FSSAI Registration vs License: Which One Does Your Food Business Need?

Basic Registration, State License or Central License — the category you need depends on turnover and scale, not on how you'd describe your business.

Any business that manufactures, processes, stores, transports, distributes or sells food in India needs FSSAI approval before it can legally operate. The confusion is almost always about which of the three categories applies.

The three categories

• Basic Registration — for businesses with annual turnover up to ₹12 lakh. Covers petty food manufacturers, small retailers, hawkers, and home-based kitchens. It's the lightest category, usually self-certified with minimal documentation.
• State License — for turnover roughly between ₹12 lakh and ₹20 crore. This is where most restaurants, caterers, and small-to-medium manufacturers in Trichy fall. It involves a local inspection before approval.
• Central License — for turnover above ₹20 crore, or for importers, exporters, businesses operating across more than one state, units at airports or seaports, and certain other specified categories regardless of turnover.

Common mistakes we see

• Staying on Basic Registration after turnover has already crossed ₹12 lakh — this invites a penalty on inspection, not just a formality to fix later.
• Letting the license lapse before renewal — once expired, it often means a fresh application rather than a straightforward renewal, with downtime in between.
• Adding a new food category or opening a new outlet without updating the existing license to cover it.

Applying in Tamil Nadu

Applications are filed online through the FoSCoS portal. Basic Registration is typically processed without a physical visit; a State License usually involves a local inspection of the premises before approval. Renewal applications should be filed 30 to 120 days before the current license expires — filing after expiry means starting over.