How to get FSSAI license ?

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is an autonomous body established under the Ministry of Health & Family for protecting and promoting public health through the regulation and supervision of food safety.

The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 has made FSSAI registration mandatory for food business operators and food products.

Food Licenses

FSSAI issues three different types of FSSAI food license which are: 

• Basic Registration

• State License

• Central License

The three licenses differ on the basis of the scale of operation of the food business which is being carried out. 

• Basic Registration: The Food business operators like petty food manufacturers and also the small-sized manufacturers, storage units, transporters, retailers, marketers, distributors etc are thus required to obtain the FSSAI Registration. The FSSAI Registration is however issued by the State Government. Depending upon the eligibility, an FBO can thus fall under the State or Registration license. It is thus mostly for the units having an annual turnover which is up to 12 lakh. The maximum tenure of this license is 5 years and the minimum is 1 year.

• State License: Food business operators like small to medium-sized manufacturers, storage units, transporters, retailers, marketers, distributors etc. are however required to obtain the Fssai State License. The State License is issued by the State Government and it is important that you have operations in only 1 state like Delhi, in order to obtain the State FSSAI License in Delhi. It is thus mostly for the units having an annual turnover of more than 12 lakh. The maximum tenure of this license is 5 years and the minimum is 1 year. 

• Central License: Food Business Operators (FBO) such as the Importers, 100% Export Oriented Units, large manufacturers, operators in the Central Government agencies, airports, seaports etc are however required to obtain a Central Food License. The Central license is issued by the Central Government. Furthermore, FBOs have to obtain the Central License for their head office, and if they have operations in more than 1 state. It is thus mostly for the units who are having an annual turnover which is greater than 20 crores. The maximum tenure of this license is 5 years and the minimum is 1 year. 

Eligibility Criteria for FSSAI License

Eligibility Criteria for FSSAI Basic Registration

For Manufacturers, following is the eligibility criteria

• Dairy Units, including Milk Chilling Units that are equipped to handle and process - Upto 500 LPD of milk or up to 2.5 MT of milk solids per annum

• Vegetable Oil Processing Units and the Units that produce vegetable oil through the process of solvent extraction and refineries, including Oil Expeller Unit. - Turnover up to 12 lakhs per annum

• Slaughtering Units - Large animals upto 2, Small Animals upto 10, Poultry Birds 50 per day.

• Meat Processing Units - Turnover up to INR 12 lakhs per annum

• All Food Processing Units including retailers and repackers - Turnover not exceeding Rs. 12 lakhs and whose production capacity of food does not exceed 100 kg/ltr per day.

Other Businesses

Following businesses which has turnover up to INR 12 lakh per annum should take FSSAI basic registration

• Storage (Except Controlled Atmosphere and Cold)

• Storage (Cold/Refrigerated)

• Storage (Controlled Atmosphere + Cold)

• Wholesaler

• Retailer

• Distributor

• Supplier

• Dhaba, Boarding houses serving food,Banquet halls with food catering arrangements, Home based Canteens/Dabba Wallas, Permanent/ Temporary stall Holder, Food stalls/ Arrangements in Religious gatherings/fairs etc. Fish/Meat/Poultry shop/Seller or any other food vending establishment

• Club/Canteen

• Hotel

• Restaurant

• Transporter

• Marketer

In addition to it, following businesses should also take FSSAI license irrespective of the annual turnover.

• Hawker (Itinerant/Mobile Food Vendor)

• Petty Retailer of snacks/tea shops

Eligibility Criteria for State License

For Manufacturers, following is the eligibility criteria

• Dairy Units, including Milk Chilling Units that are equipped to handle and process - 501 to 50,000 LPD of milk or more than 2.5 MT to 2500 MT of milk solids per annum

• Vegetable Oil Processing Units and the Units that produce vegetable oil through the process of solvent extraction and refineries, including Oil Expeller Unit. - Upto 2 MT/day and turnover above 12 lakh

• Slaughtering Units - Large Animal (More than 2 upto 50) Small Animal (More than 10 upto 150) Poultry Birds (More than 50 upto 1000/ day)

• Meat Processing Units - Upto 500 kg meat per day Or 150 MT per annum

• All Food Processing Units including retailers and repackers - More than 100 kg/ltr to 2 MT/day. All grains, cereals & pulses milling units.

Other Businesses

Following businesses  should take up  FSSAI State registration

• Storage (Except Controlled Atmosphere and Cold) - Capacity upto 50,000 MT

• Storage (Cold/Refrigerated) - Capacity upto 10,000 MT

• Storage (Controlled Atmosphere + Cold) - Capacity upto 1000 MT

• Wholesaler - Turnover upto 30 crores

• Retailer - Turnover upto 20 crores

• Distributor - Turnover upto 20 crores

• Supplier - Turnover upto 20 crores

• Caterer - Turnover upto 20 crores

• Club/Canteen - Turnover more than 12 lakhs/annum

• Hotel - Three star & above and below Five star OR Upto Three star and Turnover more than 12 lakhs

• Restaurant - Turnover upto 20 crores

• Transporter - Having upto 100 vehicles/ wagons Or turnover upto 30 crores

• Marketer - Turnover upto 20 crores

Premises at Central Government

• Food catering services in establishments and units under Central Government Agencies like Railways, Air, Airport, Seaport, Defence etc.

Eligibility Criteria for Central License

Manufacturers

• Dairy Units, including Milk Chilling Units that are equipped to handle and process - More than 50,000 litres of milk per day Or 2500 MT of milk solids per annum

• Vegetable Oil Processing Units and the Units that produce vegetable oil through the process of solvent extraction and refineries, including Oil Expeller Unit. - More than 2 MT/day

• Slaughtering Units - Large Animal (More than 50) Small Animal (More than 150) Poultry Birds (More than 1000) per day

• Meat Processing Units - More than 500 kg meat per day Or 150 MT per annum

• All Food Processing Units including retailers and repackers - More than 2 MT/day except grains, cereals & pulses milling units.

• Proprietary Foods

• 100% Export Oriented Units

Importers

• Importers importing food items including food ingredients and additives for commercial use

Other Businesses

Following businesses  should take up  FSSAI Central registration

• Storage (Except Controlled Atmosphere and Cold) - More than 50,000 MT

• Storage (Cold/Refrigerated) - More than 10,000 MT

• Storage (Controlled Atmosphere + Cold) - More than 1000 MT

• Wholesaler - More than 30 crores

• Retailer - More than 20 crores

• Distributor - More than 20 crores

• Supplier - More than 20 crores

• Caterer - More than 20 crores

• Hotel - Five star & above

• Restaurant - More than 20 crores

• Transporter - More than 100 vehicles/ wagons Or More than 30 crores

• Marketer - More than 20 crores

Premise in Air/ Seaport

• Food Catering services in establishments and units under Central Government Agencies like Defence etc.

• Storage, Wholesaler, Retailer, Distributor operating in the premises of Central Government Agencies

• Food Catering services in establishments and units under Central Government Agencies like Air and Airport, Seaport

• Storage, Wholesaler, Retailer, Distributor operating in the premises of Air and Airport, Seaport

Check Eligibility

Follow the below steps to check whether you need central, state or basic registration.

• Food Business Operator can check their Eligibility (whether they are eligible for Central License OR State License OR Registration Certificate as per Capacity/Turnover of their business) by clicking on the link “Check your eligibility” on the login page.

• Fill in the Address of Premises, State, District then click on “Save & Add” button under ‘Action’ column; if the FBO is operating from multiple premise /unit, using "Save & Add" add each premise / unit address details separately.

• Click on "Click to Check eligibility" as shown in below screen.

Documents required

For FSSAI State/ Central License

• Form-B Duly completed and signed (in Duplicate) by the Proprietor or Partner or the Authorized Signatory.

• Blueprint/layout plan of the processing unit showing the dimensions in metres/square metres and operation-wise area allocation (mandatory for manufacturing and processing units only).

• List of Directors/Partners/Executive Members of Society/Trust with full address and contact details (mandatory for companies only)

• Name and list of Equipments and Machinery along with number, installed capacity and horse power used (mandatory for manufacturing aand processing units only)

• Identity and address proof issued by Government Authority for Proprietor/Partner/Director(s)/Authorised Signatory

• List of food category desired to be manufactured. (In case of manufacturers)

• Authority letter with name and address, responsible person nominated by the manufacturer along with alternative responsible person indicating the powers vested with them viz assisting the officers in inspections, collection of samples, packing & dispatch (for manufacturers/processors)

• Analysis report (Chemical & Bacteriological) of water to be used as ingredient in food from a recognized/ public health laboratory to confirm the potability (mandatory only for manufacturing and processing units)

• Proof of possession of premises. (Sale deed/ Rent agreement/ Electricity bill, etc.)

• Partnership Deed or Affidavit of Proprietorship  or Memorandum & Articles of Association towards the constitution of the firm. (optional)

• FSSAI Self-Declaration for Proprietorships

• Copy & certificate obtained under Coop – 1861/Multi State Coop Act – 2002 in case of Cooperatives

• NOC & Copy of License from manufacturer (mandatory for relabelers and repackers only)

• Declaration and Undertaking by Food Business Operator

• Food Safety Management System Plan or certificate.

• Source of mil or procurement plan for milk including location of milk collection centres (in case of Milk and Milk Products processing).

• Sources of raw material for meat and meat processing plants.

• Pesticide residues report of water in case of units manufacturing packaged drinking water, packaged Mineral water and/or carbonated water from a recognized public health laboratory.

• Recall plan wherever applicable.

• NOC from Municipality or local body.

• Form IX: Nomination of Persons by a Company alongwith the Board Resolution

• Certificate provided by Ministry of Tourism.

• For Transporters – Self declaration of number of vehicles.

• Declaration Form – For Delhi or Himachal Pradesh.

FSSAI Registration

• Filling of Form A

• Photo of Food Business Operator.

• Document for Identity Proof like Ration Card, Voter ID Card, PAN Card, Driving License, Passport, Aadhar Card, Senior Citizen Card, Department Issued ID.

• Supporting Documents (if any):- NOC by Municipality/Panchayat, Health NOC.

Apply Online for FSSAI License

Follow the below steps to apply online FSSAI license.

1. Visit FSSAI website

2. Click on "Apply Now"

3. Firstly you should accept the undertaking.

4. Select the state where your premise of food business situated.

5. Confirm yes if you have premises in more than one state otherwise select No.

6. If selected yes at step 5 and you are applying for Head Office/Registered office select yes. If you have premise in more than one state but you are not applying for Head Office/Registered office then select No.

7. If you selected yes at step 6 and you have other food business from Head Office/Registered office select yes. Proceed for next step.

8. If selected No at step 5. Proceed for next step.

9. Select Kind of business.

10. Select the turnover or installed capacity.

11. Furnished the details as address of registered office, premise of business, person in-charge of operation, person complying with condition of license and products details etc.

12. Upload the supporting documents.

13. Pay the fees.(online in case of central license, for state license/ registration payment mode may be online or offline via challan etc.)

14. Print Form B and sign the same. after scanning this form upload it and acknowledgement will be generated

The FBOs should take a print out of the Online Application Form generated through the system and submit the application to Regional Authority/State Authority with all supportive documents within fifteen days from the date of online submission of application for State License and Registration Certificate. In case of State License and Registration Certificate of Delhi and for Central License, all documents are to be uploaded electronically and no physical documents are to be submitted in the Regional Office

Check FSSAI License Status

Follow the below steps to track the status of FSSAI Application, once you have submitted it. 

• Visit FSSAI website

• Enter Application Reference Number

• Enter Captcha code

• Click on "Go" to track the status of your application.

Apply Online for FSSAI Renewal

Depending on the type of FSSAI License applied for, the license is valid for a period ranging from 1-5 years.

The Issued License will start listing under Renewal tab 60 days prior to expiry. FBO has to renew the FSS License to avoid penalties. If the License renewal date comes in the time frame of 30 days then FBO will have to pay penalty charges Rs 100/day.

Follow the below steps to apply online for FSSAI renewal.

• Log in to FSSAI website

• Click on “Apply for Renewal of License” to initiate the process.

• It will show the licenses which needs to be renewed.To apply for Renewal of State/Central License, click on the Proceed link of that particular license.

• The warning message box will be displayed as shown below

• Click on OK to submit application for renewal

Re-apply for expired license

In case of expiry of the food license, the Food Business Operator should mandatorily terminate all the business activities at the premises and re-apply for the food license. Follow the below steps to re-apply for expired license.

• Log in to FSSAI website

• Click on  “Duplicate/Surrender” button and from the drop down option click on “Apply for Duplicate/Surrender of License(s)” 

• Select “Expired Licenses” from the drop down menu under License type

• The entire list of license that is expired would be displayed.

• Click on the “Apply for new License” link of that particular license in order to apply for an expired License

• The rest of the process is same as applying for new license

Duplicate/Surrender/Transfer of License

Steps to apply for duplicate/surrender/transfer of FSSAI license remain the same. We will show the procedure for taking a duplicate of FSSAI license here.

• Log in to FSSAI website

• To apply for duplicate license click on “Apply for Duplicate/Surrender/Transfer of License(s)” under the head “Duplicate/Surrender/Transfer”

• To apply for duplicate license click on “Duplicate” against the license number

• Uploads the relevant document and submit the remarks.

• Click on proceed and it will be redirected to payment.

• Once the payment is successful the application for Duplicate License will be submitted (Receipt will be generated as shown in fig below) and online application will be forwarded to the respective Designated Officer. Please note down the Reference Number generated for future reference.

Cancellation or Suspension

In the following cases food license will be cancelled or suspended

• Food poisoning outbreaks associated with the spread of diseases

• Non-compliant premises of the food operator’s business

• Serious food complaints where consumer’s safety is affected

• Serious violation of a compliance under FSSAI rules

• Violation when there is a history of not- compliance with food safety requirements

• Non-Compliances with an improvement or other legal notice without reasonable excuse

• Interrupting an Officer

FSSAI License fee

Basic Registration Certificate

• New Registration Certificate: INR 100/ year

• Renewal of Registration Certificate: INR 100/ year

• Duplicate of Registration Certificate: 10% of the Applicable Certificate Fee

State License

• A manufacturer and miller who produces 501 to 2500 MT of milk solids per annum, has upto 10,001 to 50,000 LPD of milk or has a production of above 1MT per day has to pay an amount of Rs. 5000 as a fee for FSSAI License.

• The FSSAI License fees for 4 Stars Hotel is Rs. 5000.

• A manufacture or miller who produces below 1 MT of milk, or 501 to 10,000 LPD of milk, or 2.5 MP to 500 MT of milk solids per annum has to pay the FSSAI License fees amounting to Rs. 3000.

• The FSSAI License cost or fees is Rs. 2000 for food business vendors and other food business operators that include clubs, restaurant/boarding houses etc that serves food.

• The FSSAI License cost or fees is Rs. 2000 for food businesses operators serving food including canteens in schools, colleges, institutions and offices, caterers and banquet halls with food catering arrangements.

• The FSSAI License cost for renewal will depend upon the number of years selected.

• The Food License cost for a duplicate license will be 10% of the applicable license fees.

Central License

• The fee for a new license is Rs.7500

• The fee for renewal of a license is Rs. 7500

• The fee for modification of license is Rs. 7500

• The fee for a duplicate license is Rs.10

FSSAI License number search

You can search FBO details based on either of FSSAI license number,Company Name, State, District etc. Follow the below steps to search details about FBO based on FSSAI license number.

• Visit FSSAI website

• Click on "FBO Search"

• Enter the 14 digit FSSAI License Number. Click on Search. You can also search the details based on other fields as well.

• Now you can see the basic details. Click on "View Product" to see the food item sold by the FBO

Application Forms

• Form A Registration Renewal FSSAI

• Form B License Renewal FSSAI

• Self Declaration for Proprietorship

• Declaration FSSAI English

• Declaration FSSAI Hindi

• Declaration for FBO

• Declaration Regarding FSMS Plan

• FORM IX Nomination for Person by Company Hindi

• FORM IX Nomination Person Company