BPJPH Briefs Korean Pharmaceutical Industry on Indonesia’s Mandatory Halal Certification

Indonesia’s Halal Product Assurance Organizing Body (BPJPH) took its halal certification outreach directly to South Korea’s pharmaceutical sector this week, briefing Korean pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies on the mandatory halal certification requirements that apply to products marketed in Indonesia.

The session signals something worth paying attention to: Indonesia’s halal regulators are actively reaching out to specific foreign industries, well ahead of enforcement deadlines, to make sure companies understand what compliance actually requires. This article breaks down what was discussed, why pharmaceutical products fall under halal certification in the first place, and what Korean pharma and biopharma companies should be doing right now.

1. Introduction

On September 1, 2026, BPJPH’s Deputy for Halal Registration and Certification, Mamat Salamet Burhanudin, spoke at the “Indonesia’s Pharmaceutical Halal Certification Compliance Webinar,” organized jointly by the Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Manufacturers Association (KPBMA) and the Korea Testing Certification Institute (KTC), held over Zoom.

The session’s theme, “Indonesia’s Pharmaceutical Halal Certification Policy and Implementation Roadmap,” drew Korean pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies already active in Indonesia, alongside others preparing to enter the market. That mix of attendees says a lot: this isn’t a niche concern limited to companies already navigating Indonesian regulation. It’s relevant to any Korean pharma company with Indonesia in its expansion plans.

2. What Happened at the Webinar

According to BPJPH, the forum covered the policy and implementation of mandatory halal certification for pharmaceutical products, the certification process and requirements, and the practical steps businesses need to take to meet Indonesia’s halal standards.

KPBMA and KTC specifically valued BPJPH’s participation for the comprehensive, first-hand understanding it gave Korean companies of Indonesia’s Halal Product Assurance (JPH) system, rather than relying on secondhand interpretations of the regulation.

3. Why Pharmaceutical Products Fall Under Halal Certification

Indonesia’s halal certification requirement isn’t limited to food and cosmetics. Under the country’s Halal Product Assurance framework, medicine, including pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical products, falls squarely within scope, alongside chemical products, biological products, and genetically engineered products.

4. Two Paths to Compliance for Foreign Pharma Companies

Deputy Mamat emphasized that BPJPH’s certification services are designed to be effective, efficient, affordable, and accessible to businesses from both Indonesia and abroad. For pharmaceutical companies based overseas, that accessibility comes through two distinct routes.

BPJPH specifically flagged the SHLN registration mechanism as an accessible option for foreign pharmaceutical products, allowing companies to register an existing foreign halal certificate rather than starting Indonesia’s certification process from scratch, provided the issuing body and Indonesia have a recognized mutual agreement in place.

5. What BPJPH Covered in the Session

Beyond the policy overview, BPJPH walked attendees through several practical areas relevant to any pharmaceutical company preparing for Indonesian market entry.

• Scope of products requiring halal certification — clarifying exactly which pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical categories fall under the mandatory requirement
• Certification procedures and requirements — the documentation, process steps, and standards companies need to meet
• Ongoing policy developments — how Indonesia’s halal product assurance regulations continue to evolve, which matters for companies planning a multi-year market entry timeline

BPJPH’s stated goal was straightforward: better understanding should help businesses prepare for halal certification earlier and more accurately, rather than treating it as a late-stage hurdle before launch.

6. The Trade Dimension: Why BPJPH Is Framing This as an Opportunity

Deputy Mamat also pointed to a broader, strategic dimension of halal compliance in international trade. Beyond regulatory necessity, halal certification gives businesses certainty and supports smoother trade flows into and out of Indonesia.

That framing matters for how Korean pharma companies should think about this requirement. Rather than treating halal certification purely as a cost of doing business in Indonesia, BPJPH is positioning it as infrastructure that reduces friction and uncertainty across the broader trade relationship, not just a single product approval.

7. What Korean Pharma Companies Should Do Now

For Korean pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies with Indonesia in their plans, whether already selling there or still preparing to enter, this outreach effort is a clear signal to move early rather than later.

• Confirm which of your products fall under mandatory halal certification — pharmaceutical categories aren’t uniform, and scope needs to be checked product by product
• Decide between direct certification and SHLN registration — this depends on whether your existing halal certificate, if any, comes from a body with a recognized mutual agreement with BPJPH
• Start ingredient and process documentation early — pharmaceutical formulations often involve active ingredients and processing aids that need careful halal status verification
• Build halal certification into your Indonesia market-entry timeline from the start — treating it as a parallel workstream, not a final step, avoids delays closer to launch

8. Conclusion

BPJPH’s outreach to Korea’s pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industry reflects a broader pattern: Indonesian halal regulators are proactively engaging specific foreign sectors well before compliance becomes urgent, rather than waiting for companies to discover the requirement on their own. For pharmaceutical companies, that requirement runs on its own track, separate from BPOM drug registration, with its own procedures, documentation standards, and, where applicable, a foreign certificate registration pathway through SHLN.

Korean pharma and biopharma companies with Indonesia in their plans have a clear opportunity here: engage with halal certification requirements early, using the same proactive approach BPJPH itself is modeling, rather than treating it as a compliance issue to resolve at the last minute.

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