In this guide · 8 sections
- 01Who can say halal in Singapore: the MUIS rules
- 02What a certified business can show online
- 03Halal certificate QR codes and validity on your site
- 04Wording for outlets that are not halal-certified
- 05Halal claims on Grab, foodpanda, Shopee and Google
- 06Making halal status easy to find on a restaurant website
- 07Do it yourself or get help?
- 08Frequently asked questions
Short answer
Show the MUIS Halal mark or say halal-certified only for the exact outlet or products covered by a valid MUIS certificate. If you are not certified, do not use the mark, an imitation of it, or wording such as "halal certification pending".
Who can say halal in Singapore: the MUIS rules
Under the Administration of Muslim Law Act (AMLA), MUIS has the sole legal power to issue Halal certificates in Singapore. Certification is voluntary: no food business has to be certified. But once you claim certification, the rules are strict.
MUIS quotes the law on its About Halal page. Section 88A(5) makes it an offence, without MUIS approval, to issue a Halal certificate or to use any specified Halal certification mark or any colourable imitation of it. The penalty is a fine of up to S$10,000, imprisonment of up to 12 months, or both.
This guide is general information, not legal or religious advice. For a specific case, ask MUIS directly through its contact channels.
What a certified business can show online
If you hold a MUIS certificate, showing it clearly online helps Muslim customers decide quickly. The key is to show it accurately: the right outlet, the right scheme, a current date.
MUIS issues certificates under different schemes, listed on its scheme types page. The common ones for food businesses are:
| Scheme | Covers | Typical business |
|---|---|---|
| Eating Establishment (EE) | A specific retail outlet | Restaurant, cafe, bakery shop, food court stall, bazaar stall |
| Food Preparation Area (FPA) | A catering kitchen or central kitchen | Caterer, central kitchen supplying outlets |
| Product (PRO) | Named products made in Singapore | Packaged cakes, sauces, frozen food |
| Whole Plant (WP) | A factory and everything made in it | Food manufacturer |
- Multi-outlet brands: a certificate for one outlet does not cover the others. List certification per branch on your locations page, not once in the site header.
- Online shops: if only some products are certified (Product scheme), label those product pages, not the whole store.
- Caterers: an FPA certificate covers the kitchen. Make it clear which menus are prepared there.
Halal certificate QR codes and validity on your site
MUIS introduced digital halal certificates from 1 October 2025. According to MUIS on Ask.gov, Eating Establishment outlets receive one physical certificate with a QR code that links to the digital e-certificate, where details are updated in real time. Other schemes receive their e-certificate in the MUIS e-Service portal.
That QR link is the best thing to put on your website, because it never goes stale the way a scanned image does.
Find your certificate number and QR link
Scan the QR code on your certificate, or look up your outlet in the MUIS Halal-certified establishments directory.
Add a halal section to each outlet page
Show the outlet name, scheme, certificate number and expiry date as text, plus a link to the MUIS verification page.
Use the mark only beside covered outlets
Place any MUIS mark next to the certified outlet or product, never in a sitewide logo bar that also appears on non-certified branches.
Set a renewal reminder
Put the expiry date in a shared calendar two months ahead, and remove the claim the day a certificate lapses or an outlet closes.
Update delivery apps and Google at the same time
Change GrabFood, foodpanda, Deliveroo and your Google Business Profile in the same sitting so every listing matches.
Wording for outlets that are not halal-certified
Many Muslim-owned businesses choose not to apply. In a 2020 parliamentary reply, the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs said Muslim owners may highlight their faith, for example with Muslim-owned labels, but MUIS stresses that businesses must not name or promote themselves in a way that could mislead consumers, and that the MUIS logo must not be used or modified by businesses without certification.
Safer wording
- Factual ingredient notes, such as "no pork or lard in this dish"
- "Muslim-owned" if true, without implying certification
- "Not halal-certified. Ask our staff about ingredients."
- Clear allergen and alcohol notes per dish
Avoid
- The MUIS mark or anything that looks like it
- "Halal" or "halal-certified" in the business name, tagline or SEO title
- "Halal certification pending" or "transitioning to halal"
- Showing a supplier's halal certificate as if it covered your kitchen
The "pending" point is not hypothetical. In May 2026 MUIS told a coffee chain to remove or amend signs about its move toward halal certification. A MUIS spokesperson told the Straits Times that any reference to halal certification status, preparations towards certification, or an ongoing application before approval is strictly not permitted.
Ingredient facts are not the same as certification. A dish can contain no pork and still not meet MUIS requirements, which also cover slaughter, sourcing, preparation equipment and separation from non-halal food (MUIS consumer guide). Write ingredient notes as facts about the dish, never as a halal claim.
Halal claims on Grab, foodpanda, Shopee and Google
Marketplace listings are where mistakes spread fastest, because staff fill in tags and filters without checking. A "halal" tag on a delivery app or a Muslim-friendly attribute on Google is still a claim made by your business.
Monthly halal listing check
If you sell food online from home or through a marketplace, the licensing side is covered in our guides to selling food online from a home-based business and which licences you need to sell online.
Making halal status easy to find on a restaurant website
Muslim customers often decide in seconds, usually from a phone. Put halal status where they look first: the outlet page, the menu page and the booking or ordering page. Write it in text, not only inside an image, so it is readable by screen readers and search engines.
- One line near the top of each outlet page: certified (with scheme and expiry) or not certified.
- A link to the MUIS verification page rather than an uploaded scan.
- The same status in your menu PDF or online ordering page.
- No conflicting claims in old blog posts, event pages or social captions.
Our restaurant website guide covers the rest of a menu page: crawlable menus, opening hours, structured data and booking links.
Do it yourself or get help?
Updating halal wording is usually a one-afternoon job: search your website, menus and listings for "halal", the MUIS mark and any crescent icons, then correct each one against your certificate list.
If your site has many outlets or products, or the template hard-codes a halal badge, a developer can tie each outlet's status to one field so it changes everywhere at once. Our Business Website package (S$1,490) builds per-outlet pages with clear status and verification links, and our Shopify Store package (S$1,890) can label certified products individually.
Frequently asked questions
Not as a halal claim. MUIS halal requirements cover more than pork and lard, including how meat is slaughtered, where ingredients come from, the equipment used and separation from non-halal food. You can state factual ingredient information, such as no pork or lard in a dish, but do not present it as halal or halal-certified unless the outlet or product holds a valid MUIS certificate.
No. Halal certification is voluntary in Singapore and some Muslim-owned businesses choose not to apply. They may describe themselves as Muslim-owned if that is true. They should not use the MUIS Halal mark or any imitation of it, and should avoid wording that leads customers to believe the outlet is certified when it is not.
No. In May 2026 MUIS said publicly that any reference to halal certification status, preparations towards certification or an ongoing application before approval is strictly not permitted. Wait until the certificate is issued, then update your website, menus and delivery listings with the outlet name, scheme and expiry date.
They can search the MUIS Halal-certified establishments directory in the MUIS e-Service portal, or scan the QR code on a certificate issued under the digital system introduced on 1 October 2025. The QR code links to an official page showing the certificate details and current validity, which is why it is the best link to place on your website.
Not automatically. Certificates are issued per scheme and premises, so a Food Preparation Area certificate covers the kitchen, while each retail outlet generally needs its own Eating Establishment certificate. Check the exact scope with MUIS and show certification only on the outlets and products your certificates actually cover.