Indonesia Extends Halal Certification Deadline for Imported Food and Beverages
On October 17, Indonesia’s Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs announced a two-year extension of the mandatory halal certification deadline for imported food and beverages, from October 17, 2026 to October 18, 2028. The extension, something which the USABC advocated for, also covers imported slaughtered products and slaughtering services, and for imports it depends on completing mutual recognition agreements (MRAs) on halal certification. The change will be made by amending Government Regulation No. 42/2024. Deadlines for domestic food and beverages, cosmetics, health supplements, and certain consumer goods were also extended to October 2028, with the government citing the readiness of the country’s halal ecosystem.
The government also plans to revoke Regulation No. 4/2026, issued by the Halal Product Assurance Organizing Agency (BPJPH), but has not stated what will replace the regulation. The regulation required imported products to pass a pre-shipment conformity inspection and obtain a halal assurance report before clearing customs. For U.S. food and beverage exporters, the extension buys two more years to obtain halal certification, but import compliance will depend on progress in mutual recognition agreements with their certifying bodies and on what replaces the pre-shipment inspection rule.
