How is an FSSAI registration applied for?
A food business applies for its FSSAI registration on FoSCoS before it manufactures, stores, sells, or imports food. From 1 April 2026, turnover up to ₹1.5 crore takes a registration. Turnover above that takes a licence.
Where is the application made?
The application is filed on FoSCoS, the Authority’s online system. It is not a paper Form A. The applicant gives the identity of the proprietor or the entity, the place of business, and the kind of food activity. The application carries the government fee. This page does not quote that fee. Company incorporation does not include this application. Goods and services tax is a separate registration.
Which turnover is a registration?
Registration is the permission up to ₹1.5 crore of turnover. A state licence applies above ₹1.5 crore and up to ₹50 crore. A central licence applies above ₹50 crore. Those bands apply to an application made on or after 1 April 2026. A kind of business that the schedule still classifies by production capacity uses that capacity test as well. The older ₹12 lakh registration and the older ₹20 crore central-licence line do not decide a new application. Which permission applies, and the penalty where a licence was required, is on the FSSAI licence page.
What is displayed?
The registration or the licence carries a 14-digit number. The business displays it at the premises. Packed food carries it on the label, with the name of the food, the quantity, the date of manufacture, and the use-by date. A registration or licence under the 2026 amendment stays valid unless it is suspended, cancelled, or surrendered. The regulations do not promise a decision in seven days.
What if the business has none?
The business does not manufacture, store, sell, or import food without the registration or the licence that applies to it. Section 63 punishes a business that needed a licence and operated without one: imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, and a fine which may extend to ₹5 lakh. A business that needed only a registration is outside section 63. It still cannot operate without that registration. Unsafe or misbranded food is dealt with under the other sections of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
Frequently asked questions
Four questions cover the old turnover band, Form A, validity, and starting without a number.
Is turnover up to ₹12 lakh still the registration?
No. From 1 April 2026 an application uses ₹1.5 crore for registration. The older ₹12 lakh band does not decide a new application.
Is the application still paper Form A?
No. The application is made on FoSCoS. A paper Form A is not the current route.
Does a registration expire after one year?
A registration or licence granted under the 2026 amendment stays valid unless it is suspended, cancelled, or surrendered. It is not issued for a choice of one to five years as the old description had it.
Can the business start and apply later?
No. The registration or the licence that applies is required before the business manufactures, stores, sells, or imports food.
Sources
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India receives the application on FoSCoS. From 1 April 2026 the registration band is turnover up to ₹1.5 crore. The licence bands are in the same amendment.