HALAL CERTIFICATE IN UZBEKISTAN: WHY YOUR BUSINESS NEEDS IT, HOW MUCH IT COSTS, AND HOW TO GET IT

In the past, the "Halal" mark was just a neat marketing trick for many. Slap a green crescent on the packaging, and sales would soar. No one really dug deep to see if there was any actual control behind the label. But the rules of the game have fundamentally changed. Starting May 1, 2025, "Halal" labeling in Uzbekistan was taken under strict state control. Now, this mark requires an official certificate based exclusively on SMIIC standards. Although obtaining the certificate is voluntary, if you want to enter major supermarket chains, export, or work with imported raw materials, it has become a core requirement for doing business.

If you produce food, cosmetics, or even ordinary bottled water, and you want your packaging to boost sales rather than collect fines for illegal labeling, you need to understand the new rules. In this article, we—as an agency working directly with brands—will break it all down for you from A to Z: who issues legitimate certificates today, by what criteria your production will be evaluated, how much the process costs, and in which unexpected products the Halal status plays a decisive role.

Legal Basis: The New Rules of the Game

The certification procedure was officially approved by the Cabinet of Ministers' Resolution No. 57, dated February 1, 2025. All new requirements are based on the standards of the Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC). Interestingly, the new regulation also establishes a single standard for the shape and size of the "Halal" mark itself. This means you can no longer draw the mark in any random size just to fit your packaging design.

Key rules every manufacturer must remember:

·        Certification is voluntary, but applying the "Halal" mark without a certificate is strictly prohibited.

·        The certificate is issued for a period of three years.

·        During this period, the certified production facility undergoes regular periodic assessments.

Who Issues the Certificate?

Today in Uzbekistan, "Halal" certificates are issued by both state and private organizations. The main difference lies in the standards they rely on and, most importantly, the markets where their documents are recognized.

UzHalalTest (UzTest)

This is a state body under the Uzbek Center for Scientific Testing and Quality Control, operating according to SMIIC standards. Our national system is based precisely on this standard. In October 2025, UzTest became the first in the country to receive prestigious international accreditation from the Halal Accreditation Agency of Turkey (HAK) under the OIC/SMIIC 2:2019 standard. This standard sets the requirements for halal certification bodies. This document primarily opens doors to the markets of Uzbekistan, Turkey, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries. Applications are submitted online via the tris.uz portal, and the registry of issued certificates is publicly available on the official UzTest website. Contact phone: +998 93 555-98-88.

CERTIN HALAL

This is a private certification body based in Tashkent. It operates according to the standards of the Gulf countries: UAE.S GSO 2055-1 for food products and GSO 2055-4 for cosmetics. According to the body itself, it is registered with the UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT), so its certificate is primarily intended for exporters to the UAE. The certin.uz website features a public open list of certified companies: among them are producers of juices, sauces, confectionery, snacks, tea, bottled water, and meat products. To calculate the cost, you can send an application to halal@certin.org. Phone: +998 71 202-25-55.

Process, Timelines, and Costs

If your production is well-established and your documents are in order, the entire process will take about a month. However, if any shortcomings are found during the audit, you will be given 3 to 6 months to fix them. In short, everything depends entirely on the readiness of your enterprise.

The inspection commission goes directly to your facility and works according to an approved program. They thoroughly examine the raw materials, warehouses, equipment, workflows, personnel, and sanitary conditions from top to bottom. If there is even the slightest doubt about the composition, samples are taken right in front of your representative and sent straight to an accredited laboratory.

Now for the most important part—paperwork. The basic document package includes: the company's registration documents, technical specifications and recipes, specifications for all products, quality passports for raw materials, supplier documents, and a full description of the production process. Wondering where the biggest bottleneck is? The process often drags on due to missing or incomplete documents for imported raw materials. Therefore, it's best to get your paperwork completely in order before starting.

So, How Much Does It Cost?

Based on official UzTest data, certification for the first year averages between 15 and 20 million UZS. Since the certificate is issued for 3 years, this price drops by 20–25% in each subsequent year. Of course, the final amount isn't pulled out of thin air—it depends on the size of your product range (nomenclature), the complexity of the production process, and the scope of the on-site inspection.

Ticket to Export: Whose Rules Apply Abroad?

Learn the golden rule of business: there is no such thing as a universal halal certificate recognized equally by all countries in the world. Each importing country relies exclusively on its own list of recognized bodies. Therefore, before choosing a certification body, ask yourself: "To which country do I plan to sell my product in the next 2-3 years?"

Before heading into export, don't forget to ask your buyer (importer) which organizations' certificates their market accepts, and compare this with your body's accreditation.

What is the situation in the CIS countries? In Kazakhstan, several organizations handle this, including structures under the Spiritual Administration of Muslims (SAMK) and the Halal Industry Association. The country also has an accredited halal certification body. In Russia, the main centers are the International Center for Standardization and Certification "Halal" under the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Russian Federation (authorized by the Council of Muftis of Russia), and the "Halal" Standardization Center under the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Tatarstan. In Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, these processes are handled directly by structures under the muftiates.

Which Sectors Are Certified?

Many think the halal standard applies only to meat, but it covers a much broader range of sectors:

·        Food products — under the OIC/SMIIC 1 standard (this includes confectionery, beverages, dairy products, snacks, sauces, and spices);

·        Meat slaughtering and processing — the process itself is evaluated: the butcher's qualifications, the method of slaughter, and raw material storage conditions;

·        Cosmetics and personal care products — based on the OIC/SMIIC 4 standard;

·        Pharmaceuticals and dietary supplements — medicine capsules, tablet coatings, and syrups;

·        Catering and hospitality — the SMIIC halal tourism standard has been in effect since 2019;

·        Logistics and warehousing — to confirm the separate storage and transportation of halal and non-halal products, ensuring they do not mix.

Unexpected Categories: Where Is the Certificate Needed and Why?

Consumers are used to considering some products halal by nature. But practice shows that the main risk lies not in the base raw materials, but in hidden additives, technological processing aids, and processing methods.

Take ordinary drinking water, for example. Water is naturally pure, and Sharia does not require its certification. Nevertheless, water producers still go through this process. Why? It's all about water treatment: various filtering materials can be used, including activated carbon, and the origin of this carbon must be confirmed. If the water is mineralized or flavored, it definitely contains additives that need to be checked. Moreover, for buyers from the Gulf countries, this mark on a water bottle has become a standard and mandatory shelf requirement. The bottom line: for ordinary drinking water entering the domestic market, a certificate is simply a brand positioning tool, but for functional waters and export, it's a strict necessity.

Hidden Risks in Other Categories

Pure, natural plant-based products without additives—salt, tea, grains, and spices—carry almost no risk. For them, obtaining a certificate is primarily a powerful tool for opening export doors and working freely with major retail chains.

Production Evaluation Criteria

Although requirements may differ slightly between systems, there are strict basic rules common to all:

·        Total absence of pork, blood, alcohol, and any components of prohibited origin in the composition.

·        Meat raw materials must be sourced only from animals slaughtered according to Sharia rules.

·        Documents confirming the origin of every single ingredient (including imported premixes, flavorings, and additives) must be present.

·        Preventing cross-contamination: separate storage of halal and non-halal products, separate use of equipment, and sanitary processing.

·        Absence of prohibited substances even in washing and technological agents.

·        The presence of a person responsible for halal compliance at the enterprise, along with specially trained staff.

·        Strong internal control showing where the product came from and where it is going (traceability), and its full documentation.

In short, certification today is a real exam that tests the maturity and transparency of your business. But after passing all the stages and securing the certificate, another big task lies ahead: how can you convey this value to the buyer in a natural, eye-catching way?

If you have put your product's internal contents in order and obtained legal status, the Minim team is ready to perfectly integrate this new quality mark into your packaging. We will help your brand stand out clearly on store shelves and sell with confidence!

Sources

·        Gazeta.uz — Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 57 on the "Halal" certification procedure: https://www.gazeta.uz/ru/2025/02/04/halal-certification/

·        Gazeta.uz — Regulation on the "Halal" mark standard: https://www.gazeta.uz/oz/2025/02/03/halol/

·        Gazeta.uz — UzHalalTest accreditation by the HAK agency: https://www.gazeta.uz/oz/2025/10/16/halal/

·        UzTest — Halal products and services certification department: https://uztest.uz/en/production-departments/certification-of-halal-products-and-services/

·        CERTIN HALAL — Standards and registry of certified companies: https://certin.uz/halal-certification/

·        UzTest — Price list for laboratory tests: https://uztest.uz/ru/otkrytye-dannye/kalkulyatsiya/

·        Norma.uz — Certification procedure: https://www.norma.uz/novoe_v_zakonodatelstve/vvoditsya_procedura_sertifikacii_produkcii_i_uslug_halyal

·        SMIIC — Halal standards series: https://www.comcec.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/SMIIC-EN.pdf

·        SMIIC — OIC/SMIIC 4, halal cosmetics standard: https://smiic.org/en/projects/2

·        Informburo.kz — Halal certification in Kazakhstan: https://informburo.kz/novosti/adal-vmesto-halal-458.html

·        Forbes.kz — Accredited body in Kazakhstan: https://forbes.kz/news/newsid_311085/amp

·        Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Russian Federation International Center for Standardization and Certification "Halal": https://meatindustry.ru/catalog/uchastniki-vystavki-2025/mezhdunarodnyy-tsentr-standartizatsii-i-sertifikatsii-khalyal-pri-dukhovnom-upravlenii-musulman-ross/