Indonesia’s Halal Deadline Puts Thai Food Exporters on Notice

Thailand’s Trade Policy and Strategy Office (TPSO) is pressing the country’s food exporters to check their product lines and certification paperwork ahead of October 17, 2026, as Indonesia broadens enforcement of its halal requirements for food and beverages. Thailand’s agricultural and agro-industrial exports to Indonesia were worth US$1.4152 billion in 2025, out of US$9.3361 billion in total Thai exports to the country, per TPSO.

Indonesia’s mandatory halal certification deadline is October 17, 2026, the compliance date for imported food, beverages, cosmetics and several other categories, per Tilleke & Gibbins’ September 2025 analysis. Processed products containing multiple ingredients or additives generally require certification issued in Indonesia or by a foreign body recognized by BPJPH before import, per Thailand’s Trade Policy and Strategy Office.

Thailand’s Trade Exposure in Indonesia

Nantapong Chiralerspong, TPSO director-general at Thailand’s Commerce Ministry, said Indonesia has expanded halal measures under Law No. 33/2014, the Halal Product Assurance Law administered by the Halal Product Assurance Organising Agency (BPJPH). Thailand’s major food and beverage export categories to Indonesia are sugar, cassava products, fresh, chilled, frozen, and dried fruit, pet food, rice, wheat products, and prepared foods and beverages, per the Trade Policy and Strategy Office. “Indonesian rules distinguish between products requiring halal certification and products qualifying for exemption under the Halal Positive List,” Nantapong said.

The Law Behind the October Deadline

Government Regulation No. 42 of 2024, issued on October 18, 2024, granted a two-year extension that moved the compliance date to no later than October 17, 2026, per a February 2025 market-intelligence note from the U.S. Commercial Service in Indonesia. The Halal Times published a guide to the 2026 halal mandate for global exporters in January 2026. A September 2025 analysis by law firm Tilleke & Gibbins sets out which categories that date covers: imported food, beverages, slaughtering products and services, cosmetics, chemical products, genetically engineered products, clothing and accessories, household supplies, and class A medical devices, among others. Over-the-counter drugs and class B medical devices are not due until October 17, 2029, and prescription drugs excluding psychotropics and class C medical devices have until October 17, 2034, per the same analysis. BPJPH Circular Letter 7/2025 tightened transparency rules around halal certification, per Asia Pacific Food Industry.

How Foreign Certificates Get Recognized

A certificate issued at home isn’t automatically recognized in Indonesia: foreign halal certificates count only if the certifying body holds a mutual recognition agreement (MRA) with BPJPH and its standards align with Indonesian requirements, per Asia Pacific Food Industry. As of Tilleke & Gibbins’ September 2025 analysis, 89 foreign halal institutions, including bodies from the United States, South Korea, Thailand, and the United Kingdom, held MRAs with BPJPH, with 29 more pending. The importer then applies for an SHLN, the foreign halal certificate registration governed by BPJPH Head Decision No. 90 of 2023, submitting an apostilled copy of the certificate, the product’s HS code, a letter of appointment, and the importer’s business license. Processing runs a maximum of 20 working days from the date an application is received, per the same analysis: a five-working-day formality check, up to five more days if paperwork is incomplete, then a five-working-day substantive review. Payment is due within a week of the approval notice. The Halal Times reported in July 2026 on South Korea’s response to Indonesia’s halal certification requirement.

Who Is Exempt, and Who Is Not

The dividing line in the TPSO list is whether a product has been processed and what has been added to it. Processed or seasoned seafood carrying sauces, spices or oil needs certification, and so do dried fruit with added ingredients, frozen fruit with additional ingredients, wax-coated fruit, and ingredients from genetically modified plants. Fresh vegetables and fruit without surface coatings, meaning unprocessed primary agricultural products, are potentially exempt, per the same office. A February 2025 market-intelligence note from the U.S. Commercial Service in Indonesia lists fresh produce, conventional soybeans and seafood among halal positive list items exempt from mandatory certification, alongside haram items such as pork and alcoholic beverages. Per TPSO’s August 2026 remarks, seafood that has been processed or seasoned with sauces, spices or oil still requires certification.

“Not all bodies recognised by JAKIM or GCC authorities are automatically recognised by BPJPH,” Asia Pacific Food Industry notes, which means recognition earned in one market doesn’t transfer to Indonesia by default. Separately, the same U.S. Commercial Service note cites a survey finding that up to 25% of supermarket products lacked the required halal certification and labeling. With SHLN registration taking up to 20 working days per application, October 17, 2026 is the date that matters for Thai food and beverage shipments; the 2029 and 2034 tiers don’t apply to them, covering drugs and class B and C medical devices instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Indonesia’s halal certification deadline for 2026?

October 17, 2026 is the compliance date for imported food, beverages, cosmetics, slaughtering products and several other categories, per Tilleke & Gibbins’ September 2025 analysis. Government Regulation No. 42 of 2024 moved that date back by two years, per a February 2025 U.S. Commercial Service note.

Do Thai food exports to Indonesia need halal certification?

Processed items with added ingredients, sauces, coatings or genetically modified plant ingredients generally do, while fresh vegetables and fruit without surface coatings are potentially exempt, per Thailand’s Trade Policy and Strategy Office.

How long does Indonesia’s foreign halal certificate registration take?

BPJPH’s SHLN process runs a maximum of 20 working days from the date an application is received, combining a five-working-day formality check and a five-working-day substantive review, per Tilleke & Gibbins’ September 2025 breakdown of the procedure.

Does a JAKIM or GCC halal certificate work in Indonesia?

Not automatically. A certifying body must hold a mutual recognition agreement with BPJPH and align its standards with Indonesian requirements, per Asia Pacific Food Industry; as of September 2025, Tilleke & Gibbins counted 89 institutions holding MRAs, with 29 more pending.