The Government of India, through the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), has issued Notification No. 59/2025-26 dated 09th February 2026, announcing amendments to the list of countries requiring mandatory Halal Certification for specified meat and meat products. The notification has been issued under the provisions of the Foreign Trade (Development & Regulation) Act, 1992 and the relevant provisions of the Foreign Trade Policy 2023.
Expansion of Country List for Mandatory Halal Certification
The notification expands the list under Paragraph 1(v) of Notification No. 34/2024-25 (dated 01 October 2024) by including 20 additional countries for mandatory Halal Certification for export of meat and meat products.
Newly Added Countries
The following nations have been added:
- Azerbaijan
- Uzbekistan
- Kazakhstan
- Tajikistan
- Kyrgyzstan
- Egypt
- Algeria
- Syria
- Lebanon
- Senegal
- Maldives
- Brunei
- Libya
- Tunisia
- Turkmenistan
- Yemen
- Mauritius
- Seychelles
- Kenya
- Morocco
Implementation Timeline
The compliance requirements under the India Conformity Assessment Scheme (i-CAS) – Halal will come into effect as follows:
- All listed countries except Egypt: Mandatory Halal certification will apply after a transition period of two (02) weeks from the date of the notification.
- For Egypt: Mandatory Halal certification will come into effect after six (06) months, allowing adequate time for system readiness and onboarding of certification bodies.
Other Policy Provisions
- All previous conditions under Notification No. 34/2024-25, including:
- Certification by NABCB-accredited bodies
- Compliance with importing country regulations
remain unchanged.
Effect of the Notification
With the inclusion of these 20 countries, the Government has further strengthened the mandatory Halal certification framework under the i-CAS scheme, enhancing regulatory clarity and easing market access for Indian meat exporters.
The Notification can be accessed at: https://a2ztaxcorp.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Notification-59-dated-09.02.26.pdf
