FoSCoS Portal: How to Apply for an FSSAI Licence in 7 Steps

Every food business in India needs an FSSAI number before it serves a single plate. There were 74.33 lakh active licences and registrations in force as on 30 June 2026, and every new one is now applied for on a single website.

That website is FoSCoS, the Food Safety Compliance System. It handles new applications, modifications and annual returns, and it is the only route to a licence. This guide walks the 7 steps in the order the portal presents them.

Two things changed in 2026 that make older advice wrong, and both are covered below. Across the outlets running on Petpooja POSS we see the same confusion each time an owner opens a new location. It is worth getting the category right the first time.

Key Takeaways

• The turnover bands changed on 1 April 2026. Registration now covers up to ₹1.5 crore.
• Licences issued from 1 April 2026 have perpetual validity. No more renewals.
• Every premises needs its own licence, so each outlet applies separately.
• Your reference number is how you track the file. Keep it.

What FoSCoS Is and Why It Matters

FoSCoS is FSSAI’s online system for licensing and registration. It replaced the older Food Licensing and Registration System. You now use it to apply, modify a licence, file the annual return and raise a grievance.

You cannot apply anywhere else. Agents may fill the form for you, but the application still passes through FoSCoS and the licence still issues from there. Understanding the screens yourself is the cheapest way to avoid paying someone for a form you could file in an afternoon.

Which FSSAI Licence Your Business Needs

This is the part that changed. FSSAI raised the turnover limits through an amendment gazetted on 10 March 2026, followed by an implementation order dated 13 March 2026. The new bands took effect on 1 April 2026.

The practical effect is large. Take a single-outlet restaurant in Gomti Nagar turning over ₹80 lakh a year (an example). It needed a State Licence before April. It now qualifies for Basic Registration, which is cheaper and asks for far fewer papers.

The split of live licences shows where most businesses land. As on 30 June 2026 there were 61.79 lakh registrations in force, against 11.63 lakh State Licences and 91,005 Central Licences. Registration is the common case, and the April change moved more businesses into it.

Turnover is not the only trigger. Importers, exporters and operators at ports and airports need a Central Licence whatever their revenue. So does the head office of a business operating in two or more states, even though its individual outlets are licensed on their own turnover.

If you run several formats, our guide to restaurant licences in India covers what else sits alongside FSSAI.

Documents to Keep Ready Before You Start

Uploading as you go is where most applications stall. Scan these first, as clear PDFs or JPEGs under the size limit the portal states:

• Photo identity and address proof of the proprietor, partners or directors
• Proof that you occupy the premises: rent agreement, utility bill or ownership document
• A passport-size photograph of the applicant
• Layout plan of the premises, required for manufacturing and some State Licence categories
• List of food categories you intend to handle
• Water test report, where your process uses water as an ingredient
• Partnership deed, certificate of incorporation or similar constitution document

A cloud kitchen in a shared facility often needs the facility owner’s consent letter too. Our cloud kitchen licences guide sets that out in more detail.

How to Apply on the FoSCoS Portal in 7 Steps

The portal follows the same order for every applicant. Work through it once and the second outlet takes half the time.

1. Confirm which licence you need. The FoSCoS home page carries an “Eligibility of your food business” search. Enter your business kind and turnover and it tells you whether you fall under registration, State or Central, so you are not guessing at the category.
2. Create your account. Use “Login Food Businesses” and sign up with a mobile number and email you will keep access to. Every update on the file goes to that number, so avoid using a manager’s personal phone.
3. Start a new application. Choose “Apply for New License/Registration”, then pick your state, district and the business kind. The portal decides which form you get from these answers.
4. Fill the form. Registration applicants complete Form A; licence applicants complete Form B. Enter the premises address exactly as it appears on your occupancy proof, because a mismatch here is the most common reason a file comes back.
5. Upload your documents. Attach the papers from the list above. Check each upload opens after it attaches, since a corrupted scan reads as a missing document to the officer reviewing it.
6. Pay the fee. The portal shows the exact amount for your category before payment and accepts net banking, card and UPI. Street food vendors and hawkers are exempt from the registration fee altogether.
7. Note your reference number and track it. Submission generates an application reference number. Use “Track Application” with that number to see whether the file is under scrutiny, awaiting a document or approved.

Low-risk businesses can also use Tatkal issuance, available since 28 June 2024, which returns the licence far faster. It covers wholesalers, distributors, retailers, transporters, importers and merchant-exporters.

Why FSSAI Applications Get Rejected

Most files that come back fail on paperwork rather than on the licence category. These are the ones worth checking twice before you submit.

• The address does not match. The premises address on Form A or Form B has to read the same as the one on your rent agreement or utility bill, down to the shop number.
• The wrong business kind is selected. Pick “restaurant” when you actually run a cloud kitchen and the portal opens the wrong form, which the officer will send back.
• A document will not open. Upload a scan that is cropped, password-protected or corrupted and it reads as a missing document.
• The food category list is too narrow. List only what you sell today and you will file a modification the first time you add a new range.
• Other approvals are missing. FSSAI is one of several clearances, and a fire or health trade licence may be checked at inspection.

What an FSSAI Licence Costs

Fees are charged per year and depend on the kind of business you run, not on turnover alone.

Treat these as the starting point. Read the figure the portal shows before you pay, because the kind of business you pick changes it.

Street vendors listed under the Street Vendors Act, 2014 also get deemed registration. That saves them from signing up twice, once with the municipal body and again with FSSAI.

What Changed in 2026: Perpetual Validity

The second change matters more than the first for anyone already licensed. Licences and registrations used to run for one to five years and needed renewing before they lapsed.

That cycle is gone. FSSAI has introduced perpetual validity, so a licence now stays valid instead of running out on a date. It is one of a wider set of changes the health ministry notified in 2026.

Two cautions. The new rule looks forward, so a licence that has already lapsed still goes through the old renewal route. And it drops the renewal, not the rules: your premises, hygiene and record-keeping duties carry on as before.

After the Licence Arrives

Print the certificate and display it at the premises where customers can see it. The 14-digit FSSAI number then has to appear on your bills. It also belongs on your menu card, alongside the veg and non-veg marks the FSSAI labelling regulations require.

Getting that number onto every bill is a billing setup job rather than a compliance one. A restaurant POS carries the licence number on every printed and digital bill once you enter it during setup. Our restaurant bill format template shows where it belongs on the bill.

Diarise nothing for renewal, but do keep the login working. FSSAI reaches you about an inspection or a query through the mobile number and email on the account. Recovering a dead login is slower than keeping it alive.

Conclusion

Applying on FoSCoS is a paperwork job, not a technical one. Check your band against the new ₹1.5 crore and ₹50 crore limits, scan every document before you begin, and keep the reference number safe.

The 2026 changes work in your favour: a lower category for many businesses, and no renewal to diarise. If you were quoted a State Licence last year on the old ₹12 lakh limit, it is worth rechecking where you now sit before you apply again.

Once the number is issued, get it onto your bills and menu on day one. Petpooja POSS holds the licence number in your outlet setup, so every bill carries it without anyone remembering to type it.

Frequently Asked Questions