Skal certification costs: rates and timeline

A business that is certified by Skal Biocontrole pays a one-off registration fee on signing up: €228 (point of sale) or €387 (agriculture, processing or trade). On top of that come the fixed annual fees of the supervision arrangement. That arrangement depends on what you do. An agricultural business pays €1,236 per year in fixed fees in 2026, and a processing business pays €1,349 to €1,913. Admission assessments and inspections cost €136 per hour.

These amounts come from Skal’s rates page for 2026. The full 2026 rates sheet (R16) is on the Skal website. Ask Skal whether the amounts are excluding or including VAT before you make a decision. Also ask Skal whether you must be certified, and who must do what.

All prices on this page are indications based on Skal’s 2026 rates. Rates may change. Check the current rates on the Skal website before you calculate.

What do you pay Skal?

Skal works with three types of cost: a one-off registration fee, fixed annual fees per supervision arrangement, and hourly rates for admission assessments and inspections.

Cost item	Amount 2026	When
Registration fee point of sale (per location)	€228	One-off
Registration fee agriculture, processing or trade	€387	One-off
Admission assessment	€136 per hour	At the start
Inspection	€136 per hour per inspection	Per inspection

The fixed annual fees have three parts: a general annual fee, a certification fee and a supervision fee. Together they make up the amount per year.

What does it cost per type of business?

Skal charges per supervision arrangement. The arrangement follows from what your business does. A webshop with certification falls under a different arrangement from a processor with a head office and a distribution centre.

Arrangement	General annual fee	Certification fee	Supervision fee	Total per year
Webshop registration	€213	n/a	€116	€329
Webshop certification	€213	€212	€116	€541
Sales to consumers	€213	€212	€116	€541
Head office and distribution centre	€746	€463	€140	€1,349
Agriculture, low or normal	€731	€463	€42	€1,236
Agriculture, high	€884	€618	€411	€1,913
Processing or trade, low or normal	€746	€463	€140	€1,349
Processing or trade, high	€884	€618	€411	€1,913

The total column is added up from the three fees. An inspection comes on top of that. Skal determines whether your business falls in the low, normal or high category. Ask Skal which category fits your business.

Worked example: a fictional farm

Farm De Lindehof is a fictional arable farm of 40 hectares with its own storage. It falls under the agriculture, normal arrangement. The farm calculates its costs as follows.

Item	Amount
Agriculture registration fee (one-off)	€387
Fixed annual fees agriculture, normal	€1,236
Admission assessment, 4 hours	€544
First year total	€2,167

In the years after that, only the fixed fees remain, plus any inspections Skal carries out that year. The admission assessment is then no longer needed. An inspection of 3 hours costs €408 extra. That brings the total to about €1,644 in a year with an inspection.

How long does it take from registration to certificate?

The process consists of fixed steps. The duration depends mainly on when the admission assessment can be scheduled and on how quickly you have your documents in order. Skal gives no fixed timeline on the rates page. Ask Skal for an indication.

Register using the registration form

You complete the registration form for your type of business. There are separate forms, including for agriculture, food and webshops. The registration fee applies at this step.

Admission assessment

An inspector from Skal visits your business for the admission assessment. He looks at your documents, your processes and the location. Skal works with a checklist per activity.

Certificate or decision

If the assessment turns out well, you receive a certificate. After that, the annual cycle of checks and annual fees begins.

What does the conversion involve?

Anyone who wants to become organic must first go through a conversion period. During that period you may not yet sell your products as organic. The fixed periods are set out in Annex II, Part I, of Regulation (EU) 2018/848 . For annual crops, the period is at least two years before sowing. For grassland, it is at least two years before use as organic feed. For other perennial crops, it is at least three years before the first harvest of organic products.

Ask Skal from which point the fixed fees for your arrangement apply. Include those costs in your business case.

Ask Skal in advance whether earlier use of pesticides can shorten your conversion period. That depends on what was used and how you can demonstrate it.

How can you save on costs?

Ask which arrangement fits your business. The amounts per arrangement are listed above.
Check whether group certification suits your situation. See group certification.
Have your documents ready. An inspector who has to search for things charges for his hours.
Plan the conversion in. If you understand the fixed fees from the start, you can budget better.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to pay every year?

Yes. The general annual fee, the certification fee and the supervision fee are annual costs. You pay the registration fee only once. Skal charges inspections separately, per hour.

What does a small webshop cost?

A webshop that only registers pays €329 per year in fixed fees, according to Skal’s 2026 rates. A webshop with certification pays €541 per year. Ask Skal which arrangement fits your situation.

Can I get the fee back if I stop?

That depends on Skal’s conditions. Ask Skal before you sign.