Indonesia’s BPJPH Signs Halal Recognition Pact With Swedish Certifier

JAKARTA — Indonesia’s Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH) and Sweden’s Scandinavian Halal Certification AB (SHC) signed a mutual recognition agreement in Jakarta on August 6, 2026, according to ANTARA News’s Indonesian-language report, making SHC the first Swedish body approved to issue BPJPH-recognized halal certificates. Indonesia’s deadline for imported food, beverages and slaughtering products is October 17, 2026, per Tilleke & Gibbins. ANTARA’s English service reported the agreement on August 7, 2026, as did Jakarta Globe.

What Officials Said in Jakarta

BPJPH Head Ahmad Haikal Hasan framed the agreement as a way to make cross-border trade more efficient without loosening halal standards. “With this harmonization, cross-border halal trade will become more efficient without compromising halal quality assurance,” Hasan said, according to ANTARA News on August 7, 2026. “This shows halal is not only about religious compliance. It also represents transparency, traceability, reliability, health and quality of life,” Hasan added in the same report. Daniel Blockert, Sweden’s ambassador to Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea and ASEAN, said, “If ASEAN members can establish harmonized halal standards with SHC, it will be an excellent start,” according to that English report. In ANTARA’s Indonesian-language report, Blockert added that the Swedish Embassy and Business Sweden are ready to support such collaboration.

What the Agreement Requires

BPJPH recognizes halal certificates issued by SHC within an established scope of competence, according to ANTARA News on August 7, 2026. Under the agreement, SHC must certify products according to BPJPH standards, implement Indonesia’s Halal Product Assurance System, submit periodic reports, and upload certificate data into BPJPH’s SIHALAL system, according to ANTARA News on August 7, 2026. ANTARA’s Indonesian-language report adds that SHC must conduct surveillance and witness audits, and ensure exported products meet Indonesia’s halal labeling requirements.

Sweden’s First Recognized Certifier

SHC is the first halal certification body in Sweden recognized by BPJPH, according to ANTARA News on August 7, 2026. Aso Asinger, SHC’s chief executive, called the agreement “a key milestone,” according to that English report. In ANTARA’s Indonesian-language report he said, “This signing is not merely a formal agreement, but a historic milestone for Scandinavian Halal Certification AB as the first halal certification body in Sweden recognized by BPJPH.”

Indonesia’s October 2026 Deadline

Indonesia’s deadline for imported food, beverages and slaughtering products is October 17, 2026, according to Tilleke & Gibbins in September 2025. The same date applies to natural drugs, quasi-drugs, health supplements, cosmetics, chemical products and Class A medical devices, per that September 2025 analysis. The 2026 date wasn’t the original one; the same analysis says it moved from an October 17, 2024 cutoff.

Under Indonesia’s foreign halal certificate registration route, known as SHLN, eligible imported products can obtain halal recognition without going through standard national certification when the certificate comes from an institution BPJPH recognizes, according to Tilleke & Gibbins in September 2025. As of that September 2025 count, 89 foreign halal institutions, including bodies in the United States, South Korea, Thailand and the United Kingdom, held mutual recognition agreements with BPJPH, with a further 29 institutions in process. Registering a foreign halal certificate takes a maximum of 20 working days from the date the application is received, per the same analysis. SHC is the first Swedish body to gain that recognition, according to ANTARA News on August 7, 2026, joining the foreign certifiers already recognized by BPJPH that the September 2025 analysis counted.

The EU Track Remains Unresolved

Sweden’s agreement runs through a single certification body in one country, while a separate European Union effort stays unfinished. The European Commission’s trade directorate said in February 2026 that the EU and Indonesia are continuing work on Indonesia’s recognition of the EU as a single entity for halal certification purposes, which would enable enhanced recognition by Indonesia of certificates of compliance issued by EU-based bodies covering multiple member states. An Indonesian delegation concluded a study trip to the EU on February 13, based in Brussels with additional visits to Germany and Denmark, according to the same February 2026 item, which described Indonesia as the EU’s fifth-largest trading partner in the ASEAN region. That EU-level recognition remains an objective still being worked on, while Indonesia’s October 17, 2026 deadline for imported food, beverages and slaughtering products approaches, per Tilleke & Gibbins in September 2025.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Indonesia’s halal certification deadline for imported products?

October 17, 2026 for imported food, beverages and slaughtering products, according to Tilleke & Gibbins in September 2025. The same analysis says that date moved from an original October 17, 2024 cutoff.

How many foreign halal certifiers has BPJPH recognized?

As of September 2025, 89 foreign halal institutions held mutual recognition agreements with BPJPH, with a further 29 in process, according to Tilleke & Gibbins. SHC became the first Swedish body to gain that recognition, per ANTARA News on August 7, 2026.

Does the European Union have a halal recognition deal with Indonesia?

There isn’t a single EU-wide agreement yet. The European Commission’s trade directorate said in February 2026 that the EU and Indonesia are continuing work on recognizing the EU as a single entity for halal certification purposes.

Who is Scandinavian Halal Certification AB?

SHC is a Swedish halal certifier listed as a member body of the World Halal Council. It became the first certification body in Sweden recognized by Indonesia’s BPJPH under the agreement signed on August 6, 2026, according to ANTARA News’s Indonesian-language report.