Halal certification under i-CAS for meat exports to Egypt: transition period extended from six to nine months — DGFT Notification 28/2026-27

What has changed

By Notification No. 28/2026-27 dated 5 August 2026, titled “Streamlining of Halal Certification Process for Meat and Meat Products”, the Central Government has amended Notification No. 59/2025-26 dated 9 February 2026 in so far as it relates to the export of specified meat and meat products to Egypt.

The second point under paragraph 3 of the earlier notification is substituted. It now reads that, for Egypt, the notification takes effect after a period of nine months from the date of Notification No. 59/2025-26, “to facilitate system readiness and onboarding/accreditation of certification bodies under the India Conformity Assessment Scheme (i-CAS)-Halal”.

Why the extra time

The “Effect of this Notification” paragraph states that the transition period prescribed for implementing the mandatory i-CAS-Halal for exports of specified meat and meat products to Egypt is extended by a further three months, from six to nine months, to facilitate completion of the onboarding and accreditation process of the Egyptian halal certification bodies.

Legal basis

The amendment is made under section 3 read with section 5 of the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992, read with Para 1.02 and Para 2.01 of the Foreign Trade Policy, 2023. It is signed by the Director General of Foreign Trade and is to be published in the Gazette of India Extraordinary.

What the notification does not say

The notification is a single-page amendment. It does not list the meat and meat products covered, the certification bodies, or the position for any country other than Egypt. Those remain as set out in Notification No. 59/2025-26, which this notification leaves otherwise untouched.

What exporters should do

Exporters of the specified meat and meat products to Egypt should read this amendment together with Notification No. 59/2025-26 dated 9 February 2026. The mandatory i-CAS-Halal requirement for Egypt now applies after nine months, not six, counted from that earlier notification. Every other condition in the earlier notification continues to apply as it stands.