If you sell, cook, store, distribute or manufacture food anywhere in India, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) requires you to hold a licence or registration. This is not optional - operating without one carries penalties, and marketplaces, aggregators and landlords increasingly ask for the certificate before they will work with you.
The good news is that the tier you need is decided by one number: your annual turnover. You do not choose it - it follows from the size of your business.
The three FSSAI tiers, by turnover
- Basic Registration - for food businesses with annual turnover up to ₹12 lakh. This covers most small vendors, home kitchens, small kirana shops and tiny outlets.
- State Licence - for turnover between ₹12 lakh and ₹20 crore. Most established restaurants, mid-size manufacturers, traders and transporters in Madhya Pradesh sit here.
- Central Licence - for turnover above ₹20 crore, and mandatory regardless of turnover for importers, exporters, large e-commerce food sellers and businesses operating in multiple states.
Which one does my business need?
Start from your expected annual turnover and pick the band above. A single-outlet restaurant or a kirana store in Bhopal, Indore or Jabalpur almost always needs the State Licence. A roadside stall or a home-based tiffin service usually needs only Basic Registration. If you import or export food, you need the Central Licence no matter how small you are.
Documents you need
The exact list varies slightly by tier, but for a State Licence in MP you should keep these ready:
- Photo ID and address proof of the proprietor or partners (Aadhaar, PAN)
- Passport-size photograph
- Proof of business premises - rent agreement or ownership document, plus a utility bill
- Details of the food products or categories you deal in
- A simple layout or list of equipment (for manufacturers)
- Water test report, for manufacturing units where applicable
How the process works
- Confirm your tier from your turnover.
- Prepare the documents above and the list of food categories.
- The application is filed on the FSSAI FoSCoS portal with your details.
- FSSAI reviews the application and, for licences, may raise a query or inspect the premises.
- The 14-digit licence number is issued and must be displayed at your premises and printed on packaging.
Validity and renewal
FSSAI licences and registrations are issued for one to five years, and you choose the period when you apply - a longer term costs more upfront but saves repeat paperwork. Renew before expiry to avoid a lapse, because operating on an expired licence is treated the same as operating without one.