FSSAI licence for a restaurant in 2026: which one you need, the fee and the documents

FSSAI changed the turnover limits with an order dated 13 March 2026, under the Licensing and Registration amendment regulations notified on 10 March 2026. The new limits apply from 1 April 2026 and replace every earlier limit.

• FSSAI registrationAnnual turnover up to ₹1.5 crore. Fee ₹100 a year for a restaurant. The old limit was ₹12 lakh.
• State licenceAnnual turnover above ₹1.5 crore and up to ₹50 crore. Fee ₹5,000 a year for a restaurant.
• Central licenceAnnual turnover above ₹50 crore. Fee ₹7,500 a year.

The fees are from FSSAI's kind-of-business chart, updated on 1 April 2026. Tea and snack stalls ("petty retailers") also register for ₹100 up to ₹1.5 crore, and hawkers who move from place to place pay no registration fee.

Two kinds of food business don't follow the restaurant rows. A caterer who cooks for weddings and events needs a State licence even when small, and a Central licence above ₹50 crore. A hotel goes by star rating: up to 4 star needs a State licence and 5 star and above a Central licence. Pick the right kind of business on FoSCoS, because the fee follows it.

Turnover here means a year's sales. Your daily sales report is the quickest way to work it out: average daily sales × days open in a year.

• A chai and snacks stallSells about ₹8,000 a day, open 360 days: about ₹29 lakh a year. Under the old rules that needed a State licence. Now it needs only FSSAI registration at ₹100 a year.
• Swaad Kitchen, a 40-seat family restaurantSells about ₹35,000 a day: about ₹1.26 crore a year. Registration is enough. If sales grow past ₹1.5 crore, it moves to a State licence.
• A busy cafe on a high streetSells about ₹60,000 a day: about ₹2.2 crore a year. State licence, ₹5,000 a year.
• A chain with five outletsEach outlet needs its own registration or licence for its own premises, based on that premises. FSSAI allows one licence per premises, not one for the whole brand.

If you run outlets in more than one state, read the head-office rules on FoSCoS before you apply, because they differ from a single outlet.

FoSCoS lists documents by kind of business under "Documents Required". For a restaurant, keep these ready as clear scans, self-attested:

• For registration (Form A): a recent photo of the owner and a photo ID such as a driving licence, passport or voter ID, plus the outlet's address.
• For a State licence (Form B): Form B signed by the owner or a partner, photo ID and address proof, and proof that you hold the premises, such as a rent agreement or electricity bill.
• For a firm or company: a list of partners or directors with their addresses and contact details.

Everything is uploaded on FoSCoS. FSSAI says you don't need to send physical copies to any office for a State or Central licence.

• 1. Check your categoryWork out a year's turnover and pick the kind of business (restaurant, caterer, canteen, petty retailer).
• 2. Apply on foscos.fssai.gov.inChoose Apply for New License/Registration, fill the form for your premises and upload the documents.
• 3. Pay the fee₹100 for registration, ₹5,000 for a restaurant State licence, ₹7,500 for Central.
• 4. Answer queriesIf the authority asks a question, reply within 30 days or the application can be rejected.
• 5. Get your 14-digit numberA registration number starts with 2, a licence number with 1. Print it on your bills.

FSSAI's rules give the authority 7 days to issue a registration (30 days if it inspects) and 60 days for a licence. FSSAI says the 2026 reforms are meant to make small registrations instant, without a pre-inspection.

Before 2026 you had to renew your licence or registration when it ran out. The 2026 reforms give FSSAI registrations and licences perpetual validity, so there is no renewal application. The fee in FSSAI's chart is still a yearly fee, so keep paying it on FoSCoS on time.

Two more changes from the same reforms: street food vendors registered with their municipal corporation or town vending committee under the Street Vendors Act, 2014 are treated as FSSAI-registered, and inspections now follow a risk-based plan instead of a fixed schedule.

If you hold a State licence and your turnover is under ₹1.5 crore, the order doesn't say your licence ends. Ask your licensing authority on FoSCoS whether to move to registration before your next yearly fee.

Since 1 January 2022, food businesses must print their 14-digit FSSAI licence or registration number on bills, invoices and cash memos. It sits with your GSTIN at the top of the bill. Our restaurant GST bill format guide shows a sample bill with every field marked, and a free bill maker.

POSBADA prints your GSTIN and FSSAI number on every GST bill. If you sell at fairs and events, event stall billing works the same way. See restaurant billing software or cafe billing software for the rest, and the closing checklist for the daily sales total that tells you your turnover.