Beyond Free Certification: Administrative Burdens and Market Inclusion in Indonesia’s 2026 Halal Transition

This qualitative documentary study examines how Indonesia’s halal-certification transition distributes administrative responsibilities and subsidized access across micro and small enterprises and public institutions. A purposive case analysis compares enacted regulations, technical decrees, January and April 2026 SEHATI allocation schedules, a dated October government announcement, and relevant peer-reviewed studies. Findings distinguish waived application charges from eligibility checks, documentation, facilitator work, and enforcement review. The original 1,350,000 SEHATI allocation was formally revised to 1,090,891 places on 8 April 2026; these are budgeted facilitation slots, not measured certifications. On 16 October, the government announced an extended compliance schedule for selected categories, but the operative amending government regulation could not be independently authenticated by the evidence cut-off. We propose a bounded burden-incidence framework linking information clarity, procedural usability, facilitation capacity, assurance quality, and reviewability. The evidence establishes policy design and administrative assignments, not applicant costs, realized market inclusion, causal business effects, or equitable provincial access. The contribution is a time-specific institutional diagnosis and an auditable agenda for subsequent firm- and agency-level evaluation.