Core conclusions:There are three things that will fall on the documents in the next eight days: Indonesia will implement mandatory halal certification for seven categories, including food and beverage, cosmetics, chemical and genetic engineering products, starting from October 18. The transition period will expire on October 17. Imported products must also obtain a single valid Halal Product Guarantee Report (LPPH) before shipment; The Free Trade Agreement between India and New Zealand came into effect on October 20, and all tax items exported by India to New Zealand were zero-tariff on the same day; Bangladesh's Import Policy Order 2026-2029 canceled the annual limit of US$500,000 for commercial imports without letters of credit.
1. Indonesian halal certification: 7 categories and two procedures after October 18
The Indonesian Halal Product Guarantee Agency (BPJPH) has publicly confirmed that mandatory halal certification will fully take effect on October 18, 2026 according to the established schedule. The transition period will be uniformly terminated until October 17, and the official has clearly stated that there will be no extension. The legal basis is the Halal Product Protection Law No. 33 of 2014, Government Regulation No. 42 of 2024, and BPJPH Administrative Penalty Regulation No. 2 of 2026.
The mandatory scope has been expanded from the original large and medium-sized food and beverage companies to seven categories: food and beverages; slaughtering products and slaughtering services; cosmetics; chemical products and genetically engineered products; natural drugs, quasi-drugs and dietary health products; food raw materials, additives and processing aids; daily consumer goods (clothing accessories, household items, household supplies, stationery and office, and Class A low-risk medical devices). The rules apply to both Indonesian local products and imported products.
One thing to be clear is that this policy does not prohibit the sale of non-halal products. Products containing pig origin or non-halal ingredients can still be legally circulated as long as they are labeled NON HALAL or MENGANDUNG BABI as required. There are two other procedures in the import link: first, mandatory pre-shipment halal compliance verification starting from September 9, 2026. Imported products must verify halal documents, packaging and pollution prevention risks on-site in the shipping country, and generate a single valid LPPH report as a necessary document for customs declaration; second, the customs link strengthens import compliance review. BPJPH disclosed that as of September, it had signed halal certificate mutual recognition arrangements with 116 of the 199 applicant institutions. Export companies can first confirm whether their certification bodies are on the mutual recognition list.
Penalties are progressive in four stages: written warning (rectification is completed within 30 working days), administrative fine, revocation of halal certificate (registration license for overseas products is revoked together), forced removal of shelves and recall, and if the circumstances are serious, additional suspension of business may be imposed. The official also stated that a buffer period of one to two years will be set aside for enterprises that have not yet completed compliance rectification, and no surprise spot checks and mandatory labeling will be carried out.
2. The New Zealand Free Trade Agreement: Two directions for its entry into force on October 20
The Information Agency of India and the New Zealand government have respectively confirmed that the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement will officially come into effect on October 20, 2026. The agreement was signed on April 27, 2026, the New Zealand Parliament passed legislation on September 16, the document exchange was completed on September 21, and all domestic procedures between the two countries were completed.
The pace of tax reductions in the two directions is asymmetrical: all tax items exported by India to New Zealand will have zero tariffs from the date of entry into force, and the maximum 10% tariff previously faced by textiles and clothing, leather shoes, jewelry, engineering products and processed foods will be eliminated in one go; About 57% of New Zealand's current exports to India have zero tariffs on the day, mainly mutton, wool, coal and more than 95% of forestry and wood products. After full implementation, this proportion will rise to 95%. The two sides set a goal of doubling bilateral trade volume to 7 billion New Zealand dollars by 2030, and New Zealand committed US$20 billion in direct investment in India. India has excluded sensitive categories such as dairy products, meat, sugar and edible oil from concessions, and has switched to tariff quotas plus minimum import prices and seasonal window management for apples, kiwis and Manuka honey from New Zealand.
For exporting companies, the direct meaning of this agreement is that the cost advantage of "Made in India" in New Zealand will increase, and the price competition of similar goods using Indian raw materials or re-exported through India will become more intense; in turn, factories using New Zealand wood, wool, and coal as raw materials can use this window to optimize procurement sources.
3. Bangladesh's new import policy: cancel the upper limit for imports without letters of credit
The Bangladeshi government issued the "Import Policy Order 2026-2029" to replace the previous "Policy Order 2021-2024" and take effect immediately. The main direction is to relax import controls: cancel the annual limit for commercial imports without letters of credit (previously it was 500,000 US dollars), companies can import directly based on sales or procurement contracts, with the purpose of reducing transaction costs and alleviating bank processing bottlenecks.
There is also another tightening in the same policy order: the export value-added ratio requirement for garments and textiles will be increased to 10% to 40%, which will be classified according to product price, category and raw material source-knitted and woven garments with FOB prices higher than US$60 per dozen will remain at 10%, those below US$60 will increase to 30%, children's wear will 15%, and underwear and synthetic fiber products will 20%; If raw materials are imported duty-free, the uniform requirement for ordinary knitted and woven garments will be 30%, and the increase to 40% for synthetic fiber and underwear. Companies that set up factories in Bangladesh, have OEM cooperation, or export fabrics and accessories to Bangladesh need to re-calculate the other party's local procurement ratio and value-added ratio.
| change | Time and basis | Actions against the factory |
|---|---|---|
| Indonesia's mandatory halal certification 7 categories | Effective on October 18, transition period ends on October 17 | Check whether the product falls into the 7 categories, confirm whether the certification body is on the 116 mutual recognition list, and prepare LPPH documents in advance |
| New Zealand Free Trade Agreement | Effective October 20 and signed April 27 | Assess the price changes of Indian supplies and goods re-exported through India, and pay attention to the procurement window of raw materials in New Zealand |
| Bangladesh Import Policy Order | Effective immediately, applicable from 2026 to 2029 | Recalculate the local procurement ratio and export value-added ratio of OEM in Bangladesh, and check the letter of credit and contract payment method |
Data source: Indonesian Halal Product Guarantee Agency official website (bpjph.halal.go.id), Indian Information Agency released (PIB), the New Zealand government issued (beehive.govt.nz）。
4. Common questions
1. The product is not in the food industry. Does halal certification have anything to do with me?
It matters, but we must first look at the category. This expansion includes cosmetics, chemical and genetic engineering products, daily consumer goods (including clothing accessories, household items, stationery and office) and Class A low-risk medical devices into the mandatory scope. To build factories in these categories, first confirm whether the products are on the list, and then confirm whether the raw materials and auxiliary materials in the supply chain can provide halal certificates-full-chain control is a feature of this policy.
2. Indonesia requires pre-shipment verification. What should I do if the goods are already at sea?
Pre-shipment verification is for batches that have not yet been shipped, and goods that have arrived at the port are subject to customs compliance review. The practical approach is to confirm with the Indonesian importer the processing caliber of the current batch, and at the same time, schedule the certification status, consistency between documents and physical objects, and inspection schedule of the next batch in advance to avoid two consecutive batches getting stuck in the same link.
3. Is the zero tariff in the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement good or pressure for exports to New Zealand?
Two things happened at the same time. Zeroing tariffs on Indian goods in New Zealand will lower the price benchmark for similar items; however, New Zealand's exports of wood, wool and other raw materials to India will also be smoother, and prices may also fall. When building a factory in the New Zealand market, the key is to first calculate the tariff variables in the quotation, and then see how far the gap is compared with Indian suppliers in terms of delivery time, quality and certification.
For factories doing lines such as Indonesia, India, and Bangladesh, these three forms in October are not optional-the cost of replenishing documents and invoices is always lower than the cost of remediation after the goods are stuck at the port.
Qihang Zhilian Foreign Trade Research Institute·Let China's intelligent manufacturing industry set sail to sea·Tel: 180-0327-6609
