Do I need FSSAI for a home kitchen?
Know which FSSAI registration a home food business needs, what it costs and how to apply.
5 min read
If you make, sell, store or serve food — including from your own kitchen at home — you need to be registered with FSSAI, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. Home bakers, tiffin services, pickle makers and cloud kitchens all fall under it. The good news for most home businesses is that what you need is a simple registration, not a full licence, and it is cheap to get.
This applies whether you are about to take your first order or have been selling to neighbours for a while without one.
Registration or licence?
Which one you need depends on your annual turnover:
| Your turnover in a year | What you need |
|---|---|
| Up to ₹1.5 crore | FSSAI registration |
| From ₹1.5 crore to ₹50 crore | State licence |
| Above ₹50 crore | Central licence |
Importers, exporters and some other activities need a central licence whatever their size.
The registration limit was raised from ₹12 lakh to ₹1.5 crore on 1 April 2026, so many businesses that needed a licence before now need only a registration.
Older articles and many agents still quote the ₹12 lakh limit. It changed on 1 April 2026. If someone tells you a small home kitchen needs a state licence, ask what they are reading from.
What it costs
The government fee for registration is ₹100. Licences cost more, depending on the category.
Registrations and licences issued from 1 April 2026 do not need renewing.
What you need to apply
For a registration:
- Photo ID of the applicant (Aadhaar or PAN)
- Photograph of the applicant
- Proof of the premises: a rent agreement, or an electricity bill
- A list of the food products you will make or sell
- For a partnership or company: the partnership deed or certificate of incorporation
For a licence, you also need a layout plan of the unit, a list of equipment, a water test report and the food safety plan.
For a home kitchen, the electricity bill for your home is usually the simplest proof of premises. If the bill is in a family member's name, keep a note of how they are related to you in case you are asked.
How to apply
- Go to FoSCoS, the FSSAI portal, at foscos.fssai.gov.in.
- Choose Form A for a registration (Form B is for a licence).
- Fill in your details, list your food products and upload the documents.
- Pay the fee online.
Apply on the government portal yourself. Agents and websites that charge a fee are not the government.
Once you have it
Print your FSSAI number on your labels and menu. It is checked — by inspectors, by delivery apps that list food businesses, and increasingly by customers who look for it.
Keep the certificate somewhere you can find it, and update your registration if you change your address or add new kinds of food.
Other registrations a home food business may need
FSSAI is about food safety. It does not replace your other registrations. Depending on what you sell and how much, you may also want Udyam registration for bank loans and schemes, or need GST registration. The checklist tool tells you which apply and what each one asks for.
Open the registration checklists below to see the FSSAI documents as a checklist, alongside the other registrations a new business usually needs.
Rules checked on 23 September 2026 against foscos.fssai.gov.in.