Kazakhstan’s KazStandart Now on Qatar’s Halal Certifier List

Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health has added Kazakhstan’s KazStandart certification body to its Authorized List of Halal Bodies. Kazakh state broadcaster 24.kz, reporting on 12 August 2026, said the recognition gives Kazakh producers more openings to promote their goods abroad. Kazakhstan’s national news agency Qazinform reported the same development that day, and The Halal Times confirmed the entry on Qatar’s live registry two days later, on 14 August 2026.

Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health now lists KazStandart on its Authorized List of Halal Bodies. Qatar’s 2022 import guideline says a halal certificate must come from a body on the list published on the ministry’s website. Kazakh broadcaster 24.kz reported the listing on 12 August 2026. Neither the ministry’s registry page nor the 24.kz report states when KazStandart was added.

What the Registry Now Shows

The registry, titled the Authorized List of Halal Bodies, is run by Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health, and the page identifies it under the Public Health Department, Food Safety and Environmental Health, Ports’ Health and Food Control Section. When The Halal Times checked the page on 14 August 2026, one Kazakhstan-based body appeared on it: an entry recorded as “Halal Conformity Assessment Body of the RSE KazStandard,” shown with the certifier’s logo but with no city listed and no dates for approval or expiry. The page carries no “last updated” marker, so the registry itself can’t date the entry. Kazakh media spell the certifier’s name KazStandart; the Qatari registry spells it KazStandard. Per 24.kz’s 12 August 2026 report, the listing means Kazakh food producers can be certified at home to requirements that Qatar recognizes, and the outlet also reported that the body is accredited for halal certification in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, claims The Halal Times has not independently verified.

What Qatar Requires at the Border

Qatar’s import rules, set out in the Ministry of Public Health’s “Guideline for Importing Halal Food and Islamic Bodies Authorized/Permitted to Issue Halal / Halal Slaughtering Certificates” (second issue, January 2022), state that “the certificate should be issued by an Islamic body authorized/permitted by MOPH and included in the list published on the MOPH’s website.” The guideline rejects blanket paperwork: certificates covering a facility’s general product line are not accepted, and an accepted certificate must relate to the exported shipment, showing the invoice number, the relevant health certificate number, the approved body’s logo, and an authorized signatory’s signature and seal.

To be authorized, a certifying body must show it is affiliated with an Islamic institution in its home country, holds legal status there, and maintains a permanent headquarters, per the guideline’s Section 4. The same document’s clause 20 lists, as one requirement item, whether a body already carries other accreditations from reference organizations such as the Gulf Accreditation Center, Malaysia’s JAKIM, or Indonesia’s Ulema Council; The Halal Times has previously compared JAKIM and MUI certification and their mutual-recognition rules. The guideline doesn’t say which conditions KazStandart met or how Qatar assessed the body.

Other Certifiers in Kazakhstan

KazStandart isn’t Kazakhstan’s only certification body. Kazinform reported in November 2024 that the country’s authorized halal certifiers at that time also included Halal Damu, the Association of Halal Industry of Kazakhstan, and Halal Quality Center LLC. Per Kazinform’s November 2024 report, Halal Damu had certified over 1,800 companies, both domestic and foreign, since 2014, and roughly 10 to 15 percent of the country’s food products carried halal certification as of 2023. The Halal Times has also covered fragmented halal certification standards and halal certification consultants for exporters.

Obligations That Continue After the Listing

With KazStandart on Qatar’s list, each individual certificate must still meet the shipment-specific conditions the ministry set out in 2022. The guideline also sets out a continuing obligation: under its Section 4, an authorized body has to tell the ministry about any change in its structure, activity, procedures or personnel, and must obtain the ministry’s approval before it issues further certificates. Separately, clause 21 requires the body to clear office and field checks and its investigation visits, carried out by the ministry or by a party it authorizes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is KazStandart’s status on Qatar’s halal certification list?

Kazakhstan’s KazStandart appears on Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health Authorized List of Halal Bodies, listed as “Halal Conformity Assessment Body of the RSE KazStandard,” according to the registry checked live on 14 August 2026. The entry shows no approval date or expiry date.

When was KazStandart added to Qatar’s halal certifier registry?

Neither Qatar’s registry page nor the 24.kz report gives a date. Kazakh broadcaster 24.kz reported the listing on 12 August 2026, and The Halal Times confirmed the entry was on Qatar’s live registry on 14 August 2026; the registry page itself carries no “last updated” date.

Is KazStandart’s Qatar listing a bilateral agreement between Kazakhstan and Qatar?

No. The 24.kz report of 12 August 2026 and Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health registry both describe KazStandart’s inclusion on an authorized-bodies list; neither describes an agreement, memorandum or treaty between the two governments.

What does Qatar require on a halal certificate for imported food?

Per Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health guideline (second issue, January 2022), an accepted certificate must be issued by a body the ministry has authorized and included on the list published on the ministry’s website. It must also relate to the exported shipment, showing the invoice number, the relevant health certificate number, the approved body’s logo, and an authorized signatory’s signature and seal.