SMIIC hereby shares the following notification received from the Halal Accreditation Agency of Türkiye (HAK) concerning recent regulatory developments in Türkiye related to the verification of halal claims associated with imported products.
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NOTIFICATION
The Republic of Türkiye wishes to inform relevant international organizations, accreditation bodies, conformity assessment stakeholders, and competent authorities of a regulatory development concerning the verification of halal claims associated with imported products entering the Turkish market.
At the outset, it is important to emphasize that compliance with halal standards and halal certification remain voluntary in Türkiye. Manufacturers and service providers are not legally required to obtain halal certification in order to place products or services on the market. However, where a product or service is represented as halal-certified or otherwise carries a halal claim, symbol, mark, declaration, or certification, such representations are expected to be reliable, substantiated, and not misleading to consumers or other market participants.
To safeguard the integrity of halal conformity assessment activities, Türkiye introduced a regulatory framework requiring halal conformity assessment bodies operating in sectors accredited by the Halal Accreditation Agency of Türkiye (HAK) to obtain halal accreditation from HAK. This requirement entered into force in 2023 and has since constituted the legal basis for ensuring that halal conformity assessment activities conducted for the Turkish market are performed by competent and independently assessed organizations.
In this regard, Türkiye has adopted the Communiqué on Import Controls of Products Accompanied by Halal Conformity Certificates (2026/35) on 25 June 2026, which introduces a more effective and digitally integrated verification process for import controls. Following a three-month transition period, the Communiqué will become operational through integration with the Risk-Based Control System for Foreign Trade (TAREKS), Türkiye's electronic import control platform.
Under this framework, imported products falling within the tariff classifications specified in the Communiqué that are accompanied by:
• a halal conformity certificate;
• a halal declaration;
• any halal claim, symbol, mark, or indication displayed on the product, its packaging, labelling, or accompanying documentation,
will be subject to a digital verification process through TAREKS.
Importers will be required to submit, through the electronic system, the supporting halal conformity documentation, in accordance with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) / Standards and Metrology Institute for Islamic Countries (SMIIC) criteria underlying the relevant halal claim. The purpose of this requirement is to enable competent authorities to verify whether the halal conformity assessment serving as the basis for the halal claim has been conducted by a conformity assessment body accredited within the framework established under SMIIC standards and Turkish legislation.
The validity, authenticity, and regulatory compliance of the submitted documentation will be assessed through risk-based controls and verification procedures carried out by the Ministry of Trade.
Where inconsistencies, unverifiable claims, or non-compliance with the applicable legislation are identified, the relevant products will not be authorized for importation.
The primary objective of the measure is to strengthen consumer confidence, prevent misleading halal claims, enhance market transparency, support fair competition among conformity assessment bodies, and improve the traceability and reliability of halal conformity assessment activities associated with products entering the Turkish market.
Türkiye remains committed to international cooperation and to the development of transparent, credible, and internationally aligned halal quality infrastructure systems. We trust that this information will assist stakeholders in understanding the scope and purpose of the new implementation mechanism and its role within Türkiye's existing halal regulatory framework.