Food licence lookup / Amathole
Certificate of Acceptability in the Amathole District
Food businesses in the 6 local municipalities of the Amathole District apply for their Certificate of Acceptability at the district’s environmental health office, not at their local municipality.
Amathole District Municipality
Apply to this district’s environmental health office for your Certificate of Acceptability.
Switchboard. Ask for Municipal Health Services.
15 Rees Street, Quigney, East London, 5201 (PO Box 320, East London, 5200)
Cost: Not published. Ask the office when you call.
Covers: Mbhashe Local Municipality, Mnquma Local Municipality, Great Kei Local Municipality, Amahlathi Local Municipality, Ngqushwa Local Municipality, Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality
Last verified July 2026. Details changed? Let us know.
Towns this office serves
Wherever you are in these municipalities, Amathole is your Certificate of Acceptability office:
- Amahlathi: Stutterheim, Cathcart, Keiskammahoek
- Great Kei: Komga, Qumrha, Kei Mouth, Morgan Bay, Chintsa
- Mbhashe: Dutywa, Idutywa, Willowvale, Elliotdale
- Mnquma: Butterworth, Gcuwa, Ngqamakhwe, Centane
- Ngqushwa: Peddie, Hamburg
- Raymond Mhlaba: Fort Beaufort, Alice, Adelaide, Bedford, Hogsback
How to apply in the Amathole District
- Contact the office using the details above and ask for the Certificate of Acceptability application form.
- Submit it with a certified copy of the ID of the person in charge and a simple layout plan of the premises. Confirm the exact document list when you get the form.
- An Environmental Health Practitioner inspects the premises. If something falls short, you get a list to fix and a re-visit.
- Display the certificate on the premises once it is issued.
The certificate is not a licence to trade: if you prepare meals or sell perishable food you usually also need a business licence and zoning approval from your local municipality. The food licence lookup explains all three.
Selling food without a registered company?
Most municipalities ask for your business details on the application, and suppliers and landlords will too. Govchain registers your company online for R950, usually within a few days.