Food and Beverage Registration in Indonesia

After cosmetics, food and beverage products are imported items with the highest share of foreign registered products in Indonesia. The direct investment continues to increase from year to year, as can be seen in the table below:

Even though the National Agency of Food and Drug Control, known as Badan Pengawas Obat dan Makanan (BPOM) exempt some food and beverages from their registration, most imported products have to go through the process.

The BPOM exempts products that are:

Used for personal consumption.
Not sold as end products.
Short-lasting (their life cycle does not last more than seven days).
Ingredients of an end product sold in Indonesia.

Food and drinks that are not exempt have to be registered, but BPOM only accepts applications submitted by limited liability companies established in Indonesia. Furthermore, the foreign-owned distribution companies are limited by a maximum foreign share of 67%.

Food and Beverage Registration with Cekindo

Company Incorporation

By law, foreign entrepreneurs in Indonesia can only incorporate a 100% foreign-owned company. However, with Cekindo as your partner or nominee, there are several other options on how to start a legal entity in Indonesia and thus import food and beverages.

Import and export companies in Indonesia are entitled to be wholly foreign owned, but they cannot distribute products and therefore have to find a local distributor. On the contrary, the limited foreign ownership of distribution companies means that an Indonesian partner is required.

Being your business partner and a local company, Cekindo can hold the required amount of local shares in your distribution company, and assist you during the company registration. Another way how to penetrate the food and beverage market in Indonesia is to start a nominee company based on a nominee agreement. Nominee companies are registered as local companies with Cekindo being a legal owner. In this way, the actual foreign ownership is not limited, and the requirements for the incorporation such as capital remains the same as in the case of a local company. Lastly, Cekindo offers ready-made shelf companies to enables investors to enter the market quickly.

Nominee Product Holder

Investors who do not wish to start a company in Indonesia can appoint a nominee product owner such as Cekindo. The products will be registered based on a nominee agreement without the right of exclusivity which means that you are flexible to use several distributors.

Register Food and Beverages

Companies with an import licence are permitted to access BPOM’s online registration system. If your products comply with all safety and standard requirements, you can proceed to the application. Cekindo will submit all the required documents on your behalf, and guide you through the process which consists of three steps and results in ML (Makanan Luar) registration number.

As a first step, BPOM will conduct an audit of your facilities. During the second stage of assessment, your products will be divided into categories depending on their risk. Finally, the evaluation stage is the moment when you get to know the results of the registration.

Extension of the Food & Beverage Product Registration

Each registration number lasts five years and can be renewed before it expires. The best time for its extension is 6 months before the end of its validity and maximum 10 days before the expiration date. To prevent delays in the process, it is recommended to contact Cekindo well in advance.

Are Your Products Halal? Do Not Forget about Halal Certification

Valid from October 2019, all imported halal food and beverages that have not been certified in Indonesia yet will be considered as non-halal. In the country with the highest Muslim majority, the late halal certification will significantly influence food and beverage sales in Indonesia.

Contact Cekindo to certify your halal products immediately after their registration process in Indonesia finishes.

Fill in the form below and get the updated information on food and beverage product registration in Indonesia.
Our legal teams are available offline as well. Visit us in our offices located in Jakarta, Semarang, Bali, and we will be happy to answer your questions.

Selected Testimonials

As a new business in Indonesia, we started consulting with multiple law firms but quickly narrowed down to only Cekindo. Cekindo was recommended as one of the top firms by multiple sources in the business community. The staff at Cekindo was very responsive to our needs as a new business. The team provided consultancy and assisted our startup firm with initial business setup, licenses and permits, HR/recruitment and market research. One year since our establishment, we still consider Cekindo as our partner.

PT Ohmnia Tenaga Surya

When we intended to enter the Indonesian market back in 2013/14, Cekindo helped us to understand the possibilites and options for business presence in Indonesia through legal advice & also advisory on how to arrange for ownership. Furthermore, Cekindo also provides us with a range of fully professional and reliable accounting & tax services for our representative office in Indonesia. In the world of digital & virtual economy like today, it is an essential prerequisite to have the most reliable business partner like Cekindo.

Jan Pilař
Hydropol

A huge gratitude to Cekindo, particularly its visa team, for handling our visa cases. During our visa applications, Cekindo was extremely helpful not only in facilitating all of our visa requirements but also in clarifying our queries/doubts. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and appreciate the good work of Cekindo’s visa team.

Sagar Datar
Bristlecone

When I was looking for a reliable partner who could help with company registration, payroll, taxes and working permit in Indonesia, Cekindo’s domain knowledge and clear communication astonished. Firstly, we decided to pursue cooperation with Cekindo in terms of company registration, but they also assisted me in obtaining the necessary working permits and visas (KITAS), and we use their payroll and tax reporting services until now.

Matthias Coessens
Product Director at Empyrean Solutions Apac

Cekindo handled business visa for our new colleague promptly and made the start of our company in Vietnam easier and faster. I particularly enjoyed communication with the consultant, who advised the best solution for us and was all the time available to answer any questions. She made sure that all the documents were collected and prepared on time and we got great support during the whole process. Thank you Cekindo and I hope to cooperate again in the near future!

Ivana Bartonkova
Marketing and HR director of Port Cities Vietnam

Cekindo assisted us with a selection of our local distributor in Indonesia and organised several meeting in Jakarta. Their assistance enabled us to meet our potential local partners and choose the best distributor conveniently. The decision to cooperate with Cekindo was based on a recommendation from our prominent partner in Bali and we cannot be more grateful. Cekindo’s systematic work, active communication, thoroughness and professionalism was exceptional.

Ing. Václav Tomek
Phyto CZ Sro

Cekindo initially helped us with setting up our business structure in Indonesia and getting us all due licenses and approvals. Currently, Cekindo is associated with us as our business partner in Indonesia by providing a face to our name and handling various business activities on our behalf. Without their help, we would be lost in keeping up with regulatory requirements and being a compliant company in Indonesia.

Vivek S.Rathaur
Vega Industries

Thanks to Cekindo and its one-stop market entry solutions, we could start exploring the Indonesian market. Cekindo’s broad portfolio of services included a formal process of our representative office registration, consultations regarding proper legal set-up and even working permit and visa applications. Cekindo’s extensive knowledge of the latest developments and legal requirements allowed us to focus on more operational matters and to build a local team in Indonesia.

Peter van der Linde
Co-founder / Director strategy & solutions, Akvo Pte Ltd

After extensive research online, I reached out to several companies including Cekindo. Cekindo’s info package and summary of services were by far the most thorough and professional and their pricing was competitive and reasonable. Cekindo’s sound knowledge of all administrative requirements gave me the confidence that my company incorporation of 100% foreign owned export company was being executed correctly and legally.

Kingsley Fiegert
Director, Morning Star Investments (WA) Pty Ltd

With knowledgable team, Cekindo helped me make the whole process of company registration and product registration of health and beauty products in Indonesia less confusing and seamless at the same time. They have always been swift in response and hands-on at every email, never leaving me wondering or worried. As far as I am concerned, they go above and beyond the call of duty. They will most certainly be my long-term partner moving forward into the years to come. Thank you Cekindo!

Jason Peter Stevens
Group CEO, Studio XII Pte Ltd

Selected Clients