FSSAI Registration
FSSAI Basic Registration is the mandatory food-safety registration for food business operators with an annual turnover up to ₹1.5 crore, filed through Form A on the FoSCoS portal. It carries a government fee of ₹100 per year and, for registrations granted from 1 April 2026 onward, perpetual validity with no renewal cycle. FirstMan's professional fee starts at ₹2,999.00, separate from the government fee.
Written by the FirstMan compliance desk. Last updated: September 2026.
The ₹100/year government fee is separate from the ₹2,999.00 professional fee. If your turnover is closer to, or above, ₹1.5 crore, tell us before we file — Basic Registration is the wrong category for a State License-eligible business, and choosing it anyway causes a rejection, not just a warning.
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Documents
Documents to prepare.
We confirm the final checklist for your case. The standard starting set is:
PAN Card
Address proof of food business
Passport-size photograph
How it works
A controlled four-stage process.
Category and turnover check
We confirm your annual turnover genuinely falls within the ₹1.5 crore Basic Registration band — above that, you'd need a State License instead, a different filing entirely.
Form A preparation
We prepare your business details, food category, and operator information for the simplified Form A application.
FoSCoS filing and fee payment
The application is filed online, and the ₹100/year government fee is paid and confirmed as reflecting on the portal.
Certificate issuance
Once the Designated Officer approves the application, your registration certificate is issued with your 14-digit FSSAI number.
Step by step
A realistic day-by-day timeline.
| Day | Milestone |
|---|---|
| Day 1-2 | Turnover/category check confirmed; Form A and documents prepared |
| Day 3 | Application filed on FoSCoS; ₹100/year government fee paid |
| Day 3-7 | Designated Officer reviews the application (up to 30 days if a query is raised and not promptly answered) |
| Day 7 | Registration certificate issued, on a clean, query-free filing |
This timeline assumes complete, correctly formatted documents on Day 1. Name conflicts or incomplete address proof add 3 to 7 days for resubmission.
What you receive
A defined outcome, not just a submission.
An FSSAI Basic Registration certificate with a 14-digit registration number
Compliance with Section 31 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, avoiding the Section 63 penalty for operating unregistered
A registration number to display at your premises and print on packaging, as required
Included in the engagement
- Turnover check to confirm Basic Registration, not a State or Central License, is the correct category for you
- Form A preparation and filing on the FoSCoS portal
- Government fee (₹100/year) payment coordination
- Document review before upload to prevent the most common rejection triggers
- WhatsApp progress updates through certificate issuance
Best suited for
- Food businesses with annual turnover up to ₹1.5 crore — home kitchens, small manufacturers, petty food retailers, and single-outlet food service operators
- Businesses that need FSSAI compliance before they can legally sell, store, distribute, or manufacture any food product
- Operators who've outgrown a purely informal setup and need registration before a platform, distributor, or landlord will work with them
Avoid a rejected application
Why FSSAI applications get rejected, and how we prevent it.
Blurry or unreadable document uploads
A common, entirely avoidable rejection trigger. We check every scan before it's submitted.
Name or address mismatches
Your ID proof, business address, and application details must all agree exactly.
Wrong category chosen
Applying for Basic Registration when your turnover actually needs a State License. We confirm your turnover band before filing, not after a rejection.
Turnover misdeclaration without supporting proof
Where a CA certificate is required to support a declared turnover figure, a missing or mismatched one is a common rejection trigger.
No response to a Designated Officer's query within 30 days
The system auto-rejects the application if you don't respond in time. We track every query and respond well inside the window.
Payment not reflecting within the stipulated FoSCoS window
The application is auto-rejected if the fee doesn't show up on the portal in time. We confirm payment reflects before treating the filing as complete.
After registration
What keeps your registration valid.
| Milestone | Due by | Penalty for missing it |
|---|---|---|
| Display of registration certificate/number | At all times, at your business premises | Can attract a compliance notice during an inspection |
| Printing your FSSAI number on food packaging | On every applicable product label | Non-compliance is itself a labelling violation |
| Renewal, for pre-1 April 2026 registrations | Before your original validity term ends | A lapsed registration is treated the same as operating unregistered |
| Upgrading to a State License | As soon as turnover crosses ₹1.5 crore | Continuing on Basic Registration above the threshold is itself a violation |
Filed with the Tamil Nadu Food Safety Department.
Basic Registration for a Chennai or Tamil Nadu food business is processed by the state's Designated Officer for your area. We confirm the correct jurisdiction before filing so the application reaches the right desk, and can coordinate document handover at our Anna Nagar West office if you'd rather do that than scan everything yourself.
Scope
What the ₹2,999.00 fee includes and excludes.
Basic Registration's government fee is small and fixed, so this split is about what's a one-time filing task versus what stays a separate engagement if your business grows past the ₹1.5 crore threshold.
Included
- Turnover and category check
- Form A preparation and filing
- Government fee (₹100/year) payment coordination
- Document review before submission
- Registration certificate handover
- WhatsApp progress updates through certificate issuance
Not included, billed separately
- •Upgrade to a State or Central License, if turnover crosses the threshold
- •Renewal filing for pre-1 April 2026 registrations approaching expiry
- •Food safety compliance audits or on-site inspection readiness
- •Packaging/labelling compliance review beyond the FSSAI number requirement
Total cost of ownership
What this actually costs in year one.
Basic Registration's government fee is genuinely small — the cost that actually catches food businesses out is staying on Basic Registration after their turnover has crossed into State License territory.
| Cost head | When | Typical range | In ₹2,999.00 fee? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Professional fee (registration) | At filing | ₹2,999.00 | Yes |
| Government fee | Per year of validity chosen | ₹100/year | No, statutory |
| State License, if turnover crosses ₹1.5 crore later | At the time of crossing | ₹2,000 – ₹5,000/year | No, a separate filing |
| Renewal, for registrations issued before 1 April 2026 | Before the original validity term expires | Same ₹100/year rate, for the renewed term | No |
Registrations issued from 1 April 2026 carry perpetual validity and never need renewal; ones issued before that date keep their original 1-to-5-year term and must still be renewed on schedule.
Questions
Before you proceed.
What turnover qualifies for Basic Registration versus a full License?+
Basic Registration covers annual turnover up to ₹1.5 crore. Above that, up to ₹50 crore needs a State License, and above ₹50 crore — or for specific categories like importers — needs a Central License.
What's the real penalty for operating without FSSAI?+
Under Section 63 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006: imprisonment up to 6 months and a fine up to ₹5 lakh, for any person who manufactures, sells, stores, distributes, or imports food without the required registration or license.
Is there really no full exemption for very small food businesses?+
Correct — every food business needs at least Basic Registration; there's no informal-operation exemption. Only the category, Registration versus License, changes with your turnover and business type.
Does my FSSAI registration expire?+
Registrations granted from 1 April 2026 carry perpetual validity with no renewal. Ones granted before that date keep their original 1-to-5-year term and must be renewed on schedule.
What if I chose a validity term before the perpetual-validity rule applied?+
You keep that original term and need to renew it as scheduled. The perpetual-validity rule applies to registrations granted from 1 April 2026 onward, not retroactively.
What happens if the Designated Officer asks a question about my application?+
You get 30 days to respond. Missing that window leads to automatic rejection, and you'd need to reapply.
What if my payment doesn't reflect on the FoSCoS portal in time?+
The application is automatically rejected. We confirm your payment reflects on the portal before treating the filing as complete.
Can I run a home-based food business — a cloud kitchen or tiffin service — on Basic Registration?+
Yes, as long as your turnover stays within ₹1.5 crore. The category depends on turnover and business type, not on whether you have a commercial kitchen.
Do I need to display my FSSAI number anywhere?+
Yes, at your business premises and on the packaging or labelling of every applicable food product.
What happens if my turnover crosses ₹1.5 crore after I register?+
You need to upgrade to a State License. Continuing to operate on Basic Registration above the threshold is itself a compliance violation.
Is a CA certificate required for FSSAI registration?+
Not always — but where your declared turnover needs supporting proof, an unsupported or mismatched figure is a common rejection trigger. We confirm what your specific application needs.
How long does FSSAI Basic Registration actually take?+
Typically 7 business days for a clean, query-free filing; longer if the Designated Officer raises a query, since you then have up to 30 days to respond.
Can I get FSSAI registration entirely online?+
Yes, the entire Form A application is filed online through FoSCoS. Some Designated Officers may still request an in-person visit depending on your food category and premises.
What if I actually need a State or Central License instead — can FirstMan help with that too?+
Yes. FSSAI State License and FSSAI Central License are separate engagements for businesses above the ₹1.5 crore Basic Registration threshold — talk to us and we'll confirm which one actually fits your turnover.
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