By Mthokozisi Nkosi, Food Scientist, SAATCA Registered R638:2018 Lead Implementer (SAATCA register RG003), Lead Auditor registered with Exemplar Global and IRCA, Founder of ASC Food Safety Consultants. Updated November 2026.
Short answer: in Cape Town the Certificate of Acceptability (COA) is issued by the City’s Environmental Health service, part of City Health. You apply online through the City’s e-Services portal: get a Business Partner number, register, activate Environmental Health and submit the application with your person in charge’s ID and a 1:50 layout plan. The City charges no application fee and says the standard processing time is ten working days once all documents are in. An environmental health practitioner (EHP) inspects, and the certificate is emailed to you. Train your person in charge before you apply, because the certificate goes out in their name.
Cape Town’s process runs mainly online, so most delays happen on screen before an EHP is assigned. For courses from Atlantis to Strand, see our food safety training page for Cape Town. For the national rules, read the 2026 COA municipal guide.
Who issues the COA in Cape Town
Only the City’s Health Department can issue a COA in the metro. In 2022 the City warned about fake health officials telling restaurant owners that a COA expires every two years and asking for free meals. The City’s reply: a COA costs nothing. City officials may not take payment directly. A genuine City COA is printed on special paper with a holographic City logo. If someone visits, ask to see their City authority card and check their story with your local Environmental Health Office.
How to apply on e-Services, step by step
- Train your person in charge. Regulation 10(1)(a) of R638 requires the person in charge to be suitably qualified or adequately trained in food safety and hygiene.
- Get a Business Partner number. This is a 10 digit number you can create through e-Services. For BP number queries, the City gives Revenue.Eservices@capetown.gov.za.
- Register and activate Environmental Health. Under Service Activation, activate the Environmental Health option and upload the person in charge’s ID. The City says the profile is activated within about five hours. If a proxy applies for you, they need their own ID and a letter of authorisation.
- Upload the layout plan. For bricks and mortar premises the City wants a simple hand drawn layout or a copy of the approved building plan, drawn to 1:50 scale, showing what each area is used for and where all equipment stands. The City calls this mandatory for all formal food premises.
- Zoning check, then inspection. The City first checks whether your use needs special zoning permission. If it does, the application is rejected and you reapply with proof of zoning. If zoning is in order, an EHP visits.
- Receive the certificate. It is emailed to you. You can collect the original by appointment with the case processor who handled your file. Display it, as regulation 3(7) requires.
Stuck on the system? The City’s application help address is Health.Applications@capetown.gov.za, and the City call centre is 0860 103 089. In November 2024 the City said paper applications were still accepted through EHPs, so ask your local Environmental Health Office if you cannot apply online. If you prepare meals, you also need a separate business licence.
Your e-Services application names the person in charge. Train them first.
The City asks for the person in charge’s ID at activation, and the EHP will ask for their training record at the inspection. The ASC Food Safety Practices for Persons in Charge course is on the SAATCA register for R638 Person in Charge training, is HPCSA CPD accredited and is run by a FoodBev SETA accredited training provider. It is fully online, self paced, and ends in a video proctored assessment.
About the provider: ASC Food Safety is an Exemplar Global Recognised Training Provider, with 28 of its auditor, HACCP, GMP and ISO courses recognised.
What the Cape Town EHP checks
The City lists what its EHPs assess at a COA inspection: structural design, food safety practices, waste disposal, pest control and overall hygiene. Its food safety FAQs add that EHPs check compliance with the food regulations alongside zoning, building and fire safety rules. In R638 terms:
- Structure. Regulation 5 requires, among other things, a wash-up facility with hot and cold water, pest proofing, and hand-washing facilities with soap and disposable towels or another hygienic hand-drying method. Your 1:50 plan should match what the EHP sees.
- Practice. Protective clothing under regulation 9 and the food handler duties in regulation 11.
- Records. Routine checks that training works under regulation 10(1)(c), and training programmes and records under regulation 10(1)(d).
If anything falls short, the City gives you an official list of corrections with a deadline. Regulation 3(5) allows up to six months. Our post on what the person in charge must do with EHP findings covers how to close them.
Where Cape Town applications usually wait
| Stage | What holds it up | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| e-Services set up | No BP number, or Environmental Health not activated | Do this a day before you plan to apply |
| Documents | Layout plan not to 1:50 scale or missing equipment | The ten working days only start once the file is complete |
| Zoning | Use needs special zoning permission | Check zoning before you sign a lease |
| Inspection | Corrections list and a return visit | Have training and records ready on day one |
Busy periods matter too. Between 15 November and 31 December 2024 the City received 6 510 COA applications from spaza shop owners, most from Khayelitsha, Mitchells Plain, Strand and surrounding areas. When a national push like that happens, expect queues.
Why the person in charge trains before you apply
The COA is issued in the name of the person in charge, and regulation 10(1)(a) puts the training duty on that person. The City’s own FAQs say a certificate generally only needs renewing when something changes, such as a new person in charge, a move, a new process or building alterations. Regulation 3(8) gives you 30 days to report a new person in charge in writing. A trained second manager protects you when people move on.
Cape Town enforces this. In the second half of 2024 City EHPs issued 276 fines under the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act. Your staff need training under regulation 10(1)(b) too: the Basic Food Hygiene Awareness for Food Handlers course is R420 and takes about four hours. For group seats, see our Cape Town training page.
Questions from Cape Town owners
Does my COA expire every two years? No. The City says COAs issued under the 2018 regulations stay valid unless management changes, the business is sold, the premises change physically or the scope of operations changes.
I bought a café in Sea Point with a COA. Can I use it? No. Regulation 3(9)(a) says a COA cannot be transferred between persons or premises. See why the COA does not transfer to a new owner.
Can I trade while my application is processing? No. Regulation 3(1) says no food may be handled on premises without a valid COA.
Enrol your person in charge on the R638 Persons in Charge course before you open your e-Services application.
