Halal certificates
Open ↗88A.—(1) The Majlis may issue halal certificates in relation to any product, service or activity and regulate the holders of such certificates to ensure that the requirements of the Muslim law are complied with in the production, processing, marketing or display of that product, the provision of that service or the carrying out of that activity.
(2) An application for a halal certificate must be in such form as the Majlis may require.
(3) The Majlis may —(a)
in issuing a halal certificate, impose any condition or limitation that the Majlis thinks fit, which may be different for different halal certificates that relate to different products, services or activities; and
(b)
vary, remove or add to any condition or limitation mentioned in paragraph (a) at any time.[Act 11 of 2022 wef 17/08/2022]
(3A) Without affecting subsection (3), the Majlis may, in issuing a halal certificate —(a)
require an applicant to undergo either or both of the following services performed by or under the supervision of the Majlis:(i)
a service to verify that food provided or to be provided to Muslims complies with halal requirements or other requirements in relation to halal certification;
(ii)
a service for the cleansing of food utensils and crockery in accordance with Islamic rituals; and
(b)
provide either or both of these services to the applicant upon the payment of the prescribed fees.[Act 11 of 2022 wef 17/08/2022]
(4) The Majlis may, by notification in the Gazette, specify any certification mark of the Majlis for use in relation to any product, service or activity in respect of which it has issued a halal certificate under subsection (1).
(5) Any person who, without the approval of the Majlis —(a)
issues a halal certificate in relation to any product, service or activity; or
(b)
uses any specified halal certification mark or any colourable imitation thereof,
shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to both.
(6) The Majlis may, in granting approval to any person to issue any halal certificate or to use any specified halal certification mark, impose such condition as it thinks fit and may at any time vary, remove or add to such condition.
(7) The Majlis may revoke or suspend its approval granted to any person to issue any halal certificate or to use any specified halal certification mark if that person fails to comply with any condition imposed under subsection (6).
(8) [Deleted by Act 4 of 2024 wef 01/10/2025]
Foreign halal certification body
Open ↗88AA.—(1) The Majlis may, on application, recognise any person, authority or entity outside Singapore that issues halal certificates in relation to any product.
(2) A halal certificate issued by the foreign halal certification body granted recognition under subsection (1) has the same effect and validity as if it were a halal certificate issued by the Majlis under section 88A.
(3) An application for recognition under subsection (1) must be in the form and manner that the Majlis may require and accompanied by any document or other information that the Majlis may require.
(4) The Majlis may —(a)
in granting recognition, impose any condition or limitation that the Majlis thinks fit, which may be different for different halal certificates issued by the foreign halal certification body that relate to different products; and
(b)
vary, remove or add to any condition or limitation mentioned in paragraph (a) at any time.
(5) The Majlis must specify on the official website of the Majlis —(a)
the foreign halal certification bodies that have been granted recognition under subsection (1) which recognition has not been revoked or cancelled; and
(b)
the certification marks of the foreign halal certification bodies mentioned in paragraph (a) for use in relation to any product in respect of which any of the foreign halal certification bodies has issued a halal certificate.
(6) Any person who, without the approval of the foreign halal certification body —(a)
issues a halal certificate purportedly from or on behalf of that foreign halal certification body in relation to any product; or
(b)
uses any specified halal certification mark or any colourable imitation of that mark purportedly of that foreign halal certification body,
shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to both.
[Act 4 of 2024 wef 01/10/2025]
Regulation of Haj services and goods
Open ↗88B. The Majlis may regulate any person providing goods or services for the purposes of the Haj —(a)
to ensure that the requirements of the Muslim law are complied with in relation to the provision of those goods or services;
(b)
to safeguard the safety and welfare of persons to whom those goods or services are provided; and
(c)
to promote the proper administration of any matter relating to the Haj.
Rules to regulate halal and Haj matters
Open ↗88C.—(1) The Majlis may, with the approval of the Minister, make rules for carrying out the purposes and provisions of this Part.
(2) Without limiting subsection (1), the Majlis may, with the approval of the Minister, make rules for or in respect of the following matters:(a)
to regulate the use and issue of halal certificates and the use of specified halal certification marks;
(aa)
to regulate the recognition of foreign halal certification bodies and the use of halal certificates and specified halal certification marks issued by a foreign halal certification body;[Act 4 of 2024 wef 01/10/2025]
(b)
to require travel agents to obtain the approval of the Majlis to provide goods or services for the purposes of the Haj and to provide for the withdrawal of such approval in certain circumstances;
(c)
to require travel agents providing goods or services for the purposes of the Haj to maintain accounts for clients’ money received in respect of those goods or services and to regulate the particulars, report and other information to be kept and furnished in relation to such accounts;
(d)
to regulate the number of persons to whom travel agents may provide goods or services for the purposes of the Haj;
(e)
to provide that any contravention of any of such rules shall be an offence punishable with a fine not exceeding $10,000 or with imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or with both;
(f)
to prescribe fees and charges for the purposes of this Part.
(3) In this section, “travel agent” means a person who holds a licence granted under the Travel Agents Act 1975.
Offences by bodies corporate, etc.
Open ↗88D.—(1) Where an offence under this Part or the rules made thereunder committed by a body corporate is proved —(a)
to have been committed with the consent or connivance of an officer; or
(b)
to be attributable to any neglect on his or her part,
the officer as well as the body corporate shall be guilty of the offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.
(2) Where the affairs of a body corporate are managed by its members, subsection (1) applies in relation to the acts and defaults of a member in connection with his or her functions of management as if he or she were a director of the body corporate.
(3) Where an offence under this Part or the rules made thereunder committed by a partnership is proved —(a)
to have been committed with the consent or connivance of a partner; or
(b)
to be attributable to any neglect on his or her part,
the partner as well as the partnership shall be guilty of the offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.
(4) Where an offence under this Part or the rules made thereunder committed by an unincorporated association (other than a partnership) is proved —(a)
to have been committed with the consent or connivance of an officer of the unincorporated association or a member of its governing body; or
(b)
to be attributable to any neglect on the part of such officer or member,
the officer or member as well as the unincorporated association shall be guilty of the offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.
(5) In this section —“body corporate” includes a limited liability partnership which has the same meaning as in section 2(1) of the Limited Liability Partnerships Act 2005;
“officer” —(a)
in relation to a body corporate, means any director, partner, member of the committee of management, chief executive, manager, secretary or other similar officer of the body corporate and includes any person purporting to act in any such capacity; or
(b)
in relation to an unincorporated association (other than a partnership), means the president, the secretary, or any member of the committee of the unincorporated association, or any person holding a position analogous to that of president, secretary or member of a committee and includes any person purporting to act in any such capacity;
“partner” includes any person purporting to act as a partner.
(6) The Majlis may, with the approval of the Minister, make rules to provide for the application of any provision of this section, with such modifications as may be appropriate, to any body corporate or unincorporated association formed or recognised under the law of a territory outside Singapore.
Composition of offences
Open ↗88E.—(1) The Majlis may compound any offence under this Part or the rules made thereunder which is prescribed as a compoundable offence by collecting from a person reasonably suspected of having committed the offence a sum not exceeding —(a)
one half of the amount of the maximum fine that is prescribed for the offence; or
(b)
$2,000,
whichever is the lower.
(2) On payment of the sum of money, no further proceedings are to be taken against that person in respect of the offence.
(3) The Majlis may, with the approval of the Minister, make rules to prescribe the offences which may be compounded.
(4) All sums collected under this section must be paid into the Consolidated Fund.[33/2017]
Source: Singapore Statutes Online (Attorney-General's Chambers), © Government of Singapore.
