Last reviewed: 12 August 2026. Everything about FSSAI got simpler in 2026 — licences became perpetual, and the registration band widened to ₹1.5 crore — but the application itself still rewards doing it right the first time. Roughly half the delays we see are self-inflicted: the wrong form, the wrong kind of business selected, or a revert that sat unanswered. This is the complete FoSCoS journey — Form A or Form B, fees, scrutiny, inspection, timelines and the Tatkal shortcut — written as a checklist you can follow while applying.
The seven steps, in order
- Fix your band and kind of business first. Aggregate annual turnover decides Registration (≤ ₹1.5 crore) vs State (to ₹50 crore) vs Central (above) — but several activities need the Central licence irrespective of turnover: importers, exporters, e-commerce food operations, and units in central government premises among them. The kind-of-business selection also decides which Schedule 4 conditions attach to you, so this one dropdown deserves ten quiet minutes. Our 2026 threshold guide maps the bands.
- Create the FoSCoS account. Business PAN, working email and mobile (OTP-verified) — the same contact details that will receive every query and revert, so use an inbox someone actually reads.
- Fill Form A or Form B. Premises address (matching the proof you will upload), food categories/products, production capacity for manufacturers, water source, and the responsible person's details. Multi-unit businesses: each premises needs its own registration or licence — plus a Central licence for the head office where units operate in more than one state.
- Upload the document set. The full checklist by category is in our documents guide — the recurring essentials are photo ID, premises proof, and for manufacturers the layout plan, equipment list, water test report and product list. Name spellings must match across PAN, proofs and the form: mismatch is the single biggest revert trigger.
- Pay the fee. ₹100 / ₹2,000–₹5,000 / ₹7,500 per year by band. Since April 2026 there is no validity period to choose and no renewal — the certificate is perpetual, and the annual fee simply recurs (miss it and the licence is treated as suspended — the cliff explained in our post-licence compliance guide).
- Scrutiny, queries and inspection. The authority examines the application and either processes it, raises a query/revert, or orders a pre-grant inspection (routine for manufacturing categories; increasingly targeted elsewhere under the 2026 risk-based framework). Answer reverts completely and inside the window given — half-answers restart the clock, and lapsed reverts kill applications. Our rejection-and-revert guide dissects the usual findings.
- Download the certificate. The 14-digit FSSAI number arrives on FoSCoS. Display the certificate at the premises, print the number on labels and — since it became an invoice requirement — on bills and cash memos. Then move straight to the day-2 obligations: FoSTaC supervisors, testing calendars and display boards.
Timelines — statutory frame vs practical experience
| Application | Statutory frame | What we see in practice |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Registration (Form A) | Decision within 7 days; where inspection is ordered, within 30 days of it | Same-day to ~2 weeks |
| Tatkal route (eligible low-risk businesses) | System-granted on self-declaration | Minutes to hours |
| State licence (Form B) | Framework of up to 60 days including inspection | ~3–6 weeks |
| Central licence (Form B) | ~4–8 weeks |
The regulations also carry a deemed-commencement principle — where nothing at all is communicated within the statutory window, the applicant may commence business. Treat that as a legal position to take with advice and a paper trail, not an operating default: it sits badly with inspectors, and a clean grant is always the stronger foundation.
The Tatkal shortcut
For low-risk kinds of business — traders, retailers, wholesalers, distributors, transporters, storage without manufacturing — FoSCoS offers Tatkal registration/licensing: self-declaration in, certificate out, near-instantly, with verification following later. Under the 2026 framework Tatkal grants are perpetual like every other. It is the right route for marketplace onboarding deadlines (Swiggy/Zomato/quick-commerce listings) — with the caveat that the self-declared facts will eventually be tested, so declare accurately.
Mistakes that cost weeks
- Applying for a State licence when the widened ₹1.5-crore registration band now covers you — paying 20–50× the fee for conditions you did not need (and the reverse: exporters applying for registration when the Central licence is mandatory regardless of turnover).
- Kind-of-business selections that do not match reality — a cloud kitchen filed as a retailer inherits the wrong Schedule 4 part and fails its first inspection.
- Premises proof, PAN and form spellings that do not match — the classic revert.
- Reverts answered partially, or after the window — applications lapse quietly.
- One licence stretched across multiple premises "for now" — each unit needs its own.
- Forgetting the certificate is only day one — the fee, returns, training and testing stack starts immediately.
Frequently asked questions
Form A or Form B — which FSSAI application do I file?
Form A is the Basic Registration application, for businesses with aggregate annual turnover up to ₹1.5 crore from 1 April 2026. Form B covers both the State licence (above ₹1.5 crore and up to ₹50 crore) and the Central licence (above ₹50 crore — and mandatory irrespective of turnover for special categories such as importers, exporters and e-commerce food operations).
What does FSSAI registration cost in 2026?
Government fees are ₹100 a year for Basic Registration, ₹2,000–₹5,000 a year for a State licence depending on the kind of business, and ₹7,500 a year for a Central licence. There is no renewal fee any more — certificates are perpetual and the annual fee recurs.
How long does FSSAI registration take?
Basic Registration works to a 7-day decision framework (30 days where an inspection is ordered) and is often faster; Tatkal-eligible traders can see near-instant grants. Licences work within an up-to-60-day framework including inspection — practically three to eight weeks depending on band and category.
Is an inspection compulsory before the licence is granted?
Not universally. Pre-grant inspections are routine for manufacturing and processing categories and are otherwise ordered selectively — increasingly on risk logic. Being inspection-ready at application (layout, hygiene, water report, records) is cheaper than being surprised after a grant, since the 2026 risk-based framework keeps inspecting the same things.
What is the Tatkal FSSAI route and who can use it?
A self-declaration-based instant grant on FoSCoS for low-risk kinds of business — traders, retailers, wholesalers, distributors, transporters and non-manufacturing storage. The certificate arrives near-instantly and is perpetual like any other; verification can follow, so the declarations must be accurate.
Can a CA firm file the FSSAI application for us?
Yes — this is authorised-representative work we do end-to-end: band and kind-of-business determination, FoSCoS filing with a document set that matches across PAN, proofs and form, revert handling within windows, inspection preparation, and the handover into the compliance calendar (fee, returns, FoSTaC, testing) the moment the certificate arrives.
We determine the right band and kind of business, file Form A/B on FoSCoS with a mismatch-proof document set, handle reverts and inspection prep, and set up the day-2 compliance calendar.
FSSAI Registration & Licence IEC & AD Code (Food Exporters) Talk to usThis article is general information as on 12 August 2026, based on the FSS Act, 2006, the Licensing and Registration Regulations as amended in 2026 and FoSCoS practice. Timelines are frameworks and practical ranges, not commitments — grant and its timing rest with the authority. Confirm the current position on FoSCoS or take advice before acting.