FSSAI License

Introduction of FSSAI

FSSAI approvals are broadly classified as Basic Registration, State License, and Central License, with the applicable category depending on factors such as business activity, turnover, and operational scale. The application process may involve document verification, inspection, and compliance with prescribed food-safety and hygiene requirements.

More than a regulatory formality, FSSAI compliance helps businesses demonstrate their commitment to food safety, quality, and responsible operations. Once approved, the FSSAI number and logo on applicable food labels also help consumers identify products operating within the regulatory framework.

FSSAI License Sample Certificate

What is Fssai License?

An FSSAI license is the mandatory food business registration issued under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The full form of FSSAI is Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. Every Food Business Operator (FBO) in India, whether a manufacturer, restaurant, cloud kitchen, trader, transporter, importer, or exporter, must hold one of three types: 

1. Basic Registration 

2. State License 

3. Central License 

Applications are filed online on the FoSCoS portal, and fees range from ₹100 to ₹7500 per year. Following the FSS (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Amendment Regulations, 2026, gazetted on 10 March 2026, an FSSAI licence is no longer issued for a fixed 1–5 year term and does not require renewal. It stays valid indefinitely unless suspended, cancelled, or surrendered, but the annual fee must still be paid every year, and non-payment results in deemed suspension.

Who can apply for Food License?

Businesses engaged in small to medium-scale manufacturing, storage, transportation, retail, restaurants, marketing, or distribution with an annual turnover between ₹1.5 crore and ₹50 crore, operating within a single state, must apply for the FSSAI State License. 

Turnover is not the only trigger. Certain categories require a Central Licence on capacity or activity rather than turnover, such as: 

• Dairy units handling more than 50,000 litres of milk per day or 2,500 MT of milk solids per annum; 

• Meat processing units above 500 kg per day or 150 MT per annum; 

• Slaughterhouses above 50 large animals, 150 small animals or 1,000 birds per day; 

• Vegetable oil processing and refining units above 2 MT per day; 

• Nutraceutical and health supplement manufacturers; e-commerce food operators; 

• Food businesses in central government premises such as airports, seaports, railways and defence; and 

• Every importer and exporter. Packaged drinking water and mineral water units additionally require mandatory BIS certification under IS 14543 / IS 13428.

Because the Kind of Business eligibility matrix on FoSCoS was revised on 1 April 2026, verify your category there before applying.

Benefits of FSSAI Registration

1. You can operate legally: An FSSAI license is not optional for any Food Business Operator in India. Operating without one exposes the business to a fine of up to ₹5 lakh, imprisonment of up to six months, and a closure order from the local food safety authority.

2. You get access to distribution channels that are otherwise closed: Every major food aggregator and e-commerce marketplace verifies the 14-digit FSSAI number at onboarding and re-checks its status periodically. Since licences no longer expire, the risk has shifted: an unpaid annual fee puts the licence into deemed suspension, and a suspended number shows up on the same verification check that a lapsed one used to.

3. You can export: Food exporters require a Central FSSAI License regardless of turnover. It sits alongside your IEC code and, depending on the commodity, APEDA, MPEDA or Spice Board registration — all of which assume a valid FSSAI license is already in place.

4. You qualify for institutional and government contracts: Supply to schools, hospitals, railways, defence canteens, and GeM portal tenders is conditional on FSSAI licensing, and most tender documents ask for the certificate as a mandatory attachment.

5. You have a legal position to defend: If a consumer complaint or a sample failure arises, a valid license backed by a documented Food Safety Management System, trained food handlers, and traceable supplier records is what separates a compliance query from a prosecution.

6. Your brand is credible to consumers and to capital: The FSSAI mark on packaging is the most widely recognised food safety signal in India, and FSSAI status is one of the first items checked in any investor or acquirer diligence process for a food business.

Types of FSSAI Registration

Prior to commencing the FSSAI registration procedure for your food enterprise, it's essential to understand the kind of registration that suits your needs, contingent upon factors like the scale of your business, yearly earnings, and geographical reach across the country. There are three categories of FSSAI registration:

Basic FSSAI Registration: Typically, this form of registration is intended for smaller food businesses or those with modest turnovers. This includes small-scale food-related ventures with annual earnings up to Rs. 12 lakh meeting one of the following criteria:

• Operating with a production capacity of up to 100 kg/liter per day, or
• Engaging in milk collection or handling up to 500 litres of milk per day, or
• Conducting animal slaughtering with a capacity of 2 large animals, 10 small animals, or 50 poultry birds per day or fewer.

FSSAI State License: Food businesses, operators, startups, or entities not covered by the aforementioned category are required to obtain either a State or a Central License. Furthermore, food enterprises with annual turnovers ranging from Rs. 12 lakh - 20 crore and operating within a single state should seek a State License. This entails submitting Form B along with the required documents in the specified format.
 

FSSAI Central License: Primarily targeted at substantial food operators or enterprises linked to the food sector, catering to the requirements of major entities such as the Indian railways and similar entities. A food business operator (FBO) with business activities spanning two or more states and an annual turnover exceeding Rs. 20 crore is mandated to secure a central license. Moreover, all importers or exporters of food products are obliged to obtain a central license, which necessitates the submission of Form B along with the required documents in the stipulated format.

Documents for Food License

• List of equipment
• Water quality test Reports
• NOC from municipal authorities
• List of food categories and products
• Address proof of the applicant entity
• A completed and signed application form
• List of directors and partners of the business entity
• Copy of the Certificate of Incorporation or Registration
• Plan or certification for a food safety management system
• Information about the authorized representative of the business entity
• Water analysis report for process use and details for source of raw materials
• Inventory of equipment and machinery, including particulars like machine and installed capacity
• Layout of the processing unit, explaining dimensions and allocation of space based on operations
• Proof of the ownership of the premises of the business entity, rent agreement, sale, or lease deed
• Partnership deed, proprietorship affidavit, LLP deed, MOA & AOA as applicable for the applicant entity
• Official certificates issued by governmental bodies, like the Ministry of Commerce's Certificate for 100% EOU, FSSAI-issued NOC/PA document, DGFT-issued IE code document, Ministry of Tourism's Certificate, etc.

Registration Process of FSSAI

Apply in the FoSCoS portal to get an FSSAI registration license for your food business by following these steps:

Step 1: Visit the FoSCoS portal (foscos.fssai.gov.in), often also searched for as the FOSCO FSSAI portal, and select Sign Up to set up your login credentials. First, you complete basic information like the name, email address, name & address of the business entity, and contact details of the authorized legal person. Login credentials will be sent to your registered email address.

Step 2: You get access to distribution channels that are otherwise closed: Every major food aggregator and e-commerce marketplace verifies the 14-digit FSSAI number at onboarding and re-verifies it at renewal. A lapsed license is the most common reason a food listing is delisted mid-season. 

Step 3: You can export: Food exporters require a Central FSSAI License regardless of turnover. It sits alongside your IEC code and, depending on the commodity, APEDA, MPEDA or Spice Board registration — all of which assume a valid FSSAI license is already in place. 

Step 4: Pay the applicable FSSAI license fee online (net banking, card, or UPI).

Step 5: Note your 17-digit Application Reference Number (ARN) for tracking.

Step 6: Respond to any Request for Information (RFI) raised by the Food Safety Officer within the stated deadline, or the application is rejected.

Step 7: Download the FSSAI certificate from your FoSCoS dashboard under "Applications" once approved.

FSSAI License Fee in India

The FoSCoS portal is free to access, and you can file the application yourself at no service cost, but the government fee mentioned to apply is mandatory. The lowest possible cost is ₹100 for one year of Basic Registration.

Timeline, Validity & Annual Compliance

Basic FSSAI Registration is usually granted within 1 to 3 working days. State and Central licenses typically take 30 to 60 days, depending on whether a physical inspection of the premises is required. Under the proviso to Section 31(4) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, if the licence is not issued within two months of a complete application, the applicant may start the business after intimating the licensing authority in writing. 

There is no renewal application. Instead, you are required to ensure an annual obligation: pay the annual licence or registration fee on FoSCoS, and file the annual return where applicable. If an FBO fails to pay the annual fee or fails to submit the return by the due date, the licence or registration is deemed suspended, and no food business activity may be carried on during that suspension. The suspension is revoked once the outstanding fee or return is filed along with the applicable penalty. 

Separately, a business that closes must inform the licensing authority in writing within 30 days and surrender the licence, with no refund of fees paid.

How to Check FSSAI License Status Online

To check your FSSAI license status online, go to the FoSCoS portal, click Track Application, enter your 17-digit Application Reference Number (ARN), fill in the captcha, and click Submit. The portal displays the current stage of your application — Submitted, Under Scrutiny, Inspection Required, Reverted, Approved, or Rejected. 

If your license has already been issued, you can instead verify it using the 14-digit FSSAI license number through the FBO search on the same portal.

Method 1: Track a pending application using your ARN

Step 1 — Open the FoSCoS portal. 

Visit foscos.fssai.gov.in. This is the Food Safety Compliance System, launched by FSSAI in June 2020 to replace the older FLRS system. It is commonly searched as the FOSCO FSSAI portal, but the correct name is FoSCoS.

Step 2 — Click "Track Application". 

The option sits on the FoSCoS homepage and does not require you to log in.

Step 3 — Enter your 17-digit ARN. 

You received this reference number by email and SMS when you submitted your FSSAI application. It also appears on your acknowledgement receipt.

Step 4 — Complete the captcha and submit. 

The portal will display your application status along with the business name, state, licensing authority and application type.

Step 5 — Act on the status shown. 

If the application has been reverted, log in to your FoSCoS account to see the specific query raised by the Food Safety Officer.

Method 2: Verify an issued FSSAI license number

If the license has already been granted, use the FBO search on FoSCoS and enter the 14-digit FSSAI number. The search returns the business name, address, licence category, issue date, and current status. Licences issued under the perpetual-validity regime show no expiry date, so status (active or suspended) is the field to check.

This is the check to run before you onboard a supplier, list a product on Swiggy, Zomato, Amazon or Blinkit, or accept a co-packing contract. Aggregators and marketplaces run the same verification at their end, and a suspended or mismatched number is the most common reason a food listing gets pulled.

Method 3: Check from your FoSCoS dashboard

If you have your login credentials, sign in to FoSCoS and open the Applications tab. The dashboard shows more than the public tracker does: pending queries, inspection scheduling, the officer's remarks, and the download link for your FSSAI certificate once approval comes through.

This is also where you download the certificate. There is no separate portal for it, and FSSAI does not post physical copies.

Why should you choose a Food License Consultant like Agile Regulatory?

Agile Regulatory has been offering FSSAI compliance and licensing services in India for over 15 years. We offer Basic, State and Central applications, FoSCoS filings, product approvals, annual returns and renewals. Our team manages the full FSSAI approval process — document preparation, portal filing, inspection coordination and post-approval compliance — so your food business stays licensed without operational downtime. 

Food License Consultant - Agile Regulatory

Obtaining the FSSAI license could be a bit challenging due to the complex process of obtaining the documents required and the processes involved. However, with the right amount of guidance and consultation, you could easily acquire an FSSAI license or food license within the prescribed time. At Agile Regulatory, we are committed to helping budding entrepreneurs by enabling them to acquire business licenses smoothly and carry on their business.