| Country | What the rules we read say about halal | Whose certificate counts |
|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | In its conditions for food clearance, the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) asks for a halal certificate for food products that require one and for proof behind any halal logo. For foods and beverages for special uses, where its list places dietary supplements, it asks for proof of any halal claim on the label. A US Department of Agriculture (USDA) summary (2023) says the source of gelatine must be stated on the label | Centres designated by the Saudi Halal Center |
| United Arab Emirates | The Emirates Drug Establishment (EDE) lists a halal certificate among the documents for registering a supplement for general sale. For food, a USDA summary (2025) calls the national halal mark voluntary but says that a supplier who includes a halal mark must use the UAE's own: "no other halal marks are permitted". Whether this reaches supplements on the EDE route, your importer confirms | On the EDE route, certified authorities and organisations. For food, an approved halal certifier; USDA gives the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MOIAT) as the contact for information on approved certifiers |
USDA summaries are written for food.
For Egypt, Nigeria and Ghana, we read the regulators' rules and found no halal requirement; the Egyptian rules cover the category the decree defines. For Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, Kenya, Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal, the regulators' own rules did not open for us or were not written for supplements. In both cases your importer confirms.
Is the plant halal certified, or the product?
The product. Halal certification is arranged for the specific product rather than for the plant as a whole. Certifying bodies and countries differ in what a certificate covers, so your importer confirms what the country of sale accepts.
For a ready-made formula, assessed as it stands, raise halal before choosing one; for your own formula, raise it in the enquiry, before the sample settles the ingredients.
Why does halal depend on the formula?
Because what goes into the product bears on the decision, and each formula has its own ingredients. We do not rule on what is halal; the certifying body decides. Three parts matter here:
- Active ingredients. Some, such as collagen, are of animal origin.
- The capsule shell. Gelatine, used for softgel shells and many hard capsules, can come from different animals. USDA's summaries of the UAE and Saudi food rules both say that the source of gelatine must be stated.
- Excipients and coatings. Fillers, flow agents, coatings and colourings are used in small amounts, but each has its own source and is part of the product being certified.
Who decides whether my product needs halal, and whose certificate counts?
Three parties, each answering one question:
- The authority of the country of sale decides whether a certificate is required and which certifiers and marks it accepts; your importer confirms both for your product before certification starts. The table above shows what we found for Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
- The certifying body decides whether your product qualifies.
- You, as the brand owner, decide whether your carton makes a halal claim. For Saudi Arabia, the SFDA's food clearance conditions ask for proof behind any halal logo.
What should I send with a halal enquiry?
The product, the market and what your importer has said, so the question is settled for your formula:
- The name of the ready-made formula, or your own formula with every ingredient and its amount, excipients included.
- The dosage form and the pack, such as capsules in a blister or tablets in a bottle.
- The countries of sale.
- What your importer has confirmed: whether halal is required, and which certifiers and marks the authority accepts.
- Whether you want a halal mark on the carton or label.
Where does the halal mark go on my carton?
In the carton or label artwork, once your product holds its certificate. We lay out and print the carton to the label rules of your market, which your importer confirms, and print the lidding foil with your brand. Artwork you already have can be used instead. Only the artwork version you have approved is printed.
No certificate, no mark: for Saudi Arabia, the SFDA's food clearance conditions ask for proof behind any halal logo. In the UAE, for food, only the UAE's own halal mark may be used, according to USDA; for a supplement, your importer confirms. Layout and mandatory text: blister artwork guide.
What your product decides
Each line shows the cost in time or risk.
| Your product or market | What changes | What it costs you |
|---|---|---|
| A ready-made formula | The certifying body assesses the formula as it stands | Risk: if it cannot be certified, you need another formula, and the artwork waits for that choice |
| Gelatine or another animal-derived ingredient | USDA summaries of the Saudi and UAE food rules say the source of gelatine must be stated | Risk: if your market applies this to supplements, the source has to be known before the artwork is approved |
| A halal mark on the carton | A halal mark goes into the artwork only for a certified product | Time: the certificate has to be in place before the carton is printed |
| One carton for several countries | Countries can differ in the certifiers and marks they accept | Risk: a mark accepted in one market may be refused in the next, so the cartons may have to differ |
Questions buyers ask about halal supplements
Are you a halal certified supplement manufacturer?
At the plant, halal is arranged for a specific product, not for the plant as a whole; whether a product qualifies depends on its formula. Name the product and the country of sale in your enquiry.
Are supplements halal?
Not automatically. Whether a product can carry a halal claim is decided by a certifying body, with the capsule shell and excipients included.
Do gelatine capsules need a halal certificate for Saudi Arabia?
The documents we read do not name gelatine capsule shells in finished supplements. The SFDA's food clearance conditions ask for a halal slaughter certificate for raw gelatine intended for food and for proof behind any halal logo; a USDA summary (2023) says the source of gelatine must be mentioned on the label. Your importer confirms how this applies to your product.
Is a halal certificate required for supplements in the UAE?
On the EDE's general sale route, the list of documents for registering a supplement includes a halal certificate issued by certified authorities and organisations. Your importer confirms which route your product takes.
Which halal certifiers does Saudi Arabia accept?
Centres designated by the Saudi Halal Center, according to the SFDA's conditions for food clearance (file uploaded April 2025). Your importer confirms that your product's certificate comes from one of them.
Can the halal mark go on the carton before the certificate is issued?
No. The mark goes into the artwork only for a certified product; for Saudi Arabia, the SFDA's food clearance conditions ask for proof behind any halal logo.
How long does halal certification take, and what does it cost?
Neither is published here. Raise halal in your enquiry, with the product and the country of sale, and plan the certificate ahead of the carton print.
Is a halal certificate needed for Egypt?
In the Egyptian Drug Authority documents we read (Decree 572/2022 and its executive procedures, which cover the category the decree defines), we found no halal requirement. Your importer confirms which authority handles your product.
Read more
Quality and batch documents · Export documents · Blister artwork guide · Arabic and French packaging · Middle East · North Africa · Blister packing
Ask about halal for your product
Tell us the product, the dosage form and pack, the countries of sale and what your importer has said about halal. We answer within 24 hours, Monday to Friday. Minimum orders and production times: minimum order quantity, production times.
Request a quote → Email sales@hyperpharm.eu
Sources
- Saudi Food and Drug Authority: conditions and requirements for food clearance (file uploaded April 2025). Halal certificate for food products that require one; proof behind any halal logo; for foods and beverages for special uses, where dietary supplements are listed, proof of any halal claim on the label; General Notes, item 6: a copy of the halal slaughter certificate for meat, poultry and raw gelatine intended for food; certificates from centres designated by the Saudi Halal Center. sfda.gov.sa. Checked 9 and 13 October 2026.
- US Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service: Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards, Country Report, Saudi Arabia, SA2023-0004, 26 July 2023. Written for food. Halal certificates for meat and meat ingredients from bodies accredited by the SFDA Halal Center; the source of gelatine is stated on the label. Copy on agriexchange.apeda.gov.in. Checked 9 and 13 October 2026.
- Emirates Drug Establishment: Registration of Pharmaceutical Product for General Sale, service infographic (file of 2024). Dietary supplements in scope; halal certificate issued by certified authorities and organisations in the list of documents. ede.gov.ae. Checked 9 October 2026.
- US Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service: Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards, Country Report, United Arab Emirates, TC2025-0008, 21 November 2025, section VII.14. Written for food. National halal mark voluntary; a supplier who includes a halal mark must use the UAE's own ("no other halal marks are permitted"); MOIAT as the contact for information on approved certifiers; UAE.S 2055-1:2015 and the source of gelatine. Copy on agriexchange.apeda.gov.in. Checked 9 and 13 October 2026.
- Egyptian Drug Authority: Decree 572/2022, and GL.CAPP.035, executive procedures of the decree, issued 22 September 2022; they cover the category the decree defines. No halal requirement found. Decree 572/2022; GL.CAPP.035. Checked 9 October 2026.
- National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Nigeria: Guidelines for Registration of Imported Herbal Remedies/Dietary Supplements in Nigeria, R&R-GDL-007-00, effective 1 June 2018. No halal requirement found. Copy on policyvault.africa. Checked 9 October 2026.
- Food and Drugs Authority, Ghana: Guideline for Registration of Food/Nutritional/Dietary Supplements, FDA/HMD/GL-FS/2012/01, issued 1 March 2013. No halal requirement found. fdaghana.gov.gh. Checked 9 October 2026.