Indonesia Delays Halal Certificates for Imported Food and Cosmetics to October 2028

Indonesia has delayed mandatory halal certificates for imported food, drinks and meat until Oct. 18, 2028.

Indonesia’s government has pushed back mandatory halal certification for imported food, drinks and meat, and for cosmetics and other goods, to October 2028.

The Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs announced the change on Oct. 16, 2026, two days before the old deadline¹. The delay will come through an amendment to Government Regulation No. 42 of 2024 on halal product assurance, known as PP 42/2024¹.

In short, imported food, drinks and meat now have until Oct. 18, 2028, before a halal certificate becomes mandatory. Cosmetics, supplements, herbal medicines, chemicals and many household goods get the same two extra years.

What has Indonesia changed in the halal timetable?

Under PP 42/2024, several halal certification duties were due to start on Oct. 18, 2026¹. The government has now lengthened these phase-in periods, which are the transition times before the duty applies in full¹.

Susiwijono Moegiarso, secretary of the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, explained the change at an online briefing on Oct. 16, 2026¹. He said the government is extending the phase-in through a government regulation amending PP 42/2024¹.

The legal register of BPJPH, Indonesia’s halal product assurance agency, names this amendment as Government Regulation No. 40 of 2026². It lists the regulation as amending PP 42/2024².

This site reported on Oct. 5, 2026, that BPJPH had confirmed the Oct. 18, 2026, start date and ruled out a delay. What is new is that the government has now moved most of that date to October 2028.

Which imported goods get two more years?

The biggest change for importers is in Article 160, paragraph 3, of PP 42/2024¹. This paragraph covers products that come from outside Indonesia¹.

For imported food, drinks, slaughtered animal products and slaughtering services, the halal certificate duty now starts on Oct. 18, 2028¹. Before the change, the duty for foreign products had to be set no later than Oct. 17, 2026³.

The new start date still depends on mutual recognition deals¹. Mutual recognition means Indonesia accepts halal certificates issued in another country, and that country accepts Indonesia’s. The government says it will take the completion of these deals into account¹.

Which other goods are covered by the delay?

The delay also reaches goods listed in Article 161 of PP 42/2024, letters a, d, e, f and g¹. These groups had phase-in periods ending in 2026¹. Their phase-in now runs until Oct. 17, 2028¹.

The goods in these groups are¹:

• Herbal medicines, also called natural medicines.
• Quasi-drugs, products between medicines and everyday goods.
• Health supplements.
• Cosmetics.
• Chemical products.
• Genetically modified products.
• Several groups of everyday consumer goods.

The ministry’s press release does not list which consumer goods groups are included¹. Makers of clothing, household items or stationery will need the amended regulation itself to check their goods.

What happens to small businesses and food services?

Article 160 also covers Indonesia’s own micro and small businesses¹. For their food, drinks, slaughtered products and slaughtering services, the phase-in now runs until Oct. 17, 2028¹. Before the change, these businesses faced a start date of Oct. 18, 2026³.

The amendment also sets a date for services linked to food, drinks and slaughtered products¹. For these services, the halal certificate duty starts on Oct. 18, 2028¹. Slaughtering services are left out of this point¹.

Medium and large businesses are not part of this change. Their halal certificate duty for food and drink has applied since Oct. 17, 2024³.

Which goods keep their old dates?

All other product groups keep the timetable already set in PP 42/2024¹. The ministry gave two examples¹:

• Over-the-counter medicines, including those with limited sale rules, have a phase-in until Oct. 17, 2029¹.
• Prescription medicines, except mind-altering drugs (psychotropics), have a phase-in until Oct. 17, 2034¹.

These later dates were already in the regulation before the amendment. The new step only moves the groups that were due in 2026.

What happens to the import checking rule?

The government will also withdraw a BPJPH rule on imported goods¹. This is BPJPH Regulation No. 4 of 2026 on checking that foreign halal products entering Indonesia meet the rules¹.

BPJPH signed that regulation on Aug. 7, 2026, and it was published on Aug. 10, 2026². The agency’s legal register now lists it as revoked by Government Regulation No. 40 of 2026².

BPJPH announced the import rule on Sept. 5, 2026⁴. It was meant as a guide to checking foreign halal products that enter, are sold and are traded in Indonesia⁴. BPJPH said importers and inspection bodies had to prepare for it⁴.

The agency also linked the rule to the second stage of halal certification in October 2026, including for foreign products⁴. With that stage now moved, the government says it will remove the import checking rule¹. It will also adjust the other rules that carry out PP 42/2024 to match the amendment¹.

Why did the government delay the deadline?

The ministry said halal certification has a wide reach¹. It involves millions of businesses and many industries¹.

The government made its decision after an evaluation and after input from business and industry groups¹. It said businesses need enough room to prepare, and the wider halal system needs time to grow stronger¹.

The ministry said the government still stands behind halal product assurance¹. It expects the change to protect consumers and give businesses certainty and time to adjust¹. It also expects the change to keep trade flowing and make Indonesia’s halal industry more competitive¹.

How did the government reach this point?

The delay follows weeks of statements that the 2026 date would hold. On Sept. 23, 2026, ministers met at the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture³. They agreed that the October 2026 target was "still held firmly"³.

At that meeting, coordinating minister Pratikno called for help to small businesses, secure supply chains and certainty on raw materials and imports³. He said the policy should not disrupt business³. Ministries of finance, trade, industry and agriculture attended, with Indonesia’s quarantine agency³.

BPJPH had also pressed ahead with its import rule. Its head, Ahmad Haikal Hasan, said in September that imports needed clear rules to protect consumers and give businesses certainty⁴. The agency cited a 2023 survey in which 83% of 1,014 people said the halal logo was the main factor when they chose a product⁴. For food, the share was 93%⁴.

What does the delay mean for exporters to Indonesia?

For a foreign maker of food, drinks or meat, the halal certificate is not yet required for shipments to Indonesia. That duty now starts on Oct. 18, 2028¹. The same two-year gap applies to cosmetics, supplements, herbal medicines and chemical products¹.

The duty itself has not been cancelled. The law behind it, Law No. 33 of 2014 on halal product assurance, as amended by Law No. 6 of 2023, stays in place¹. The government said it remains committed to halal product assurance¹.

Indonesian importers also lose one planned step. With BPJPH Regulation No. 4 of 2026 revoked, the halal checks it set out for imported goods will not go ahead in their current form². The ministry’s release does not say whether a new import checking rule will replace it¹.

Key points on Indonesia’s halal deadline delay

The table sums up the change for importers and exporters.

Imported food, drinks and meat now face a halal certificate duty from Oct. 18, 2028, with progress on mutual recognition deals taken into account¹.

Sources

1. ↩ Pemerintah Sesuaikan Masa Penahapan Kewajiban Bersertifikat Halal dengan Memperhatikan Kesiapan Ekosistem dan Pemangku Kepentingan – Kementerian Koordinator Bidang Perekonomian Republik Indonesia https://www.ekon.go.id/publikasi/detail/7161/pemerintah-sesuaikan-masa-penahapan-kewajiban-bersertifikat-halal-dengan-memperhatikan-kesiapan-ekosistem-dan-pemangku-kepentingan
2. ↩ Peraturan Badan Penyelenggara Jaminan Produk Halal Nomor 4 Tahun 2026 tentang Pemastian Kesesuaian Produk Halal Luar Negeri yang Masuk Ke Wilayah Indonesia Nomor 4 Tahun 2026 | JDIH BPJPH https://jdih.halal.go.id/jdih/dokumen/3458fb8c-5f45-42a5-9fdf-72c0e65a3ba3
3. ↩ Menko PMK: Sertifikasi Halal Beri Kepastian bagi Konsumen dan Dunia Usaha | Kementerian Koordinator Bidang Pembangunan Manusia dan Kebudayaan https://www.kemenkopmk.go.id/menko-pmk-sertifikasi-halal-beri-kepastian-bagi-konsumen-dan-dunia-usaha
4. ↩ BPJPH Atur Pemastian Produk Halal Impor, Lindungi Konsumen dan Beri Kepastian bagi Dunia Usaha – Berita – BPJPH https://bpjph.halal.go.id/read/bpjph-atur-pemastian-produk-halal-impor-lindungi-konsumen-dan-beri-kepastian-bagi-dunia-usaha