How halal certification works

For restaurants without a certificate: what certification is, how it usually works, who certifies in New York and London, and what to ask before you choose.

Updated 29 October 2026For restaurant owners

HalallO doesn’t certify restaurants, doesn’t recommend any certifier and takes no money from certifiers.

What certification is, and isn’t

Halal certification means an outside organisation, a certifier, checks your restaurant against its own written standard and keeps checking. The certifier issues the certificate and can withdraw it.

Certified

A certifier has checked your suppliers and kitchen.
The certificate names your restaurant, usually with dates.
Diners can often look you up on the certifier’s list.

In HalallO, after we check it: On a certifier’s list

Self-declared

The restaurant says it’s halal, on a menu, a window sign or a website.
Nobody outside the restaurant has checked.
It doesn’t mean the food isn’t halal.

In HalallO: The restaurant says it’s halal

It isn’t one universal standard. Each certifier writes its own rules, and they differ. It isn’t something HalallO gives. We show the source behind each label, never a verdict. See How Halal Information Works.

How it usually works

Every certifier runs this differently, but the shape is usually the same.

Contact a certifierPick certifiers that work in your area and ask each for its application. Some use an online form; others email it to you.
ApplyYou describe the restaurant and where your ingredients come from. Certifiers commonly ask for the address, opening hours, business license and your meat suppliers.
InspectionSomeone visits to look at suppliers, invoices, storage and the kitchen. Some certifiers first ask you to switch to suppliers they approve, or to clear out products they haven’t approved.
The certificateIf you meet its standard, the certifier issues a certificate naming your restaurant, usually with dates. Some also give a window sticker or list you on their website.
Staying certifiedExpect follow-up visits, sometimes unannounced. A certificate can expire or be withdrawn, so ask how renewal works and what happens when you change a supplier, the menu or the owner.

Fees and timing vary by certifier and change over time. We don’t list them; ask each certifier directly.

Where certifiers differ

Certifiers disagree on some questions. These are differences between their published rules, not a judgement from HalallO about which is right.

Slaughter method: Some require hand slaughter and don’t accept machine slaughter; HFSAA, HMC and HMS say so on their websites. Ask any certifier where it stands, including on poultry.
Stunning: HMC says it doesn’t accept stunning before slaughter. Ask other certifiers for their position.
Alcohol: HMC’s application pack says it won’t certify a restaurant or takeaway that sells alcohol or lets customers bring it in. Rules elsewhere may differ; ask.
Suppliers: Several, including HFSAA, HMC and HMS, accept meat only from suppliers they approve. You may need to change suppliers.
Inspections: Some describe frequent, unannounced visits; others describe audits. Ask how often someone comes and whether you’re told in advance.
Renewal and expiry: A certificate may carry an end date or last as long as you stay a member. Certification can also end early after a breach of the certifier’s rules.

Certifiers in New York and London

What each certifier publishes on its own website, listed alphabetically. We don’t recommend, rank or endorse any of them, and this isn’t a complete list. Compare their standards, then decide which fits how you run your kitchen.

New YorkUnited States

Halal Food Standards Alliance of America
HFSAAhfsaa.org (opens in a new tab)
What it certifies
Restaurants, meat markets and dining halls, with regional chapters that include New York.
How to apply
Apply through the certification application on its website, and ask what the steps after that are.
Certified places
Yes. Certified restaurants and meat markets are listed by region. New York list (opens in a new tab)
What its site says
- Animals are slaughtered by hand by a Muslim slaughterer. It lists machine (mechanical) slaughter as not meeting its standard.
- Meat only from suppliers it approves, and regular, unannounced on-site inspections.
- Ingredients are checked with manufacturers, for example for gelatin, animal-derived enzymes and alcohol.
- Certification can end after a breach of its rules, or when either side chooses to stop.
Ask them
Fees, how long approval takes, and its rules on serving alcohol.
Halal Monitoring Services
HMShmsusa.org (opens in a new tab)
What it certifies
Restaurants and stores, and the supply chain behind them: slaughterhouses, processors and distributors.
How to apply
1. Request an application through the contact form on its website. It’s sent to you by email.
2. Return the completed application by email. For a restaurant it asks for the address, service hours, a copy of the business license and your suppliers, including USDA plant numbers for meat.
3. An on-site inspection.
4. Agree to its terms, which allow random, unannounced inspections of the premises, meat stock and invoices.
5. The certificate is issued and the place is listed in its directory.
Certified places
Yes. A public directory of certified places, with certificate details. Directory (opens in a new tab)
What its site says
- Zabiha: each animal slaughtered by hand, with the name of Allah said over it. Its site says machine slaughter isn’t zabiha.
- It certifies only places that get all their meat from sources it monitors or approves.
Ask them
Fees, how long approval takes, and its rules on serving alcohol.
Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America
IFANCAifanca.org (opens in a new tab)
What it certifies
Companies, products and facilities. Its published process is written for manufacturers; we didn’t find one for restaurants.
How to apply
1. Send the application form.
2. Receive an agreement and a price quote.
3. A technical review of the company, products and facility.
4. An on-site audit by a halal technical auditor and an Islamic affairs expert, who report anything to fix.
5. A final review and decision by its Halal Certification Committee, then the certificate.
Certified places
Yes. A directory of certified companies and products on its website. Website (opens in a new tab)
What its site says
- To keep the certificate, a client keeps meeting its requirements, and it may run surveillance audits.
- Renewal starts with a request to IFANCA.
Ask them
Whether it certifies restaurants, its slaughter and alcohol rules, fees and timing.

LondonUnited Kingdom

Halal Food Authority
HFAhalalfoodauthority.com (opens in a new tab)
What it certifies
Food, drink and ingredients, and non-food items such as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and packaging. We didn’t find a restaurant process on its site.
How to apply
1. Apply through its online certification system, which also handles renewals.
2. It sends a certification proposal with its fees once the application is complete.
3. Technical and sharia auditors audit the site against its halal standards.
4. Its Sharia Committee reviews and approves certification.
Certified places
It publishes a client list. We couldn’t confirm whether it includes restaurants. Client list (opens in a new tab)
What its site says
We didn’t find its slaughter or alcohol rules on its site.
Ask them
Whether it certifies restaurants and takeaways, its position on stunning and machine slaughter, its alcohol rules and timing.
Halal Monitoring Committee
HMChalalhmc.org (opens in a new tab)
What it certifies
Butchers, restaurants and takeaways, caterers and dessert shops, and the suppliers and abattoirs behind them.
How to apply
1. Apply in writing through the online application form for shops, restaurants and takeaways.
2. Clear out any products HMC hasn’t approved.
3. An initial inspection, then a monitoring period before certification.
4. If successful: a certificate, a window sticker and a listing on its website.
5. Regular monitoring visits for as long as you’re a member.
Certified places
Yes. Certified outlets are listed on its website, each with its certificate. Outlet list (opens in a new tab)
What its site says
- Hand slaughter only, with the Tasmiyah said over each animal. No stunning and no mechanical slaughter.
- Only HMC-approved meat, poultry and processed meat products.
- Its application pack says it won’t certify a restaurant or takeaway that sells alcohol or lets customers bring it in.
Ask them
Current fees and how long monitoring takes before a certificate.

Do you certify restaurants in New York or London, or is something here out of date? Email business@halallo.com.

Questions to ask a certifier

Ask every certifier you’re considering the same questions, and compare the answers side by side.

StandardsWhich written standard do you certify against, and can I read it before I apply?
Slaughter methodDo you require hand slaughter? Do you accept machine-slaughtered poultry or stunned meat?
AlcoholCan a certified restaurant sell alcohol, or let customers bring their own?
SuppliersDo I have to buy from your approved suppliers? Which of them deliver to my area?
InspectionsHow often do you inspect, and are visits announced?
RenewalHow long does a certificate last, and how do I renew it?
CostWhat does it cost in total for the first year and after? Are inspections charged separately?
PublishingDo you publish a list of certified places? How quickly is it updated when a certificate ends?

After you’re certified

Upload the certificateSign in to HalallO for Business, open Halal documents and upload it with its dates. It’s free.
We check it with the certifierA person at HalallO checks the certificate with the certifier before your label changes. Until then your page shows it as the restaurant’s own statement.
Keep it currentWhen you renew, upload the new certificate. Once the end date passes, your page shows “Certificate may have expired”.

Go to HalallO for Business

Paying for a plan never changes your halal label or how fast it’s reviewed.

Sources (checked 29 October 2026)

Facts about each certifier come from its own website. They can change, so confirm with the certifier.