FSSAI Registration vs State Licence vs Central Licence: Which One Do You Need?

The 2026 comparison table

The turnover order is effective from 1 April 2026. The following table summarises its general bands; apply them through the detailed KoB eligibility table. Official turnover order.

Think of the turnover bands as a sorting step after activity identification. They should not be used to decide that every business below the first boundary qualifies for registration. The distinction matters most when the business imports food, operates through a specialised manufacturing route or combines several functions.

The activity exceptions that change the answer

The revised table lists Importer, E-Commerce, proprietary-food manufacturing, supplements/nutraceuticals and non-specified foods under Central licensing without a turnover threshold restriction. A multi-state Head Office/Registered Office has a separate Central row. Clubs/canteens and caterers have distinct rows too. Check the complete April 2026 KoB table.

The practical lesson is to describe your role precisely. Selling through an online marketplace and operating an e-commerce food business are questions that need factual assessment. Record who owns the stock, who takes orders, who handles the food and which entity provides the platform. Do not jump from “I use the internet” to an unsupported licensing conclusion.

Similarly, “catering,” “home kitchen” and “restaurant” should not be treated as interchangeable labels. How meals are prepared, supplied and served can help establish the correct row. If the business fits an exception, document the row that applies instead of trying to fit it into a generic turnover calculator.

How to choose the right category in practice

Use a short decision worksheet. The aim is to make the conclusion reproducible: another person should be able to read your business description, identify the same issues and understand why the selected row fits.

1. Identify the applicant. Record the legal entity or individual, rather than only the consumer-facing brand.
2. Describe each premises. Note the address, the operation at the site and the entity responsible for it.
3. List actual activities. Distinguish making food, repacking it, importing it, storing it and selling it.
4. Review product classification. For a manufacturer, identify whether the proposed range belongs to a specialised product route.
5. Read the matching KoB row. Check its exceptions before applying a turnover boundary.
6. Confirm in the current FoSCoS application. Investigate a discrepancy instead of selecting a convenient alternative.

Give the worksheet a review date. Revisit it if the operation changes. A company that initially sells finished products may later start repacking; a local brand may later import an ingredient or launch a supplement range. Reusing the first conclusion without reviewing those changes can create a gap between the paperwork and the real business.

Worked scenarios: the facts that matter

These examples show a method, not a regulatory determination for a reader's business. A useful assessment states its assumptions. If a missing fact could change the answer, make that fact an action item rather than concealing the uncertainty.

How should existing businesses approach the 2026 transition?

The implementation FAQ describes migration based on self-declarations, preservation of the existing number, no migration fee for the revised thresholds and adjustment of prepaid fees. Check the actual FoSCoS account for the transition position of your certificate. See the official migration FAQ.

Before making a declaration, collect the relevant business information and review whether the activity itself has changed. A reduction in expected eligibility category does not answer a question about a new product, another premises or an inaccurate activity entry. Keep those issues distinct in the work plan.

Save the certificate and account status before and after any transition action. This provides a reference when communicating with suppliers, marketplaces or internal teams. If different systems display conflicting information, investigate which document and status each system is using.

Does a Central licence automatically cover the whole business?

A Central licence should not be treated as a general pass for every entity, location and product associated with a brand. Review the actual certificate and the arrangements at each site. Map the manufacturing partner, brand owner, importer and warehouse where relevant.

For a company operating in several places, prepare a table with one row per location. Add the legal operator, the activities, the authorisation currently held and the questions requiring review. This is more useful than an inventory of certificate numbers without context.

If the brand uses a contract manufacturer, obtain the manufacturer details and describe the contractual responsibilities. The brand's commercial relationship with the factory should be understandable from the evidence. The factory's certificate does not, by itself, resolve every regulatory question for the brand.

Choose assistance by scope, after eligibility

Compare consultancy proposals against the work you need. A proposal should identify the applicant and site, the activity assessment, the document preparation, the filing support and the handling of queries. Ask what additional work would be charged if the first business description turns out to be incomplete.

myfoodlicense.com provides State licence application support and multiple-KoB assessment. The assessment is useful when the business combines functions or when a short turnover-based answer would leave important facts unresolved.

Once the route is agreed, use the document preparation guide and the government-versus-professional fee guide to prepare the application. This keeps category selection, evidence and cost planning connected without allowing the cheapest quotation to decide the legal route.

Download a preparation worksheet

Use this worksheet to organise the facts and evidence for the decisions described in this guide.

Download the preparation worksheet