Can Your Halal Meat Exports Still Use the Old Certification Route After DGFT's Streamlining?

DGFT Public Notice 59/2025-26 adds 20 countries to the mandatory i-CAS-Halal list, taking the total to 35 destinations. Exporters must verify if existing certificates remain valid or if re-certification is required before cargo moves.

The question

DGFT Public Notice 59/2025-26, dated 9 February 2026, adds 20 countries to the mandatory i-CAS-Halal certification list for meat exports, taking the total from 15 to 35 destinations. Exporters holding certificates issued under the old regime now face a simple but urgent question: does the existing certificate still work for the next consignment, or is re-certification required before cargo moves?

What changed

The notification does not create a new certification scheme. It expands the destination list under the existing India Conformity Assessment Scheme (i-CAS) Halal framework run by the Quality Council of India. Meat and meat products may be exported as "Halal certified" only if produced, processed or packaged in a facility holding a valid i-CAS-Halal certificate issued by a Certification Body accredited by NABCB.

The product scope covers HS headings 0201, 0202, 0204, 0206, 0207, 0210 and 1601. The corpus extract truncates at 1601, so exporters shipping prepared or preserved meat under 1602 or similar headings should confirm the full HS list against the gazetted text before assuming coverage.

Who feels this first

Exporters with pending orders, consignments already in transit, or letters of credit opened against older certification routes face the sharpest questions. A certificate that was valid for a destination not previously on the mandatory list may now be insufficient if the certification body or the facility's scope does not align with the i-CAS-Halal framework.

The notification is dated 9 February 2026 and takes effect from that date unless the text provides otherwise. The corpus does not show a transition period or grandfathering clause for the 20 newly added countries. Do not assume a grace period applies.

The compliance trap

The principal trap is assuming an existing halal certificate automatically survives the country-list expansion. The notification does not grandfather existing certificates for newly added destinations. If the current certification body is not NABCB-accredited under i-CAS-Halal, or if the facility's certification scope does not cover the specific HS heading being shipped, the consignment may be treated as non-compliant even if the importing country's own halal authority would accept the older certificate.

This creates a mismatch risk. DGFT's export-side requirement is independent of the importing country's import-side halal recognition. An exporter could hold a valid halal certificate from a body recognised by the destination regulator but still fail DGFT's i-CAS-Halal condition for the Indian export declaration.

A second trap is timing. The web notes reference a separate transition-period extension for Egypt under a different notification. Confirm whether any transition applies to the 20 new countries under 59/2025-26 itself, as the corpus does not show one.

What to check before the next consignment

• Pull the current i-CAS-Halal certificate and check the certification body's NABCB accreditation status.
• Verify the facility's scope against the specific HS heading being shipped.
• Confirm whether the destination country appears on the amended mandatory list of 35.
• If any field fails, initiate re-certification through a NABCB-accredited body under i-CAS-Halal before booking cargo.
• Do not rely on the importing country's own halal recognition to cure a DGFT-side gap.

Open confirmations

The complete list of 20 newly added countries and the full 35-country mandatory list must be verified against the gazetted Notification No. 59/2025-26. Whether existing i-CAS-Halal certificates issued before 9 February 2026 remain valid for the original 15 countries without re-issuance is also unresolved.

The precise relationship between DGFT's export-side halal requirement and any CBIC customs clearance instruction is not automatically aligned. Do not assume harmonisation. Confirm the specific DGFT notification and any customs document condition separately.

Primary sources

• DGFT Notification No. 59/2025-26 dated 9 February 2026, issued under Section 3 read with Section 5 of the Foreign Trade (Development & Regulation) Act, 1992, read with Paras 1.02 and 2.01 of the Foreign Trade Policy 2023.
• i-CAS-Halal scheme of the Quality Council of India.
• NABCB accreditation requirements for certification bodies.

Confidence

Verified: the country-list expansion from 15 to 35 destinations and the operative date of 9 February 2026.

Interpretation: the absence of a grandfathering clause means existing certificates do not automatically cover newly added destinations.

Needs confirmation: the full HS code coverage beyond 1601, any transition period for the 20 new countries, and whether pre-9 February certificates remain valid for the original 15 destinations without re-issuance.

Halal certification, DGFT meat export compliance, i-CAS-Halal, NABCB accredited certification bodies, HS 0201 to 1601 export clearance.