Indonesia Extends Halal Certification Deadlines to October 2028 for Imports, Small Businesses and Cosmetics

Indonesia has given foreign manufacturers, importers and small businesses two more years to obtain halal certification. The Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs announced the extension days before mandatory certification was due to start on 18 October 2026, moving the deadline for imported food and beverages, micro and small businesses, cosmetics, herbal and health products, and several other categories to 17 October 2028.

The government will make the change by amending Articles 160 and 161 of Government Regulation (PP) 42/2024 on halal product assurance. Ministry Secretary Susiwijono Moegiarso said the extension took into account the readiness of the national halal ecosystem and input from business and industry associations, so that the obligation can be applied effectively.

A reversal of BPJPH's position

The decision overturns repeated assurances from the Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH), which administers certification. Its head, Ahmad Haikal Hasan, told House of Representatives Commission VIII on 10 June 2026 that there would be no postponement of the October 2026 obligation. He repeated the message at a press conference on 9 October, a week before the extension was announced, and asked companies that were not ready to write to BPJPH rather than assume their deadline would move.

Which halal deadlines move to 2028

The announcement also states that services related to food, beverages and slaughter products, other than slaughter services, will start on 18 October 2028. It does not list which consumer goods are covered by the extension.

Imported products and mutual recognition

For imports, the extension is tied to Indonesia's mutual recognition arrangements with foreign halal certification bodies. Under PP 42/2024, the minister was to set the start date for imported food, beverages and slaughter products after considering the completion of those arrangements, and no later than 17 October 2026. The new start date of 18 October 2028 gives Indonesia more time to complete them, which determines whether a foreign manufacturer's existing halal certificate can be recognized and registered in Indonesia rather than replaced.

The government also plans to revoke BPJPH Regulation No. 4 of 2026, which governs checks on foreign halal products entering Indonesia, and to revise other implementing rules under PP 42/2024.

What the extension does not change

The obligation for medium and large businesses producing food, beverages and slaughter products has applied since 18 October 2024, under the first phase of PP 42/2024. The announcement does not list it among the changes.

Some product groups that BPJPH had named in its October 2026 phase are also not mentioned in the announcement, including raw materials, food additives and processing aids for food and beverages, and Class A medical devices. The government has not said how these are treated.

Legal status of the extension

The extension takes legal effect through a government regulation amending PP 42/2024, which was still awaiting issuance when the change was announced. Until it is published, the 2026 dates remain in the text of PP 42/2024, and the final regulation will confirm the scope of each category and the treatment of the groups the announcement leaves out.

Emerhub handles halal certification and foreign halal certificate registration for manufacturers and importers selling into Indonesia. Talk to our Indonesia team about halal certification in Indonesia.