supplements, chemical products and several consumer goods moved to 17 October 2028. Over-the-counter drugs stay at 17 October 2029 and prescription drugs at 17 October 2034. BPJPH Regulation No. 2 of 2026, in force from 5 June 2026, sets written warnings, fines, revocation of halal certificates or registration numbers and withdrawal of products for breaches.

Other markets

Singapore, Brunei, Bangladesh, Turkey, Egypt and the Central Asian states each have their own approval routes. Ask your buyer for their written halal requirement before you choose a certifier. It saves a second audit later.

Uttar Pradesh restricts halal-certified food products for sale within the state, but goods made for export are excluded. The facts, as recorded in court reports and news reports, are these.

• Order: on 18 November 2023, the Food Safety and Drug Administration of Uttar Pradesh banned the manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of halal-certified food products in the state with immediate effect.
• Legal basis cited: Sections 30(2)(a) and 30(2)(d) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Reports say the order also covered halal-certified medicines.
• Export exception: food products made for export are outside the ban.
• Court challenge: petitions were filed in the Supreme Court, including Writ Petition (Criminal) No. 690 of 2023. The Court issued notice on 5 January 2024 and later protected the petitioners from coercive action. It heard the matter again on 20 January 2025 and listed it for March 2025.
• Status: we found no report of a final judgment as of November 2026, and no report that the order has been withdrawn or set aside.

What this means in practice

• A UP-based exporter can still obtain and use halal certification for export goods.
• A brand selling within UP should check whether its domestic packs carry a halal mark or claim.
• Brands selling across India often keep separate export and domestic packaging, so that each pack meets the rules where it is sold.

This is a legal compliance point only. We give no view on the policy. If your business is affected, we explain the current order and court status on the first call.

Halal certificates come in four main types: product, facility or system, consignment, and service. Which ones you need depends on what you sell and to whom.

For meat exports under i-CAS Halal, you need both: the facility certificate first, then a certificate for each consignment. Many processed food exporters need only a product certificate, unless the buyer asks for shipment-wise certificates. Ask the CB which certificates it will issue and whether it charges separately for each.

The quickest way to know what you need is to match your product with your market. This table sums up the rules above.

Worked example: a spice blend maker in Ghaziabad

A small company makes spice blends in Ghaziabad. It sells in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, and now has orders from a Dubai distributor and a Jakarta importer. No meat is involved, so the DGFT i-CAS rule does not apply.

1. Market check: the Dubai order needs a certificate from a MoIAT-registered body. The Jakarta importer asks for a certificate from a body with a BPJPH recognition agreement, which the importer then registers in Indonesia.
2. Choose one certifier: the company picks a body that appears on both lists, so one audit can serve both markets.
3. Ingredient review: 18 raw materials are listed. Two flavour carriers and an anti-caking agent lack supplier halal certificates, so the company gets them or switches suppliers.
4. Packaging: export packs carry the CB's mark. Domestic packs for Uttar Pradesh carry no halal mark, in line with the state order.
5. Licences: the company already has an FSSAI licence and an IEC. It registers its brand as a trademark before printing new export packs.

The result is one audit, two accepted export routes and no conflict with the state order at home.

A halal certificate mainly opens export markets and answers buyer questions; it does not replace food safety or quality licences. Here is a balanced view.

Benefits

• Market access: required or preferred in many Gulf, Southeast Asian, Central Asian and African markets.
• Fewer buyer queries: one certificate answers ingredient questions that would otherwise come product by product.
• Better supplier control: the ingredient review often finds suppliers with missing specifications or old certificates.
• Traceability: batch and segregation records help with recalls and other audits too.
• Tender eligibility: some export tenders and large retailers list it as a condition.

Limits

• It is not a food safety licence. FSSAI rules still apply in full.
• It is not universal. A certificate accepted in one country may be refused in another.
• It adds yearly cost and audit work, which must be weighed against the order value.
• In Uttar Pradesh, a halal mark on domestic food packs conflicts with the state order.

Most certification bodies ask for the same core documents, plus extra records for meat, cosmetics or pharma. We send you a list matched to your CB and market before you start.

Keep every supplier certificate valid. An expired input certificate is the most common reason for a delayed decision.

We prepare your file and coordinate the audit; the certification body audits you and issues the certificate. You approve each step and pay the CB directly.

1. Free first call: we note your products, sites, current licences and target markets.
2. Market check: we confirm which rules apply: DGFT i-CAS Halal for meat, and the importing country's approved list.
3. Certifier check: we verify the accreditation, recognition and scope of the bodies you are considering. You choose the CB.
4. Gap review: we compare your ingredients, suppliers and process with the CB's standard and list what is missing.
5. Document file: we draft the halal policy, ingredient matrix, supplier register, process flow and cleaning records in the CB's format.
6. Application: you sign the CB's contract and pay its fee. We submit the file and answer the CB's questions.
7. Audit support: we brief your team on what the auditor checks and stay available on audit day.
8. Closing findings: we help you reply to any non-conformities with evidence.
9. Certificate and mark: you receive the certificate. We check the scope, dates and logo rules before you print packs.
10. After certification: we track expiry, surveillance and consignment certificates, and remind you before each due date.

Most of this work is online through email, WhatsApp and video calls. Many audits need a site visit, and that is decided by the CB.

The audit checks that your products, inputs and process match the CB's halal standard and your own documents. It usually has a document review and a site audit.

Ingredient review

• Every ingredient, additive, processing aid and carrier is listed with its source.
• Animal-derived inputs, such as gelatin, enzymes, some emulsifiers and some flavours, need supplier halal certificates.
• Ingredients the standard does not permit, and alcohol-based carriers above the CB's limit, must be removed or replaced.
• Any change of supplier or recipe after certification must be approved by the CB first.

Site audit

• Receiving and storage: certified and non-certified material kept apart and labelled.
• Production lines: cleaning between runs, and checks on shared equipment.
• Cleaning chemicals, lubricants and packaging materials.
• Traceability: can you trace a finished batch back to its raw material lots?
• Staff awareness and the named halal coordinator.
• For slaughter units: the slaughter process, supervision and records required by the scheme.

Testing

Some CBs take samples for laboratory testing. Under the i-CAS Halal scheme document, samples go to labs accredited to ISO/IEC 17025.

After the audit

Findings are graded. Minor findings are closed with evidence; major ones may need a follow-up visit. The certification decision is then taken by the CB's committee, not by the auditor alone.

Timelines and validity are set by the certification body and its scheme, not by a government rule. These are typical ranges, not official deadlines.

Validity

• i-CAS Halal: the March 2023 scheme document sets a three-year certificate with surveillance audits in the first and second years and recertification in the third. It asks clients to apply for recertification six months before expiry.
• Other schemes: many private CBs issue certificates for one year, renewed after a fresh audit.
• Consignment certificates: valid for the named shipment only.

Renewal

Apply for renewal well before expiry. A lapsed certificate means products made after the expiry date cannot carry the mark, and an importer may reject a shipment. Our Standard and Premium plans include reminders.

A halal certificate has two kinds of cost: the certification body's fee and our professional fee. We keep them separate.

TaxCaller's fee starts at ₹6,999 + GST. It covers the market and certifier check, document preparation and audit coordination as per the plan you choose. The certification body's fees are set by the certification body and paid to it directly at actual. There is no Indian government fee for halal certification itself.

CB fees usually depend on the number of sites, products and audit days, and on the scheme. Ask each CB for a written quote that shows the full cycle, including surveillance. We confirm our own fee in writing before you pay.

The main risks come from false or unsupported claims, from exporting outside DGFT conditions and from breaking an importing country's rules. No Indian law penalises a business simply for not holding a halal certificate.

The CB can also suspend or withdraw your certificate if you use the mark outside its scope or change ingredients without approval. Keep every pack, label and claim within what the certificate covers.

Most problems come from choosing the wrong certifier or from gaps in supplier records. Each mistake below can be avoided before you apply.

1. Certifier not recognised by the buyer's country: the certificate is valid in India but useless for that market.
2. Treating any certificate as enough for meat: for listed countries, DGFT requires i-CAS Halal from an NABCB-accredited body.
3. Missing the country list update: 20 countries were added on 9 February 2026, and for all but Egypt exporters had only two weeks to comply.
4. Expired supplier certificates: one expired input can hold up the whole decision.
5. Changing a recipe or supplier silently: the new input is outside the certificate.
6. Using the mark on uncertified products: the scope lists named products and sites only.
7. Shared lines without cleaning records: auditors ask for proof, not promises.
8. Letting surveillance lapse: the certificate is suspended and shipments stop.
9. Not registering the certificate in Indonesia: the importer must register a foreign halal certificate with BPJPH before the goods are sold there as halal.
10. Same packs for every market: a halal mark on domestic food packs supplied in Uttar Pradesh conflicts with the state order.
11. Thinking it replaces licences: FSSAI, drug and cosmetic licences and IEC are still required.

2026 brought a wider country list for meat exports, an extended deadline for Egypt and a new schedule for Indonesia's halal rules. Here are the changes, with sources.

The Uttar Pradesh order of November 2023 remains in place, and we found no final Supreme Court ruling on it. DGFT keeps amending the halal meat rules, so we check the latest DGFT notifications before every export file.

Halal certification is right for you when a buyer or an importing country asks for it, or when you export halal meat. It works alongside other registrations, not in place of them.

• FSSAI registration: the food safety licence every food business needs, certified or not.
• IEC registration: the DGFT code you need before you export anything.
• ISO certification: quality or food safety systems such as ISO 9001 or ISO 22000, which some buyers ask for alongside halal.
• Trademark registration: protect your brand before you print new export packaging.

Not sure which licences your business needs overall? Our business licences guide maps them by business type.

TaxCaller has served businesses since 2018 from our office in Ghaziabad, and we work online across India. For halal certification, that means:

• Independent advice: we are not a certification body and we do not issue certificates. You choose the CB and pay it directly.
• Market first: we check DGFT rules and the importing country's approved list before you sign with any certifier.
• Neutral and factual: we explain the legal position, including state orders, without taking sides.
• Fee told upfront: our fee + GST in writing; the CB's fees shown separately.
• One team for related work: the same experts handle FSSAI, IEC, GST and trademark filings your export file needs.

Clients in Ghaziabad, Noida and Delhi can meet us at our Ghaziabad office by appointment. Everyone else can work with us fully online. Contact us to book a call.