Services › Restaurant & F&B Licensing
Restaurant & F&B Licensing Assistance
Licencore Advisory, with its office in Cheras, Selangor, helps restaurant, café and food business owners across Malaysia work out which licences and requirements apply before they open. A restaurant usually involves more than SSM registration: a local council (PBT) business licence, a signboard licence, and food-related requirements for staff and premises. We help you map these early and prepare the applications.
Don’t start renovating before you check
Many owners find a shop lot, start renovating, and only then ask which licences they need. If the location, business activity and council requirements aren’t confirmed first, renovation work, the signboard or the application documents may need to change, and your opening plans can be affected. Checking whether the premises and its use suit your business before you commit or start work is simpler than fixing things afterwards.
What a restaurant typically needs to look at
Every case is different, and the authorities have the final say. Areas we commonly go through with F&B owners:
- Business activity and premises — whether the premises and its use suit the business, and which council covers the address.
- Local council business licence — from DBKL in Kuala Lumpur or the relevant Selangor council (e.g. MBPJ, MBSJ, MPKj, MPAJ).
- Signboard licence — usually a separate licence for the shop signboard.
- Food-related requirements — food handlers are required to attend food handling training and receive typhoid vaccination. Food safety and hygiene requirements follow the relevant authorities.
- Liquor licence — a separate licence if you plan to sell alcohol.
- Power supply — if your kitchen equipment needs more power, a three-phase supply application with TNB may be involved.
Restaurant, central kitchen or food processing?
Requirements are not the same for every food business. A dine-in restaurant, a café, a central kitchen and a food processing operation can face different requirements. We start by understanding your setup so the plan fits your business, rather than a generic checklist.
What we do
01 Understand your business
Concept, location, premises, opening plans.
02 Map the applicable requirements
Licences, authorities and the order to deal with them, aligned with your renovation and opening plans.
03 Prepare the application documents
Forms and supporting documents.
04 Application support and follow-up
We help you complete the forms and get the application ready to submit. The application is made in the business owner’s name — usually through the owner’s own account on the council’s online system, or at the council counter. Some councils accept an authorised representative with a letter from the owner or director; we’ll tell you what your council requires. Where the council allows it, we can also act as your authorised representative with a signed authorisation letter. After submission, we help you track progress and respond to any requests for additional documents.
05 Follow up on further requirements
Anything the authority asks for after the application.
A note on approval
Approval and timing are decided by the relevant authorities, and we make no promises on either. We help you get the requirements and documents right so your plans are built on clear information.
Frequently Asked Questions
What licences does a restaurant need in Malaysia?
It depends on the location, premises and how you operate. Most restaurants deal with a local council business licence, a signboard licence and food-related requirements such as food handling training and typhoid vaccination for food handlers. Selling alcohol needs a separate liquor licence. We help map what applies to you.
Should I check licensing before choosing premises?
It’s better to check first. Confirming the business activity, premises and council requirements before you commit or renovate helps avoid changes later.
Do my staff need food handling training and typhoid vaccination?
Food handlers are required to attend food handling training and receive typhoid vaccination. We can help you note this in your opening checklist.
Does a café, cloud kitchen or central kitchen need the same licences as a restaurant?
Not necessarily. Requirements depend on the type of operation and the premises. Tell us how you plan to operate and we’ll help work out what is likely to apply, with the authority confirming the final requirements.
Can you guarantee approval?
No. Approval and timing are decided by the authorities. We help you plan early, prepare complete documents and follow up on requests.