FSSAI License Definition: FSSAI licence is a 14-digit licence number issued to food business operators who comply with the rules and regulations under the FSS Act, 2006. Since the 2026 amendment, licences and registrations have perpetual validity, so no renewal is needed; they remain valid unless suspended, cancelled or surrendered, and the annual fee must be paid.
Important Notice: FBOs must not operate or display the FSSAI logo and licence number without a valid licence or registration; doing so attracts penalties under the FSS Act, 2006. Pay the annual licence/registration fee on time to keep it active.
Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) has made it mandatory for all hotels to obtain an FSSAI in order to start their venture. Just with simple registration you not only can obtain a FSSAI Certificate but can also use FSSAI Logo on menus & pamphlets to increase the credibility of your brand, boosts customer confidence, and give them the reasons why to buy food from you.
Customer Trust: Ask any customer and they would always want to eat good quality food prepared to maintain all hygiene and if the hotels & restaurants are FSSAI certified, customers won't think twice about value for money while buying from you.
FSSAI registrations and licences are applied for and issued online through FSSAI’s Food Safety Compliance System (FoSCoS) portal (foscos.fssai.gov.in). A Food Licensed person only Authorized to sell his Food. As per Section 31(1) of FSS Act, 2006 Food Licensing is mandatory for Food Business Operators in India.
About FSSAI: FSSAI is the short form of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, and it is responsible for providing FSSAI license to food products and to the food business owners. FSSAI License online in India is essential for all types of food business operators such as food product manufacturers, food traders, and food store operators to receive the license of FSSAI.
It is the apex body which was incorporated by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; Government of India is answerable for preparing and launching the standards for selling, storing and packing of food items in India. Additionally, this license works as per the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
All types of food-related businesses must apply for a food license. And the type of Food License which you need to get depends on the various factors like turnover of the food business, the scale of the food business and the kind of operations or activities you are indulged in.
Eligibility: Basic FSSAI Registration is needed by small food businesses with an annual turnover of up to ₹1.5 crore (from 1 April 2026), such as petty retailers and temporary stallholders. Street vendors and hawkers registered under the Street Vendors Act, 2014 are deemed to be registered with FSSAI and do not need a separate registration.
Eligibility: FSSAI State License is a license issued to a business that has a turnover above Rs. 1.5 crore and up to Rs. 50 crore (from 1 April 2026). Furthermore, the turnover limit is the same for an FSSAI State Manufacturing license or an FSSAI State trading license.
Eligibility: Central FSSAI License registration is a license issued to food businesses with a turnover of more than Rs. 50 crore (from 1 April 2026), and to importers, exporters and other centrally licensed businesses. Some of the FBOs that come under this category are Manufacturing, Trading and Storage units and so on.
The point of getting a food license is to ensure that the food items or products packed, which are traded and sold by Food Business Operators are up to the quality standards dictated by the FSSAI. The ultimate aim of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India is to reduce the chances of inferior food products, food adulteration and to improve the activity of food manufacturers by granting them a FSSAI food license for food business or service.
After the verification process of all your documents by the concerned authority next is the login creation stage, and in this stage your login ID is created, then you have to submit duly filled Form A for approval along with the prescribed fees. The registering authority usually decides within 7 days, or within 30 days if it orders an inspection; the registration certificate can then be downloaded from FoSCoS.
After the verification process of all your documents by the concerned authority, next is the login creation stage, and in this stage your login ID is created. Additionally, to obtain a State License, a special document called the 'Declaration' is needed to be submitted with the specified Form.
Furthermore, the 'Declaration' holds the signed general declaration statement of the operator along with specified Form 9, Proclamation of Food Safety License Management System FSMS and declaration depends on the kind of business carried on by the business operator.
Then, along with the needed documents, Form B has to be filed to complete the process. The licence is usually issued within 60 days of the application ID, depending on the authority and whether an inspection is needed.
Important: If your application has any error or any other issue, you have to edit it, and the application must be submitted within thirty days. Or else, your application will get declined, and you have to again start from the beginning stage.
The procedure to receive a Central License is the same as the procedure of obtaining a State License. The only difference is the type of food business operated by the FBO. And the time taken for the granting process of the Central License is also similar.
If the food business is involved in export or import of food items, then the operator needs an IEC, means, Import Export Code regardless of the turnover of the business. Likewise, food transporters also need an FSSAI registration or licence, and the type depends on the scale of the business.
All FBOs apart from the exempted group as per Section 31 (2) of the FSS Act need to get a food license depending on their eligibility criteria to run their food related business. Running a food business without the required licence attracts a penalty of up to ₹10 lakh (Section 63 of the FSS Act, 2006, as amended in 2023). Other penalties under the Act (maximum amounts) are:
| Violation Type | Maximum Penalty |
|---|---|
| Quality of food not in-abidance as per the Act | Up to ₹5 lakh (up to ₹25,000 for petty food businesses) |
| For misbranded food products | Up to ₹3 lakh |
| For substandard or low quality food products | Up to ₹5 lakh |
| For false promotion or misleading advertisement or false description | Up to ₹10 lakh |
| For food containing extraneous matter | Up to ₹1 lakh |
| For failing to follow with the food safety officer's directions | Up to ₹2 lakh |
| For using unhygienic methods of processing or preparing or manufacturing food items | Up to ₹1 lakh |
All the food businesses operators should follow the rules and regulations defined in the FSSAI Act 2006. Receiving FSSAI license is a must for every food business owner or operator. Under the FSS (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Amendment Regulations, 2026, FSSAI licences and registrations no longer need renewal – they remain valid unless suspended, cancelled or surrendered.
Mandatory Requirement: Paying the annual licence/registration fee on time is mandatory – it can be paid for one or more years at a time, at any time of the year. This applies whether your food business is a processing, manufacturing, distribution, packaging or trading unit – there is no longer a 1-5 year validity or renewal cycle.