In the dynamic landscape of the Indian food industry, ensuring safety and quality has become essential. Customers have also started paying more attention to aspects like food safety and hygiene. In such a scenario, it becomes necessary for food businesses to adopt responsible practices. A food license is one way through which businesses can ensure food safety. In India, FSSAI grants licenses to food businesses. In this article, we will understand how to get an FSSAI license in India and what are the documents required for the same. Additionally, we will learn about the validity, renewal, and modification of the FSSAI license. 

Before we move forward to understand how to get an FSSAI license in India, let us look at the meaning of an FSSAI license. 

What is FSSAI License

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is a government body established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, of 2006. It regulates and supervises the safety and standards of food products in India. FSSAI registers and issues license to FBOs i.e., Food Business Operators like food manufacturing and processing units, hotels, restaurants, etc. Broadly, there are three types of FSSAI license: FSSAI Basic Registration (for small FBOs like hawkers, temporary stall owners, etc.), FSSAI State License (for medium-sized FBOs), and FSSAI Central License (for large-sized FBOs). 

Generally, the following FBOs shall apply for an FSSAI license or registration – 

  • Small or petty retailers like bakery shops, snacks shops, etc. 
  • Temporary or fixed stalls selling food products like tea, juice, samosa, vada-pav, gol gappa, chaat, etc. 
  • Vegetable Oil Processing Units, Fish and Meat Processing Units, Dairy Units
  • Slaughtering houses like mutton shops, chicken shops, etc. 
  • Storage units or warehouses like cold storage 
  • Hotels, restaurants, bars, clubs, banquet halls, dhabas, dabba wallas, home-based canteens, etc. 
  • Novel food and proprietary food 
  • Food product transporters, distributors (wholesalers, suppliers), and marketers 
  • Cafeteria, canteens, caterers, and food vending agencies 
  • Pharmacies or medical stores selling health supplements or nutraceutical products
  • E-commerce operators, Cloud Kitchens 
  • Importer and Exporter of food ingredients and products 

Read More: FSSAI Food License: Meaning, Types, Eligibility, and Benefits 

Documents Required for FSSAI License/ Registration

An applicant has to submit several documents along with the application for obtaining an FSSAI license or registration. 

Documents Required for FSSAI Registration

The following documents are required for FSSAI Basic Registration: 

  1. Photo of the Applicant 
  2. Identity Proof issued by the Government and having a photo (Copy of Aadhar Card/ PAN Card/ Voter ID) 
  3. Proof of business address (if the address where business activity is carried out is different from the address mentioned in the identity proof) 

Documents Required for FSSAI License

As regards the documents required for FSSAI State and Central Licenses, FSSAI issued an order dated 19th March 2021 containing the revised list of documents that are to be submitted along with the application for the FSSAI license. 

As per the order, the documents required for obtaining an FSSAI license are divided into different categories based on KoB i.e., Kind of Business. 

List of Documents for Non-Manufacturing Kinds of Business

The following general documents are required for all non-manufacturing businesses:  

  • List of Partners/ Directors/ Executive Members of Society or Trust/ Proprietor along with their address, contact details, and nomination of authorized signatory 
  • Identity Proof (with photo) and Address Proof of Partner/ Proprietor/ Directors/ Authorized Signatory 
  • Proof of possession of business premises (Rent Agreement/ Sale Deed/ Utility bills, etc.) 
  • Self-declaration for proprietorship/ Partnership deed/ MOA and AOA of Company Certificate of cooperative society 
  • Form IX – Nomination of Person 

Further, some additional documents are required depending on the type of food business activity. The following table shows such additional documents: 

Type of Food Business Activity Documents Required 
Food Services (Hotel/ Restaurant/ Clubs/ Canteen, etc.) Analysis Report of Water from a public or recognized health laboratory, if water is used as an ingredient 
Importer Import Export Code Document and Recall Plan 
Merchant Exporter Import Export Code Document and a declaration that products are meant for export only 
Head Office/ Registered Office/ E-commerce Recall Plan 
Transporters List of Vehicle Registration Numbers 

List of Documents for Manufacturing Kind of Business

The following general documents are required for all manufacturing businesses:  

  • List of Partners/ Directors/ Executive Members of Society or Trust/ Proprietor along with their address, contact details, and nomination of authorized signatory 
  • Identity Proof (with photo) and Address Proof of Partner/ Proprietor/ Directors/ Authorized Signatory 
  • Proof of possession of business premises (Rent Agreement/ Sale Deed/ Utility bills, etc.) 
  • Self-declaration for proprietorship/ Partnership deed/ MOA and AOA of Company Certificate of cooperative society 
  • Form IX – Nomination of Person 
  • Layout plan of the processing unit 
  • Photos of production units
  • List of equipment and machinery showing name, number, and capacity 
  • Analysis Report of Water from a public or recognized health laboratory, if water is used as an ingredient 
  • Recall Plan 

Further, some additional documents are required depending on the type of manufacturing activity. The following table shows such additional documents: 

Type of Manufacturing Activity Documents Required 
Manufacturer Exporters Import Export Code Document, a declaration that products are meant for export only, Ministry of Commerce Certificate for 100% EOU 
Dairy Processing Milk Procurement Plan 
Meat Processing Source of Raw Material and NOC from Municipal Corporation 
Slaughtering House NOC from Municipal Corporation 
Relabellers and Repackers NOC from manufacturers 
Nutraceuticals Product Specification of each product showing the adopted purity criteria 
Proprietary Foods Composition of each product 
Novel Foods Product approach for each product from FSSAI 
Packaged Drinking Water Pesticide Residues Report of water from a public or recognized health laboratory

List of Other Documents for All Kinds of Business

The following documents may be required for all kinds of businesses:

  • NOC from CGWA for extraction of groundwater 
  • Any document required by the licensing authority 
  • Any document specified by the Commission of Food Safety or FSSAI through an order 

Process to obtain FSSAI License/ Registration

Now let us check out how to apply for an FSSAI license and registration. 

Earlier, an FBO had to apply online on Food Licensing and Registration System (FLRS) for obtaining an FSSAI license or registration. But on 28th May 2020, FSSAI launched a new system “Food Safety Compliance System” commonly known as FoSCoS for food licensing and registration thereby replacing the existing FLRS. Initially, FoSCos was launched in 9 States/ UTs of India but later the platform was extended to the entire country. 

Therefore, if an FBO wants to obtain an FSSAI license or registration today, he has to apply online on FoSCoS. 

The procedure to apply for an FSSAI license or registration on FoSCoS is as follows: 

Step 1: Visit the official website of FoSCoS https://foscos.fssai.gov.in/. 

Step 2: To signup, provide all the details and verify your mobile number and email ID. Once the signup is successful and you have created your user ID and password, login into the portal. 

Step 3: Click on ‘Apply for New License/ Registration’. 

Step 4: Select the premise of operation (General/ Railway Station/ Airport/ Seaport). 

Step 5: Choose the state in which the business premises is located 

(Note: Separate license is issued for each location except the transporter. Therefore, if an FBO is located in more than one state/ UT, he shall declare one premise as head office and obtain a central license for the same. For other premises, he shall obtain a central/ state license or registration as per eligibility criteria). 

Step 6: Next, select the kind of business and click on ‘Proceed’. 

Step 7: Fill all the details in the application form. If you are eligible for FSSAI registration, fill out Form ‘A’ and if you are eligible for an FSSAI license, fill out Form ‘B’. 

Step 8: Upload all the necessary documents and pay the fees. 

Step 9: Once the payment is successful, a receipt will be generated with a 17-digit reference number. This reference number can be used to track the application in the future. 

Step 10: The licensing or registration authority will scrutinize the documents. If there is any discrepancy in the application, the authority will raise a query and the application has to submit a response within 30 days. The authority can also inspect the premises of FBO if necessary. 

Step 11: If the authority is satisfied that the application is complete in all respects, it will issue the license or registration certificate containing a 14-digit license or registration number. 

Remember that license or registration certificate is not provided in hard copy to the FBO. Only a soft copy of the same is sent on the registered email ID. Also, the FBO can view and download the license or registration certificate after logging in to the portal. 

Moreover, the FBO shall display the license or registration certificate on the premises and shall mention the 14-digit license or registration number and FSSAI logo on the products. 

Get in touch with our experts and apply for an FSSAI license or registration today to take your business to another level!

FSSAI License/ Registration Fees

An applicant has to submit the following fees along with the application for an FSSAI license or registration.

*Note – Fees for state licenses depend on the type and scale of business activity.

Validity of FSSAI License/ Registration

An FBO can make an application for obtaining an FSSAI license or registration for a period of 1 to 5 years. Therefore, the FSSAI license or registration is generally valid for a period of 1 to 5 years. 

Renewal of FSSAI License/ Registration

An FBO can make an application for renewal of an FSSAI license or registration before the expiry of the validity period. The renewal application shall be made at least 30 days before the expiry date of the license or registration in Form A / B. In addition, the FSMS certificate and Form IX shall be attached to the application. 

However, the FBO can apply for renewal beyond 30 days as well, but in that case late fees of Rs. 100 per day is charged. 

Moreover, renewal of license or registration is not possible after the expiry date and in such case, the FBO shall apply for a fresh license or registration. 

Modification in the FSSAI License/ Registration

Once a license or registration certificate is issued, an FBO can make an application for modification in the FSSAI license or registration. The FBO can apply for modification after logging in to the FoSCoS portal through license no. / registration no. / application reference no. 

An application can be made for modification in the following: 

For a change in name, address, and kind of business in the FSSAI license, a fee of Rs. 1000 has to be paid while for FSSAI registration, the modification fee is Rs. 100. Further, contact details and supporting documents can be updated without any fees. 

FSSAI License/ Registration Check

Anyone can check the FSSAI license or registration details of an FBO using the option of ‘FBO Search’ on the FoSCoS website. You can check the details either by entering the name of the organization or the license/ registration number. The details like the registered address of the FBO, type of license, validity, list of products, etc can be found using the search facility.  

Conclusion

In this guide, we discussed everything about how to get an FSSAI license in India right from the documents that you require to how you can apply for modification in the license or registration. In conclusion, we can say obtaining an FSSAI license is more than just a legal requirement as it shows your business’s commitment to providing good quality and safe food to your consumers. Moreover, the FSSAI license gives a competitive edge to the business. 

Registration Arena is having a team of experts to help you in getting an FSSAI license or registration for your business. Our experts will make the process simpler for you. 

For more information, you can call us at +918600544422 or just drop a mail at support@registrationarena.com, we will get back to you!