Certificate of Acceptability deadlines for food premises in South Africa

Every food premises in South Africa needs a valid Certificate of Acceptability (CoA) before any food is handled on it — there is no grace period to trade first and apply later. The certificate itself has no fixed expiry date under Regulation R638 of 2018, but it is not a set-and-forget document: change the person in charge and you have 30 days to tell the municipality, and a certificate can lapse if a prohibition order against the premises is not lifted in time.

Reviewed by TefCo Compliance Research — last verified 15 September 2026.

In short

A Certificate of Acceptability must be in force before food is handled on a premises — trading without one is an offence from day one, under Regulation 3 of R638 of 2018 [1](https://www.health.gov.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Regulations-governing-general-hygiene-requirements-for-food-premises-the-transport-of-food-and-related-matters-R638-of-2018.pdf).
R638 does not set a fixed validity period or renewal date for the certificate itself — it is not an annual licence in the way a business licence is.
If the person in charge of the food premises changes, the municipality must be told in writing within 30 days of the change [3](https://www.nelsonmandelabay.gov.za/DataRepository/documents/regulation-638-conditions-for-a-certificate-of-acceptability-coa_0kt8j.pdf).
A certificate expires permanently if a prohibition order issued against the premises is not lifted within a stipulated period, which may not exceed six months from the date the prohibition order was issued [3](https://www.nelsonmandelabay.gov.za/DataRepository/documents/regulation-638-conditions-for-a-certificate-of-acceptability-coa_0kt8j.pdf).

No trading without a certificate, and no fixed renewal date

Regulation 3 of R638 — the Regulations Governing General Hygiene Requirements for Food Premises, the Transport of Food and Related Matters, made under section 15 of the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act 54 of 1972 — prohibits handling food on any premises unless a valid Certificate of Acceptability has been issued and is in force [1](https://www.health.gov.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Regulations-governing-general-hygiene-requirements-for-food-premises-the-transport-of-food-and-related-matters-R638-of-2018.pdf) [4](http://www.acts.co.za/foodstuffs-/n638_3__certificate_of_accepta).

Unlike a liquor licence or a company registration, R638 does not prescribe an annual renewal cycle for the certificate. It stays valid for the nature of handling it was issued for, at that specific premises, indefinitely — subject to the conditions below.

Certificate of Acceptability — the deadlines that actually exist
Event	Deadline	Source
First handling of food on a premises	Certificate must already be in force — no grace period	R638 of 2018, Regulation 3
Change of the person in charge	Notify the municipality in writing within 30 days	Conditions for a Certificate of Acceptability, R638
Prohibition order issued against premises	Certificate lapses permanently if the order is not lifted within a period set by the municipality, capped at 6 months	Conditions for a Certificate of Acceptability, R638
Change of premises or transfer to a new person	New application required — the certificate is not transferable	R638 of 2018, Regulation 3; City of Cape Town CoA FAQs

The certificate is tied to the premises and the person in charge, not a calendar

A Certificate of Acceptability is issued to a specific person in charge, for a specific food premises, for a specific nature of food handling set out in the original application. It is not transferable from one person to another or from one premises to another [3](https://www.nelsonmandelabay.gov.za/DataRepository/documents/regulation-638-conditions-for-a-certificate-of-acceptability-coa_0kt8j.pdf).

A municipality can endorse an existing certificate at any time — adding a restriction to prevent a health hazard, or removing one — without the operator applying for a fresh certificate. That endorsement power is why the certificate is described as living rather than static [3](https://www.nelsonmandelabay.gov.za/DataRepository/documents/regulation-638-conditions-for-a-certificate-of-acceptability-coa_0kt8j.pdf).

A separate business licence is usually also required from the municipality to prepare and sell meals — the Certificate of Acceptability is a food-safety document, not a trading licence, and the two applications are handled separately [5](https://www.capetown.gov.za/_documents/resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/Procedures,%20guidelines%20and%20regulations/Certificate-of-Acceptability-FAQs.pdf).

Application processing time is set by each municipality's environmental health department, not by R638 itself, so it varies widely by area. Apply well before your planned opening date and confirm the current processing time with your local municipality.

Frequently asked

Does a Certificate of Acceptability expire every year?

No. R638 does not set a fixed validity period or annual renewal date — the certificate remains in force for the premises and person in charge it was issued to, unless it is endorsed, suspended by a prohibition order, or the premises or person in charge changes.

What happens if the manager or owner changes?

The person in charge of the food premises must inform the municipality in writing within 30 days of the change [3](https://www.nelsonmandelabay.gov.za/DataRepository/documents/regulation-638-conditions-for-a-certificate-of-acceptability-coa_0kt8j.pdf). A new certificate is generally needed when the certificate holder or the premises itself changes, since it is not transferable.

Can we start trading while the application is being processed?

No. Regulation 3 requires a valid, in-force certificate before food is handled on the premises — there is no interim trading allowance while an application is pending.

Sources

TefCo Corporate Compliance (Pty) Ltd is a compliance management platform, not a legal, tax or advisory firm. This guide is general information, not advice. Fees, dates and thresholds change — confirm current figures with the regulator before you rely on them.