Central government · Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

FSSAI food business registration and licence FSSAI registration

Every food business needs an FSSAI basic registration or a licence, and since 1 April 2026 a business with turnover up to ₹1.5 crore needs only the basic registration, which no longer has to be renewed.

Last updated on 5 November 2026

Status: Open
Run by: Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, with state food safety commissioners

Official website (external site)

What you get

Basic registration for annual turnover up to ₹1.5 crore, from 1 April 2026. The old limit was ₹12 lakh.
State licence for turnover above ₹1.5 crore and up to ₹50 crore
Central licence for turnover above ₹50 crore
Registrations and licences issued on or after 1 April 2026 stay valid with no renewal, unless suspended, cancelled or surrendered
Fees can be paid for any number of years at once and at any time of the year
FSSAI says small units now get instant registration with no inspection before it is issued
Street food vendors, hawkers, food carts and food trucks registered under the Street Vendors Act, 2014 are treated as registered with FSSAI, so they need no second registration
A business already holding a licence that now falls in a lower category moves over on FoSCoS with no modification fee and keeps the same number. Fee already paid for a state licence is adjusted against the registration fee.

Who can apply

Open to businesses in food processing, trading and services.
Applies to anyone who makes, processes, stores, transports, sells or serves food as a business
High-risk foods such as dairy, meat, fish products, packaged drinking water and infant food must still meet all hygiene, safety and testing rules, even when the business only needs basic registration
Before 2026 some kinds of business needed a central licence whatever their turnover, for example units at airports and seaports, and the head office of a business with premises in more than one state. The March 2026 order replaces earlier thresholds and criteria for categorisation, so check the kind of business list on FoSCoS when applying.
Street vendors deemed registered must still follow the hygiene rules in Schedule 4 of the licensing regulations

How to apply

Work out your category from your annual turnover
Apply for new registration or licence on FoSCoS and choose your kind of business
Pay the fee for as many years as you want
Download the certificate once it is issued
If you already hold a state or central licence and your turnover now puts you in a lower category, migrate on FoSCoS when the option is offered

In Kerala, apply on the FoSCoS portal. Registrations and state licences for Kerala businesses are issued by the state food safety authority under the Commissioner of Food Safety, Kerala. FSSAI says more than 98% of food businesses now fall under state authorities.

Figures you may see elsewhere

The fssai.gov.in registration page and older FoSCoS documents still describe basic registration as for turnover up to ₹12 lakh and central licence above ₹20 crore. The FSSAI order of 13 March 2026 replaces these and is shown.

Worth knowing

The Licensing and Registration Amendment Regulations, 2026 were notified on 10 March 2026. The new turnover limits and perpetual validity apply from 1 April 2026. FSSAI says existing businesses will get enough time to migrate on FoSCoS.

Where we found this

An independent guide by The Company of Four, not a government website. Schemes change often, so check every detail on the official website before you apply. Links marked ↗ open external websites that we do not run, and we are not responsible for their content. Seen something out of date? Tell us and we will look into it.