Provisions on the Supervision of Food-and-Drugs Imports Redefined

In a bid to expedite the customs-clearance and cargo-release processes when importing food and drugs under the Indonesian National Single Window (“INSW”) framework, the Head of the National Agency of Drug and Food Control (Badan Pengawas Obat dan Makanan– “BPOM”) has issued Regulation No. 4 of 2017 on the Supervision of Imports of Drugs and Food into Indonesia (“Regulation 4/2017”). [1] With this goal in mind, Regulation 4/2017 updates guidelines which relate to said imports and encompasses the following areas: (1) Import requirements; (2) Procedures and costs involved in the securing of import approval; (3) Mandatory documentation; and (5) Re-importation activity. [2] Previously, these guidelines were regulated under Head of BPOM Regulation No. 12 of 2015 on the Supervision of Imports of Drugs and Food into Indonesia, [3] which was amended by Head of BPOM Regulation No. 25 of 2016 (collectively referred to as “Regulation 12/2015”).Import RequirementsFoods and drugs may only be imported into Indonesia by holders of official distribution licenses issued by the BPOM or by its proxies, on condition that: [4]