1. What happened: from the announcement to confirmation of the regulation
| Date | Who | What was said | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 9 (Fri) | Head of BPJPH | "October 18 goes ahead as planned, no postponement"; the government is drafting dedicated rules for micro and small enterprises and for imported products (raw materials and auxiliaries, consumer goods) | BPJPH press release, October 9, 2026 |
| Oct 9 | Deputy Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs | Technical rules (a BPJPH regulation) to be completed no later than October 11; "how the phasing works will be set by the regulation" | ANTARA, October 9, 2026 |
| Oct 15 (Thu) | Head of BPJPH | Reiterated "no postponement" at an economic briefing | ANTARA, October 15, 2026 |
| Oct 16 (Fri) 20:44 | Susiwijono Moegiarso, Secretary of the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs | "Taking into account the readiness of the Halal ecosystem, the government is extending the phasing period of Halal obligations through a Government Regulation amending PP 42/2024"; an online briefing was held for ministries, BPJPH and industry associations | Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs press release HM.02.04/361/SET.M.EKON.3/10/2026 |
| Oct 17 (Sat) morning | Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs (to the media) | The amending regulation is "still awaiting the issuance process" (masih menunggu proses penerbitan); follow-up reports by ANTARA, detik, Bloomberg Technoz and others | Bloomberg Technoz, October 17, 2026 09:30; ANTARA, October 17, 2026 |
| Oct 17 (Sat) noon | - | At that time neither the BPJPH website nor JDIH carried the regulation's text, number or any explanation | Checked for this article |
| Oct 14 (Wed) | President | PP 40/2026 amending PP 42/2024 signed, promulgated and in force the same day; State Gazette (LN) 2026 No. 156, Supplement (TLN) 7202 — signed before the October 16 announcement and disclosed by the bodies below on October 20 | BSPJI Pontianak (an LPH under the Ministry of Industry), October 20, 2026; LPH Hidayatullah, October 20, 2026; Australian DFAT |
| Oct 20 (Tue) | LPH BSPJI (Ministry of Industry), LPH Hidayatullah | Article-by-article summary of the amended Articles 160 and 161 and of Article II (implementing rules to be adjusted; pre-shipment verification revoked) | As above |
| Oct 22 (Thu) | - | The national legal databases (peraturan.go.id / JDIH) have not yet posted the official PDF; this article is updated from the sources above and will be checked against the official text once posted | Checked for this article |
Within one week the position moved from "no postponement, dedicated rules to follow" to "the phasing period is extended"; the regulation was signed on October 14 and explained to the public by the Coordinating Ministry on October 16. The announcement came from the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, not from BPJPH. The law itself has not changed: the obligation established by Article 4 of UU 33/2014 remains, Article 67 provides for phased entry into force by government regulation, and what changes now are the effective dates in Articles 160 and 161 of PP 42/2024.
2. What is postponed: every item originally due in 2026 is included
The press release names Article 160 and items a, d, e, f and g of Article 161. Checked against the text of PP 42/2024, every category with an October 17, 2026 deadline is covered: all now have a deadline of October 17, 2028, with enforcement from October 18:
| Provision | Category | Original deadline | New deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 160(2) | Food, beverages, slaughtered products and slaughtering services of micro and small enterprises | October 17, 2026 | October 17, 2028 |
| Art. 160 (new wording) | Services related to food, beverages and slaughtered products (other than slaughtering services) | - | From October 18, 2028 |
| Art. 160(3) | Food, beverages, slaughtered products and slaughtering services from abroad | No later than October 17, 2026 | From October 18, 2028, "taking into account the completion of Halal certificate mutual recognition cooperation" |
| Art. 161(a) | Traditional medicines and health supplements (obat bahan alam, obat kuasi, suplemen kesehatan) | October 17, 2026 | October 17, 2028 |
| Art. 161(d) | Cosmetics, chemical products and genetically engineered products | October 17, 2026 | October 17, 2028 |
| Art. 161(e) | Consumer goods: apparel, headwear and accessories | October 17, 2026 | October 17, 2028 |
| Art. 161(f) | Consumer goods: household health products (PKRT), household equipment and appliances, worship supplies, stationery, office equipment | October 17, 2026 | October 17, 2028 |
| Art. 161(g) | Class A medical devices | October 17, 2026 | October 17, 2028 |
"Several categories of consumer goods" (sejumlah kategori barang gunaan) in the press release refers to items e, f and g: these are the only consumer-goods items in Article 161 with a 2026 deadline. The English category names are SINOQUAL's working translations of the Indonesian terms.
3. What does not change
| What stays the same | Notes |
|---|---|
| The legal obligation itself | The Halal obligation under UU 33/2014 is not cancelled; only the phased deadlines move back by two years |
| Food and beverage obligations of medium and large enterprises in Indonesia | Enforced since October 18, 2024; not touched this time |
| Over-the-counter drugs / prescription drugs / Class B and C medical devices | Still as set in PP 42/2024: over-the-counter drugs October 17, 2029; prescription drugs (except psychotropics) October 17, 2034; Class B devices 2029, Class C 2034 |
| Voluntary certification and buyer requirements | The purchasing requirements of Indonesian importers, retailers and brand owners are not bound by the regulatory timetable; where buyers require a certificate, nothing changes |
| BPJPH certificates already issued, the registration route for certificates from foreign bodies, mutual recognition agreements | Not addressed in the press release; they remain valid |
| Material exemption list Kepkaban 301/2026 | No change: pure cotton, cellulose, and aquatic products that are unprocessed or only frozen, dried or salted remain on the exemption list |
4. Announced at the same time: revocation of pre-shipment verification of imports
The third point in the press release: the government will adjust all implementing rules of PP 42/2024 to the new regulation and revoke BPJPH Regulation No. 4 of 2026 on conformity confirmation of foreign Halal products entering Indonesian territory. In its response the same day, the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) said that physical inspections at loading warehouses, and their costs, will be dropped as a result, and thanked the government in particular for "listening to the apparel and textile industry". The revocation is now written into Article II of PP 40/2026: the provisions on conformity assurance of foreign Halal products entering Indonesia (BPJPH Regulation No. 4 of 2026) are revoked and no longer apply; imports continue to follow customs and trade rules, and how verification at import will work afterwards depends on BPJPH's implementing rules adjusted to the new regulation.
5. What this means for Chinese exporters
| If you export | Legal deadline | How to decide now |
|---|---|---|
| Food, beverages, slaughtered products (finished goods) | For imports, from October 18, 2028, "taking into account the completion of mutual recognition cooperation" | Buyer requirements are the real constraint; medium and large producers in Indonesia must already be certified, and the imported ingredients and auxiliaries they buy are often required to come with proof |
| Food ingredients, additives, processing aids | Not named separately in the press release. Under PP 42/2024 they belong to the first phase together with food and beverages; whether imports of them move back as well depends on the regulation text | Follow buyer requirements for now; this page will be updated when the text is published |
| Cosmetics | Deadline October 17, 2028 | BPOM registration, labelling and other market-entry requirements are not affected; Halal certification now follows buyer and brand-owner requirements |
| Apparel, fabrics, trims, accessories | Deadline October 17, 2028 | The question "do garments without animal-derived components need certification" carries no legal time pressure for now; products with animal-derived components follow buyer requirements; the material exemptions (pure cotton and others) are unchanged |
| Chemical products, traditional medicines and health supplements, Class A medical devices | Deadline October 17, 2028 | As above: follow buyer requirements |
| Other consumer goods (household health products, household equipment and appliances, worship supplies, stationery, office equipment) | Deadline October 17, 2028 | As above: follow buyer requirements; check products with animal-derived components first |
Three things are worth doing now: (1) Finish projects already under way: the value of a certificate does not depend on the timetable, and the audit and fatwa process is not affected by this announcement. (2) Switch the basis for decisions from the legal date back to buyer requirements: a one-line confirmation request to your Indonesian customer is faster than waiting for the text. (3) Do not be rushed into signing by "you must be certified before October 18" sales pitches: on October 9 BPJPH publicly warned against scams that charge fees in the name of the obligation.
6. Questions still without answers
- The official PDF: the number, signing date, effective date and gazette number have been disclosed consistently by an LPH under the Ministry of Industry, LPH Hidayatullah and the Australian DFAT (PP 40/2026, October 14, 2026, LN 2026 No. 156), but the national legal databases have not yet posted the text; the article wording here follows the two LPHs' article-by-article summaries and will be checked against the official text once posted.
- How "taking into account the completion of mutual recognition cooperation" will apply to imported food and beverages: whether the obligation applies automatically on the date, or is conditional on mutual recognition agreements.
- Whether the "dedicated rules" mentioned on October 9 will still be issued, or have been superseded by this amendment.
- Whether there are transitional provisions for companies that have already applied and are under audit.
- When BPJPH will publish its own explanation, and how verification at import will work after Regulation No. 4 of 2026 is revoked.
This page will be updated on the day the PP text is published.
7. About SINOQUAL
SINOQUAL works with Halal inspection bodies (LPH) recognized by BPJPH. In October 2026 SINOQUAL completed its own first apparel and textile BPJPH project, and food, cosmetics and raw-material projects are ongoing. The timetable has changed; the way to decide has not: send us your product list and your buyer's requirements, and the free pre-assessment will first work out which row of the table above your category, materials and buyer requirements fall into. We usually reply within one working day, longer over public holidays.
Sources
- Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs press release: Pemerintah Sesuaikan Masa Penahapan Kewajiban Bersertifikat Halal dengan Memperhatikan Kesiapan Ekosistem dan Pemangku Kepentingan, October 16, 2026
- Kompas.com: Pemerintah Perpanjang Tenggat Sertifikasi Halal hingga 2028, October 17, 2026
- Bloomberg Technoz: Pemerintah Tunda Penerapan Wajib Halal Oktober 2028, October 17, 2026
- Katadata: Pemerintah Tunda Kewajiban Sertifikasi Halal hingga 2028, October 16, 2026
- Bisnis.com: Pemerintah Mundurkan Batas Wajib Halal hingga Oktober 2028, October 16, 2026
- tirto.id: Apindo Apresiasi Penundaan Wajib Halal, Minta Penataan Ulang, October 16, 2026
- BPJPH website: Wajib Halal Berlaku 18 Oktober 2026, BPJPH Siapkan Aturan yang Memudahkan Pelaku Usaha, October 9, 2026
- ANTARA: Wamenko Ekonomi targetkan aturan teknis wajib halal rampung 11 Oktober, October 9, 2026
- ANTARA: BPJPH: Sinergi lintas instansi pacu implementasi Wajib Halal bagi UMKM, October 15, 2026
- Text of PP 42/2024, Articles 160 and 161 (JDIH BPK)
FAQ
- Has Indonesia's mandatory Halal certification been postponed to 2028?
- Yes, and it is now law in force. PP 40/2026 was signed, promulgated and entered into force on October 14, 2026 (State Gazette 2026 No. 156), amending Articles 160 and 161 of PP 42/2024: the batch of obligations originally due by October 17, 2026 is now due by October 17, 2028 and enforced from October 18, 2028. This covers food and beverages of micro and small enterprises and from imports, traditional medicines and health supplements, cosmetics, chemical products and genetically engineered products, apparel and other consumer goods, and Class A medical devices. The official PDF is still to be checked article by article once posted in the national legal database.
- Do apparel and textile exports to Indonesia still need Halal certification now?
- The legal deadline is now October 17, 2028. For now, decide by buyer requirements: if the buyer requires a certificate, proceed as usual. Whether garments without animal-derived components need certification had no further official explanation before, and there is nothing new this time; materials such as pure cotton remain on the exemption list.
- Do cosmetics exported to Indonesia need Halal certification after October 18?
- Cosmetics fall under Article 161(d), and the deadline is now October 17, 2028. BPOM registration, labelling and other entry requirements are not affected by this announcement; Halal certification follows buyer and brand-owner requirements.
- Do food exports to Indonesia need Halal certification after October 18, 2026?
- The obligation for food, beverages and slaughtered products from abroad now applies from October 18, 2028, "taking into account the completion of mutual recognition cooperation". Food ingredients, additives and auxiliary materials belong to the food and beverage category and follow the same timetable as finished products (the Australian DFAT summary table lists them together). Medium and large producers in Indonesia have had to be certified since 2024 and usually ask suppliers of imported ingredients for proof; that has not changed.
- Is pre-shipment verification (LPPH) still required?
- No. Article II of PP 40/2026 revokes the provisions on conformity assurance of foreign Halal products entering Indonesia (pre-shipment verification, BPJPH Regulation No. 4 of 2026); imports continue to follow customs and trade rules. How verification at import will work afterwards depends on BPJPH's implementing rules adjusted to the new regulation.
- Are companies that already hold a BPJPH certificate affected?
- No. PP 40/2026 only changes the effective dates in Articles 160 and 161 and does not touch the provisions on certificate validity: a certificate is valid from issue and remains valid as long as the material composition and the Halal production process do not change (Article 42 of Law 6/2023; Article 88(2) of PP 42/2024). Buyers can still ask for it.
- Why did BPJPH say a few days earlier that there would be no postponement?
- On October 9 and 15 BPJPH said "no postponement, dedicated rules to follow"; the regulation was signed by the President on October 14 and explained to the public by the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs on October 16. A PP ranks above a BPJPH regulation; the agencies have different roles, and until the new regulation was formally explained the implementing agency spoke to the existing dates. As of October 22 BPJPH had not published a dedicated explanation; LPPOM, an inspection body within its system, urged businesses on October 20 to use the two years to prepare.
- October 17 or October 18, 2028?
- Two ways of writing the same thing: October 17 is the phased deadline written in the regulation, and enforcement starts on October 18.
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