Food License
FSSAI Registration & Food Licence
Basic Registration, State Licence or Central Licence — the mandatory food business licence, with the right category chosen for your turnover and activity so it is not rejected or wrongly issued.
- Basic, State & Central
- 1–5 year validity
- FoSCoS portal filing
- Renewal reminders
- Basic Registration
- Turnover ≤ ₹12L
- State Licence
- ₹12L – ₹20Cr
- Central Licence
- Above ₹20Cr
- Validity
- 1 – 5 years
- Portal
- FoSCoS
What Is FSSAI Licence?
Every food business operator in India needs an FSSAI licence — manufacturers, processors, packers, storage units, transporters, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, restaurants, caterers, home-based food businesses and online food sellers alike. It is issued under the Food Safety and Standards Act, and operating without one carries penalties and the risk of the business being shut down.
Which of the three categories you fall into is decided by turnover and activity. Basic Registration covers small operators with turnover up to ₹12 lakh. A State Licence covers turnover between ₹12 lakh and ₹20 crore. A Central Licence is required above ₹20 crore, and also mandatorily for importers, exporters, 100% export oriented units, operators at ports and airports, and businesses supplying to central government agencies — regardless of turnover.
Getting the category wrong is the most common and most expensive mistake. An operator who takes a Basic Registration when a State Licence is required is technically unlicensed, and the error usually surfaces during an inspection or when a marketplace or corporate buyer verifies the licence. Multi-state operations, e-commerce food sellers and cloud kitchens each have their own wrinkles that are worth getting right at the outset.
FSSAI Licence Categories
Basic Registration
≤ ₹12 lakhFor petty food business operators — small retailers, hawkers, home-based food businesses and small-scale manufacturers with annual turnover up to ₹12 lakh.
- Simplest application
- 14-digit registration number
- Issued by the state authority
State Licence
₹12L – ₹20CrFor medium food businesses — manufacturers, restaurants, caterers, distributors and storage units operating within one state with turnover in this band.
- Single-state operations
- More documentation required
- Food safety plan needed
Central Licence
Above ₹20CrFor large operators, and mandatorily for importers, exporters, 100% EOUs, operators at ports and airports and suppliers to central government agencies regardless of turnover.
- Mandatory for importers and exporters
- Required for multi-state head office
- Issued by FSSAI directly
E-commerce & cloud kitchens
Activity-basedOnline food sellers, aggregator-listed kitchens and cloud kitchens need a licence matching their actual operation, which marketplaces verify before onboarding.
- Marketplaces verify the licence
- Kitchen address must match
- Category depends on turnover and reach
Benefits
What you actually gain from FSSAI Licence.
You can operate legally
Running a food business without a valid FSSAI licence attracts penalties and the risk of closure. There is no informal tolerance for it once you are inspected.
Marketplaces and aggregators require it
Swiggy, Zomato, Amazon, Flipkart and every serious retail buyer verify the licence at onboarding. Without it, or with the wrong category, you are not listed.
The number on your pack builds trust
The FSSAI number printed on labels is something consumers and institutional buyers actively check, and its absence is noticed.
Required for export and institutional supply
Exporters, hotel and institutional suppliers and government caterers all need the appropriate licence category before a contract is signed.
Eligibility
Check where you stand before applying — we confirm all of this on the first call anyway.
Who needs a licence
- Any food business operator — manufacturer, processor, packer, storage, transporter, distributor, wholesaler, retailer, restaurant, caterer, cloud kitchen or online food seller.
- Home-based food businesses and small-scale operators need at least a Basic Registration.
- Importers and exporters of food products need a Central Licence irrespective of turnover.
- Businesses operating in more than one state need a Central Licence for the head office plus State Licences for each state of operation.
Category determination
- Basic Registration: annual turnover up to ₹12 lakh.
- State Licence: annual turnover between ₹12 lakh and ₹20 crore, operating within a single state.
- Central Licence: annual turnover above ₹20 crore, or mandatorily for importers, exporters, 100% EOUs and operators at ports and airports.
- Production capacity, not just turnover, determines the category for some manufacturing activities — dairy, meat and vegetable oil units in particular.
How We Help You Get FSSAI Licence
What we handle for you, and the order we do it in.
Category determination
Establishing which licence you actually need based on turnover, activity, production capacity and states of operation — the decision that most often goes wrong.
Product and category mapping
Correct selection of food categories and products, so the licence covers everything you actually make or sell and nothing is left out.
FoSCoS application
Complete filing on the FoSCoS portal with all annexures, layout plans and declarations in the required formats.
Inspection preparation
Preparing the premises and records for the food safety officer's inspection, which State and Central licence applications generally attract.
Query and objection handling
Responding to deficiencies raised during scrutiny, which are most often about layout plans, water testing or the food safety plan.
Renewal and modification
Renewal before expiry and modification of the licence when products, premises or turnover change.
- 1
Category assessment
Day 1We establish the correct licence category from your turnover, activity, capacity and states of operation, and flag if you are currently on the wrong one.
- 2
Document collection
3 – 7 daysKYC, premises, layout, equipment and water test documents assembled, with gaps such as a missing water report arranged.
- 3
FoSCoS filing
1 – 2 daysApplication submitted on the FoSCoS portal with the applicable government fee for your category and licence period.
- 4
Scrutiny and inspection
7 – 30 daysDepartmental scrutiny and, for State and Central licences, a food safety officer's inspection of the premises. We prepare you for it and attend.
- 5
Licence issue
7 – 15 daysLicence issued with your 14-digit FSSAI number, to be displayed at the premises and printed on your labels.
- 6
Renewal tracking
Before expiryWe track the expiry and file renewal in advance, since a lapsed licence means operating unlicensed from day one of the lapse.
Why Choose SetuBridge
What working with us is actually like.
We tell you when the answer is no
If you are not eligible, or the timing is wrong, or your credit record needs fixing first, we say so on the first call — before you have paid us anything.
One team, start to finish
The same people who assess your case prepare the file and follow it up. You are not handed to a different desk after the sale, and you never re-explain your business.
700+ businesses across 28 states
We have run this process across 28 states and most sectors, so we know which departments, portals and branches move quickly and which need chasing.
Fees agreed in writing, upfront
You know the cost before work starts. We never ask you to pay anything to a government official or bank employee, and no legitimate consultant will.
Follow-up is the actual work
Most applications do not fail at filing — they stall at an unanswered query or a missed deadline. Chasing those to closure is the bulk of what we do for you.
You keep every document
Certificates, acknowledgements, login credentials and filed copies are handed over to you. Nothing is held back to keep you dependent on us.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Basic Registration if annual turnover is up to ₹12 lakh; a State Licence between ₹12 lakh and ₹20 crore within a single state; a Central Licence above ₹20 crore. A Central Licence is also mandatory regardless of turnover for importers, exporters, 100% export oriented units and operators at ports and airports. For some manufacturing activities, production capacity rather than turnover decides.
- Yes. Home kitchens, tiffin services, home bakers and cloud kitchens are all food business operators and need at least a Basic Registration. Delivery aggregators verify the licence before listing you, so you cannot operate on their platforms without it.
- You can choose a period from one to five years, with the fee scaling accordingly. Taking a longer period is usually cheaper overall and removes the annual risk of forgetting to renew. Renewal must be applied for before expiry — a lapsed licence means you are operating unlicensed.
- You need a Central Licence for your head office or registered office, plus a State Licence for each state where you have a manufacturing or processing unit. Getting this structure wrong is common in growing food businesses and is picked up during inspection.
- Basic Registration usually does not involve a physical inspection. State and Central licence applications generally do — a food safety officer visits to verify premises, hygiene, layout and equipment. Preparing properly for that visit is a substantial part of what we do.
- Penalties under the Food Safety and Standards Act, which can be substantial, and in serious cases prosecution and closure of the business. Marketplaces and institutional buyers will also delist you immediately. It is not a risk worth carrying.
Government fees, scheme limits and eligibility norms are revised from time to time. Figures on this page are indicative — our team confirms the rules in force on the day of filing before you commit to anything.
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Get your FSSAI food licence
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