FSSAI Basic Registration

The three tiers, and which one applies to you

Getting the tier right at the start matters. Applying under the wrong category means rejection and a fresh application, and operating under a licence below your actual scale is a compliance breach.

• Basic Registration — annual turnover up to ₹12 lakh. Small retailers, hawkers, home-based food businesses and petty manufacturers.
• State Licence — annual turnover above ₹12 lakh and up to ₹20 crore, operating within a single state. Mid-sized manufacturers, restaurants, hotels and distributors.
• Central Licence — annual turnover above ₹20 crore, or businesses operating in more than one state, importers, exporters, e-commerce food sellers, and operators at ports, airports and railway premises.

Who needs to register

• Home-based food businesses, tiffin services and home bakers
• Small retail shops, kirana stores and grocery sellers
• Tea stalls, snack carts, juice shops and street vendors
• Cloud kitchens and small restaurants below the turnover threshold
• Petty manufacturers and repackers of food products
• Temporary stall holders at fairs, exhibitions and religious events
• Small-scale dairy, meat, fish and vegetable oil handlers

The 14-digit licence number

On approval you receive a fourteen-digit registration number. It must be displayed at your premises and printed on the packaging of every food article you sell. Customers and inspectors can verify it on the FSSAI portal.

For e-commerce sellers, the number has to be visible on the listing itself — the major food delivery and marketplace platforms will not onboard you without it.

Validity, renewal and the cost of letting it lapse

A registration can be issued for a period of one to five years, at your choice — a longer term costs more upfront but saves the renewal effort. Renewal must be applied for before expiry.

Operating on an expired registration is treated as operating without one. An application filed after expiry attracts a late fee for each day of delay, and a fresh application may be required if the lapse is long.

Penalties for non-compliance

The Act prescribes substantial penalties, and enforcement has tightened in recent years.

• Operating without a valid licence or registration — imprisonment of up to six months and a fine that may extend to ₹5 lakh
• Food not of the quality demanded — penalty up to ₹2 lakh, reduced for petty manufacturers
• Misbranded or misleadingly labelled food — penalty up to ₹3 lakh
• Unhygienic processing or manufacture — penalty up to ₹1 lakh
• Failure to comply with an improvement notice from the Food Safety Officer — penalty up to ₹2 lakh

Common mistakes we see

• Applying under Basic Registration when turnover already requires a State Licence
• Naming a food category on the form that the premises are not actually equipped for
• Address on the application not matching the address on the proof submitted
• Blurred or partly cut-off document scans, which are the most frequent cause of rejection
• Forgetting to display the number on packaging and at the premises after approval
• Letting the registration lapse and continuing to trade while the renewal is pending

How we handle it

1. 1 Confirming the right tier We check your turnover, premises and where you sell, so the application goes in under the correct category the first time.
2. 2 Document collection and checking Every document is checked for legibility and for consistency with the details on the form, which is where most rejections originate.
3. 3 Filing on the FoSCoS portal The application is submitted on the FSSAI portal along with the prescribed government fee for the term you have chosen.
4. 4 Departmental review The Food Safety Officer reviews the application and may raise a query or, for some categories, inspect the premises.
5. 5 Responding to queries We draft and file the response to any clarification sought, within the time allowed so the application is not rejected by default.
6. 6 Certificate issued The registration certificate carrying your fourteen-digit number is issued and sent to you, ready to display and print.

Frequently asked questions