Indonesia requires most imported foreign products to meet its strict Halal requirements. The deadline for meeting Halal requirements has recently been extended. Different product categories have new certification deadlines. For our readers, these deadline extensions are important – 1. October 17, 2026, for natural drugs, quasi-drugs, chemical products, genetically engineered products, etc., 2. October 17, 2029, for OTC drugs and Class B medical devices, and 3. October 17, 2034, for RX drugs and Class C medical devices.
To help ease the verification burden for foreign products being exported to Indonesia, instead of going through the in-country standard National Halal certification process, foreign makers can now get a Halal certification by a foreign Halal institution that has entered into a mutual recognition agreement with the Indonesian government. Right now, there are 89 foreign Halal institutions that have been accredited overseas, including institutions in the US, Korea, Thailand, and the UK, with many more foreign Halal institutions in the accreditation process. Accordingly, foreign medical companies that want to take advantage of this new policy should confirm that their foreign certifying institution actually meets Indonesian Halal requirements.
Written by: Ames Gross – President and Founder, Pacific Bridge Medical (PBM)
Mr. Gross founded PBM in 1988 and has helped hundreds of medical companies with regulatory and business development issues in Asia. He is recognized nationally and internationally as a leader in the Asian medical markets. Mr. Gross has a BA degree, Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Columbia University.