If you run a restaurant, cloud kitchen, food manufacturing unit, or any food-related business in India, you cannot legally operate without a valid FSSAI licence. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India licence is not optional paperwork, it is a statutory requirement under Section 31(1) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Selling, storage, distribution, or import of food without a licence attracts penalties under Section 63 of the FSSAI Act 2006, including imprisonment up to three years and fines that can go up to ₹5 lakh per offence. Beyond the legal risk, FSSAI registration signals trust to Zomato, Swiggy, retail buyers, and institutional clients who now routinely ask for your 14-digit FSSAI licence number before onboarding you. In 2026, FSSAI enforcement has intensified across metro and Tier-2 cities, with state food safety departments running regular inspections of cloud kitchens and unorganised food stalls. KAMRIT Financial Services LLP manages the entire FSSAI licence lifecycle, from determining the correct licence tier and preparing your file to filing on the FoSCoS portal and handing you the certificate. We handle the documentation, follow up with the department, and keep you compliant so you can focus on running your food business.
What is FSSAI Food Licence in India 2026?
The FSSAI Food Licence is a registration or licence issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Business) Regulations, 2011. It is a 14-digit registration or licence number that uniquely identifies every food business operator (FBO) in India. The FSSAI is a statutory body established under Section 3 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, operating under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. There are three tiers: Basic Registration (Form A) for businesses with annual turnover up to ₹12 lakh, valid for 1 to 5 years; State Licence (Form B under Schedule 2) for businesses with turnover between ₹12 lakh and ₹20 crore, issued by the concerned State Food Safety Department; and Central Licence for businesses with turnover above ₹20 crore, imports, or certain high-risk categories, issued by the Central Licensing Authority at FSSAI headquarters. The licence must be displayed at the principal place of business. Renewal applications must be filed at least 30 days before the expiry date under Regulation 9.2 of the 2011 Regulations. Failure to renew before expiry triggers fresh application requirements and potential penalties.
Who needs this
FSSAI eligibility is triggered by the nature, scale, and turnover of your food business. If any of the following conditions apply to you, you are required to hold a valid FSSAI licence or registration.
- Petty food business with annual turnover up to ₹12 lakh, eligible for Basic Registration only
- Food business with annual turnover above ₹12 lakh up to ₹20 crore, eligible for State Licence
- Manufacturing, processing, packing, or storing food with turnover above ₹20 crore, requires Central Licence
- All importers of food articles and ingredients, requires Central Licence
- Food businesses operating in two or more states, requires Central Licence
- Hotels with star rating (all categories), requires State or Central Licence depending on turnover
- Restaurants, eating houses, and cloud kitchens, eligible for State Licence above ₹12 lakh turnover
- Caterers and boarding houses serving more than 100 persons per day, requires State Licence
- Dairy units, slaughterhouses, and meat processing, require Central Licence above threshold
- Pet food, nutraceuticals, and health supplements, require Central Licence and product-specific approvals
Documents required
The document requirements differ by licence tier. KAMRIT compiles and reviews every document before submission to FoSCoS to avoid RFE (rejection with technical error) outcomes.
- PAN Card of the proprietor, partner, or director, mandatory identity and tax identifier
- Aadhaar Card / Voter ID / Passport, valid identity proof of the responsible person
- Passport-size photographs, two recent photos of the responsible person
- Proof of business premises, registered rent agreement, property tax receipt, or electricity bill showing address
- Ownership documents, if premises are owned, sale deed or allotment letter
- List of food products, detailed category-wise list of all food items manufactured, sold, or handled
- Form B (Schedule 2), filled application form for State or Central Licence
- Declaration form signed by the FBO, as prescribed under Regulation 2.1.2 of the 2011 Regulations
- Blueprint or layout plan of the premises, with dimensions and equipment placement
- NOC from landlord, if premises are rented, specific food safety NOC format
- Source of raw material, list of suppliers with supporting invoices or purchase records
- FSMS (Food Safety Management System) plan, required for State and Central Licence applicants, describing HACCP or equivalent protocols
How KAMRIT runs it, step by step
KAMRIT follows a structured eight-step process from initial eligibility check to certificate delivery, with clear timelines at each stage.
- Eligibility check and licence tier determination. KAMRIT's compliance team reviews your business model, turnover estimates, food categories, and state of operation to determine whether you need Basic Registration, State Licence, or Central Licence. Misclassification at this stage is the most common reason for rejection. We assign a dedicated relationship manager at this stage and issue a document checklist within 4 working hours of kickoff.
- Document collection and verification. KAMRIT collects all required documents, verifies their validity, and flags any expired documents or mismatched details (such as name discrepancies between PAN and rent agreement). We request certified translations for non-English documents and obtain the landlord NOC in the prescribed format if required. This stage typically takes 1 to 2 business days.
- FoSCoS portal account creation. KAMRIT creates or accesses your account on the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India's online portal, FoSCoS (Food Safety and Compliance System), at fssai.gov.in. For new applicants, Form A (Basic Registration) or Form B (State/Central Licence) is filled in full. All fields including food category codes, business activity codes, and manager details are completed with verified data to prevent FoSCoS technical errors that cause auto-rejection.
- Fee payment and challan generation. Government fees are paid through the FoSCoS portal's online payment gateway. Basic Registration attracts a fee of ₹100 per month or ₹1,000 for five years. State Licence fees are calculated based on turnover slab. KAMRIT prepares the fee computation, pays on your behalf, and retains the payment receipt and challan copy for your records. Government fees are passed through at cost, no markup.
- Online submission and acknowledgement receipt. After payment, the completed application is submitted on FoSCoS. The system generates an Acknowledgement Receipt with a unique 17-digit application reference number. KAMRIT shares this acknowledgement with you immediately and begins monitoring the regulator's dashboard for status updates.
- Inspector inspection (State and Central Licence). For State and Central Licence applications, the food safety officer under the concerned State Food Safety Department will schedule a premises inspection under Regulation 2.1.5 of the FSSAI Regulations 2011. KAMRIT coordinates with the inspector's office, ensures your premises is inspection-ready, and accompanies the inspection where permitted. Inspector timelines are regulator-controlled and typically take 15 to 30 working days from submission.
- Licence certificate generation. Once the inspector submits a satisfactory report and the application passes technical review, the licence is granted and the FSSAI 14-digit licence number is generated on FoSCoS. KAMRIT downloads the digitally signed licence certificate, verifies all details (name, address, validity, food categories), and delivers the PDF to you via email and WhatsApp on the same day.
- Post-licence compliance advisory. KAMRIT provides a compliance calendar noting your renewal window (30 days before expiry), annual return filing requirements under Regulation 3.1 of the FSSAI Regulations 2011, and label compliance requirements under the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011. We also alert you to any FSSAI circulars or state-level amendments that affect your licence category.
Timeline
From the day you provide KAMRIT with complete documents, Basic Registration typically takes 7 to 15 working days, this is primarily the regulator's processing time since KAMRIT files on FoSCoS within 1 to 2 working hours of receiving a complete file. State Licence applications take 30 to 60 working days from submission to certificate, with the inspector inspection being the longest variable, the food safety officer's scheduling timeline varies by state and by how inspection-ready your premises is. Central Licence applications take 45 to 90 working days given the additional layers of scrutiny at FSSAI headquarters. KAMRIT-controlled stages (document verification, FoSCoS filing, fee payment) account for 2 to 3 working days in total. The remainder of the timeline is governed by the regulator. KAMRIT tracks every application daily and escalates delayed files to the relevant food safety department on your behalf.
How our pricing compares
KAMRIT's FSSAI Food Licence service starts at ₹1,899, which covers complete filing assistance, FoSCoS submission, government fee payment facilitation, and certificate delivery for Basic Registration and introductory State Licence cases. This compares favourably against IndiaFilings at ₹2,499 for Basic and ₹9,999 to ₹14,999 for State Licence, Vakilsearch at ₹2,999 for Basic and ₹12,999 to ₹18,999 for State, ClearTax at ₹2,999 and ₹14,999 to ₹24,999 respectively, and LegalRaasta at ₹1,999 and ₹9,999 to ₹14,999. Government fees are additional and passed through at actuals, ₹100 per month for Basic Registration, ₹3,000 to ₹5,000 per year for State Licence depending on turnover slab, and ₹7,500 per year for Central Licence. KAMRIT does not charge separately for document review, follow-ups, or FoSCoS error resolution. What justifies our price is that unlike pure self-service portals, KAMRIT handles the entire lifecycle including inspection coordination, rejection resolution, and post-licence compliance advisory, all managed by a dedicated compliance officer who knows your file. Competitors at lower price points often charge extra for revision filings and renewal reminders.
Common mistakes KAMRIT avoids
Most FSSAI rejections and delays come from avoidable errors at the filing stage. KAMRIT's compliance team has seen every type of rejection. Here is what to watch out for.
- Applying for Basic Registration when turnover exceeds ₹12 lakh, the application must be upgraded to State Licence and the fee difference can be substantial
- Submitting blurred or unreadable documents on FoSCoS, all PDFs must be below 1MB and in the correct format (PDF/JPEG only), otherwise the system auto-rejects
- Listing incorrect food category codes, each product category has a specific FSSAI code; mismatched codes cause technical errors and require fresh filing
- Missing the renewal window, FSSAI licence renewal must be filed 30 days before expiry on FoSCoS; filing after expiry requires a completely fresh application
- Forgetting the FSMS plan for State Licence, a detailed Food Safety Management System plan is mandatory and cannot be substituted with a generic undertaking
- Mismatch between premises address on PAN, rent agreement, and application, all three must be consistent; any discrepancy triggers inspector queries
- Not specifying all food products handled, a narrow product list restricts your licence scope and requires amendment filing every time you add a new product line
- Filing under the wrong state jurisdiction, if you operate in multiple states, you need separate State Licence applications in each state, not just one