How to read Taiwan halal certificates

Taiwan has more than one halal certifier, and a map listing does not tell you which, if any, stands behind a place. In a restaurant, you read the certificate on the wall. In a shop, you read the pack. The two answer different questions.

Who certifies halal in Taiwan?

JAKIM’s list, effective 21 August 2026, recognises two Taiwanese bodies: the Taiwan Halal Integrity Development Association (THIDA) in Taipei and Taiwan Halal Certification Development Co., Ltd (THCD) in Kaohsiung¹. The Chinese Muslim Association does not appear in that list. A travel-industry source, CrescentRating, states that over 230 restaurants and hotels are halal-certified by it⁴.

Taiwan’s Tourism Administration reported 396 halal-certified restaurants and hotels in 2023³. Counts differ by source, so do not add them up. Our sister guide to Taiwan halal certifiers shows how to cross-check each issuer against JAKIM’s PDF at halal.gov.my/pdf/cb/FHCB21August2026.pdf².

Why can a listing and a certificate look alike?

Taiwan ranked third among non-OIC destinations in the June 2023 Global Muslim Travel Index, behind Singapore and the United Kingdom⁵. A ranking like this tells you Muslim travellers are expected there. It does not describe the kitchen you are about to eat in.

On a map or app, a certified restaurant and a Muslim-friendly one can sit side by side with similar icons. Open the listing and look for three things: an issuer’s name, an expiry date and a photo of the certificate. Without them, the entry is Muslim-friendly or unknown. Our guide to how reliable halal apps and map listings are explains why.

How do you read a certificate in a restaurant?

• Issuer: read the name and match it against JAKIM’s Taiwan entries.
• Scope: does it name this branch and kitchen, or only the brand?
• Dates: find the expiry. An unreadable date means unknown.
• Ask: “Is alcohol used in the cooking, and are the pans shared with pork?”

How do you read a mark in a shop?

A mark on a packet covers that packet. It says nothing about the shop’s hot counter, ready meals or fresh bakery.

• Read the certifier’s name on the pack, not only the symbol.
• Look for an expiry or batch date on the pack.
• For ready-to-eat items without a pack, ask for the ingredients and treat the item as unknown if nobody can say.
• For drinks and sweet shops, ask about gelatine and alcohol flavouring.

Taiwan’s National Immigration Agency tells travellers not to bring meat-containing foods, other animal products or meals provided on flights⁶. So a local shop is where your backup snacks should come from. Pack dry snacks without meat from home, and top up after reading the pack.

What label does each find get?

What you see	Label	What stays unchecked
Certificate from a JAKIM-listed body, this branch, in date	Certified halal	Alcohol in cooking, shared equipment
Certificate from another body	Certified by a body outside JAKIM’s list	Your own standard decides
“Muslim-friendly” in an app	Muslim-friendly	The whole kitchen
Mark on a snack pack	Certified product	The shop around it
Nothing visible	Unknown	Everything

Your own standard decides what counts. For a ruling, ask your ustaz or state mufti office.

Your next step

Save the table above on your phone before landing. For the city picture, see the Taiwan guide for Malaysians, the Taipei guide and the halal food hub. Choosing between Taiwan and another place? Read Taiwan versus Hong Kong.