How-to · FSSAI · Food Licence

How to Get an FSSAI Licence and Handle a Notice

Updated for 2026 · Claw Editorial

Any food business in India, from a home kitchen to a factory, needs an FSSAI registration or licence under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006. You apply on the FoSCoS portal (Food Safety Compliance System) at foscos.fssai.gov.in, and the category you need, basic registration, a state licence or a central licence, depends on your annual turnover and the scale and nature of your operation. Separately, if the food safety department inspects you and finds a problem, it can issue an improvement notice under section 32, suspend or cancel the licence, or prosecute, and you have clear rights to respond and to appeal. This page explains which FSSAI category fits, the documents and steps on FoSCoS, how to renew, and, importantly, how to handle an improvement notice, a show cause or a penalty, including the appeal route to the Commissioner of Food Safety and the Food Safety Appellate Tribunal. Last verified October 2026.

01Which FSSAI category you need

There are three levels, and applying under the wrong one is a common cause of rejection or later trouble.

Some activities, such as import, export, operating in more than one state, or being an e-commerce food business, require a central licence regardless of turnover. Confirm the current limits and activity triggers on the FSSAI portal.

02Documents you need

The exact list depends on the category, but typically you need:

• Photo identity and address proof of the proprietor, partners or directors.
• Proof of the business premises (rent agreement, utility bill or ownership proof).
• A list of food products or categories you will handle.
• A food safety management plan or declaration, and for manufacturers, a layout plan and list of equipment.
• Constitution proof (partnership deed, incorporation certificate) and, for some activities, a water test report and medical fitness certificates for food handlers.

03How to apply on FoSCoS

Registration and licensing are online on FoSCoS.

• Go to foscos.fssai.gov.in and create a login, or sign in.
• Use the Apply for Licence/Registration option. The portal has a tool to help you check whether you need basic registration, a state licence or a central licence based on your turnover and activity.
• Fill the application (Form A for basic registration, Form B for state or central licence), upload the documents, and pay the fee, which rises with the category and the number of years chosen (typically one to five years).
• Submit and note the reference number. The department may inspect the premises before granting a state or central licence. Track the status on the portal.

04Renewal and keeping it valid

A licence or registration is issued for one to five years. Keep it live:

• Renew before expiry. Apply for renewal on FoSCoS before the licence expires. A lapse means operating without a valid licence, which is an offence.
• Display the licence number on your premises, invoices and packaging as required.
• File annual returns where applicable (for example, manufacturers file Form D1).
• Update changes in products, address or constitution through a modification application.

05Handling an improvement notice

If an inspection finds a shortfall, the Designated Officer can issue an improvement notice under section 32 of the FSS Act 2006, telling you what to fix and by when. This is not a penalty by itself; it is a chance to correct.

• Read the notice for the exact non-compliance and the deadline to fix it.
• Fix the problem within the time given and reply with proof (photographs, test reports, corrective-action record).
• If you disagree with the improvement notice, you can appeal to the Commissioner of Food Safety of the state, generally within the period stated in the Act (commonly fifteen days).

If you do not comply with an improvement notice, the licence can be suspended or cancelled, and further action can follow. A business that routinely receives notices should also look at how it tracks regulatory notices and the litigation that follows.

06Penalty, prosecution and appeal

Beyond improvement notices, the FSS Act has civil penalties (adjudicated by the Adjudicating Officer, usually the Additional District Magistrate) and criminal offences for serious matters such as unsafe food (tried by the courts). The appeal structure is layered:

• Commissioner of Food Safety hears an appeal against an improvement notice.
• Food Safety Appellate Tribunal hears an appeal against an order of the Adjudicating Officer, generally within thirty days of the order.
• High Court hears a further appeal from the Tribunal, and criminal prosecutions run through the regular criminal courts.

So a food safety dispute can move from a notice to an adjudication, to the Tribunal, and on to the High Court, each with its own hearings and timelines.

07Where Claw fits

Claw is an all-in-one legaltech platform for Indian advocates, law firms, and corporate legal teams, combining AI-based case search, an AI legal assistant (Legal GPT), case management, and compliance automation across all Indian courts and tribunals.

Getting the licence on FoSCoS is a portal task. A contested notice, penalty or prosecution is a litigation task. Once an FSSAI matter moves to the Commissioner of Food Safety, the Food Safety Appellate Tribunal, the adjudicating magistrate or the criminal court, it becomes a matter with hearings, orders and possible further appeal. You can create a FREE Claw account to track that matter on the forum that hears it. Claw covers 9,102 courts, benches and forums, including tribunals and the criminal and High Courts that hear food safety matters, so there is a real tracking home; its judgment search spans 30 crore+ judgments, with Supreme Court decisions from 1950 and High Court decisions from 1990, so you can see how similar FSS Act notices and prosecutions were decided. Results return in under 5 seconds, and Claw does not train its AI models on your documents. This is general information, not legal advice on your licence or any notice you have received.

08Sources and further reading

• FoSCoS (apply, renew, modify): foscos.fssai.gov.in
• FSSAI (law, standards, guidance): fssai.gov.in
• eCourts (case status for prosecutions and appeals): ecourts.gov.in
• Claw: clawlaw.in

This page is general information for an Indian audience, not legal advice. Confirm current categories, fees and appeal timelines on the FSSAI portal, as these are notified and change.

09Frequently asked questions