FSSAI licence for a catering business.
A caterer cannot use an FSSAI Registration at any turnover: the smallest option is a State Licence at ₹5,000 a year, up to ₹50 crore turnover, and a Central Licence at ₹7,500 above that. That applies to a one-person caterer working from a home kitchen as much as to a large banqueting firm.
Apply under the Caterer kind of business. Up to ₹50 crore turnover it is a State Licence at ₹5,000 a year; above ₹50 crore, a Central Licence at ₹7,500. There is no Registration tier for caterers, however small. Catering at Central Government establishments and at railway stations has its own Central rows.
Which FSSAI licence a catering business needs.
| Annual turnover | You need | Government fee (to FSSAI) | Our filing fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to ₹50 crore (no Registration option) | State Licence | ₹5,000 a year | ₹12,500 |
| Above ₹50 crore | Central Licence | ₹7,500 a year | ₹19,500 |
Per FSSAI’s kind-of-business table updated 01.04.2026. Our fee is one-time plus GST. Operating in two or more States/UTs adds a head-office Central Licence (₹7,500 a year).
What to choose on FoSCoS
- Caterer, under Food Services, as listed on FoSCoS — preparing, storing, serving or transporting food for a group at the venue of a ceremony or celebration
- Mid-day Meal Caterer — preparing and transporting food to institutions under the mid-day meal scheme (State up to ₹50 crore, Central above)
- Central Government Agencies — catering services such as departmental canteens at Central Government institutions (Central Registration ₹100 up to ₹1.5 crore; Central Licence ₹2,000 above)
- Railway Stations — caterers at station premises (Central Registration [Railways] up to ₹1.5 crore; Central Licence ₹2,000 above)
2026 tablePer FSSAI’s table updated 01.04.2026. We confirm your kind of business before filing.
What a catering business has to get right.
Each point comes with the regulation, order or FSSAI document behind it. Where FSSAI hasn’t spelt something out, we say it’s our reading.
No Registration route for caterers
The Caterer row starts at a State Licence. The 2026 amendment's new definition of a petty food business expressly excludes caterers, so even a very small caterer cannot use the ₹100 Registration.
KoB table 01.04.2026, Caterer row; reg. 1.2.1(4) as substituted 10.03.2026Hot above 65 °C, cold at 5 °C or below
FSSAI's catering guidance says high-risk food should be held at 5 °C or below or at 65 °C and above. Hot food below 65 °C must be eaten within 2 hours. Cold food may sit between 5 °C and 10 °C for up to 2 hours, once.
FSSAI Catering Guidance 19.01.2018, 2.6.2(g), (k), (l)Two hours from kitchen to plate
High-risk food should reach the point of consumption within 2 hours of preparation, held at 65 °C in transport, or chilled to 5 °C or below and kept there. This is the rule that decides how far from the venue you can cook.
FSSAI Catering Guidance, 2.8(d)–(e)Reheat once, then discard
Reheat directly, on a stove or in a microwave, heating food uniformly for at least 2 minutes. Meat, poultry, fish and gravies are reheated only once, and what's left after that is thrown away.
FSSAI Catering Guidance, 2.5(a), (c)Keep veg and non-veg apart
Vegetarian and non-vegetarian products must not be received together. Use separate colour-coded chopping boards and knives for each.
FSSAI Catering Guidance, 2.1(j), 2.3(d)Pest control every 15 days
The guidance expects a pest control programme repeated every 15 days, and a review of the whole food safety programme at least once a year.
FSSAI Catering Guidance, 2.2(b) and section 2Annual medicals and FoSTaC
Food handlers need a medical examination by a registered medical practitioner every year. You need one FoSTaC-trained supervisor for each 25 food handlers at all times, including the extra hands you bring on for a big event.
FSSAI Catering Guidance 4.1(a); Schedule 4, Part II 10.1.2; FSSAI order 02.11.2017What you’ll be asked for.
On top of the owner’s photo ID and address proof. FoSCoS asks per kind of business, so we send you the exact list for yours before you gather anything.
Full documents checklist- Form B, signed by the proprietor, a partner or a director
- Proof of possession of the base kitchen — lease, ownership papers or the owner's NOC
- Constitution of the business — partnership deed, MoA/AoA or incorporation certificate
- List of food categories you prepare
- Food Safety Management System (FSMS) plan — for a caterer, built around the hold, transport and reheat controls above
- Nomination of a responsible person, Form IX, for a company
- FoSTaC certificate for a catering-sector course — a manufacturing course doesn't cover a catering unit
The authorities around this business.
FSSAI isn’t the only door you’ll knock on. These are the bodies that usually matter for this kind of business — each links to what it does and when you’ll meet it.
See the full regulatory map
Food Safety and Standards Authority of IndiaFoSCoSCommissioner of Food SafetyDesignated Officer and Food Safety Officers
FSSAI-notified, NABL-accredited food laboratoriesFoSTaC training partnersFSSAI-recognised auditing agenciesAdjudicating Officer and Food Safety Appellate TribunalMunicipal corporation or local bodyCommon mistakes with catering business licences.
It's the most common catering mistake online, because most fee tables don't mention the exception. A caterer on a Registration holds the wrong instrument, and that counts as trading without the right licence (FSS Act s.63).
A banquet hall's licence covers the hall's food business. If you are the caterer, the food business is yours and needs your own licence.
Food that falls below 65 °C on a long drive starts the 2-hour clock. Probe and log the temperature on arrival.
Officers check that the course matches the sector. A catering unit needs a catering-sector supervisor.
Your catering business licence in three steps.
Most of the work is ours. Where something needs you, it says so — and nothing is filed without your approval.
- 1
Book a free 10-minute check
Tell us what you do. We confirm the exact kind of business, the licence and the full cost — including the exceptions most people miss.
Free · no obligation - 2
We file it on your login
You get a checklist for your business, we check every document, and we file on your own FoSCoS account. The government fee goes from you to FSSAI.
Fixed fee, in writing - 3
We keep you licensed
Fees, returns, tests, medicals, labels and inspections — dated, tracked and handled, with a short status note each month.
Ready any day
Our promises, in writing
You get the fee before we start. If the scope changes, you hear it from us before it costs you.
We file on your own FoSCoS account with your approval. Nothing to hand back if you ever leave.
Straight to FSSAI on FoSCoS. It never passes through us.
Each requirement comes with the regulation behind it — and our readings are marked as ours.
FSSAI licence for catering business: questions
Is FSSAI license mandatory for catering services?
Yes. FSSAI's own FAQ asks whether caterers at marriages and parties need a licence or registration, and answers yes, as per the eligibility criteria. Under the 01.04.2026 table that means a State Licence at minimum, because caterers have no Registration tier. Trading without the licence your business needs can draw up to six months' imprisonment and a ₹5 lakh fine (s.63).
What is the catering license cost with FSSAI?
The government fee is ₹5,000 a year for a State Licence, up to ₹50 crore turnover, or ₹7,500 a year for a Central Licence above that, paid directly to FSSAI. Our fee for a State Licence filing is ₹12,500, one-time plus GST. There is no renewal fee any more; the annual fee keeps the licence valid.
Do I need a license to cater food from home?
Yes, and it is still a State Licence, not a Registration. The home kitchen becomes the licensed premises, and a State Licence brings Schedule 4 Part II, which is fuller than the Part I that applies to registered home kitchens. Our reading: check that your kitchen can meet Part II before you apply.
What are the FSSAI requirements for caterers?
A State or Central Licence; Schedule 4 Part II hygiene; yearly medicals for food handlers; one FoSTaC supervisor per 25 handlers; and FSSAI's catering guidance: 5 °C / 65 °C holding, 2 hours from preparation to consumption, reheating once, separate veg and non-veg handling, and pest control every 15 days. Plus a display board and the annual fee.
How do I get an FSSAI license for catering services?
Apply on FoSCoS, FSSAI's official portal, for a State Licence under the Caterer kind of business, using Form B. Upload proof of the base kitchen, your constitution documents, food categories and FSMS plan, and pay ₹5,000. The State Licensing Authority reviews the application. We file on your own FoSCoS login so the licence stays in your hands.
What about catering at a government office or railway station?
Those premises have their own rows. Catering services such as departmental canteens at Central Government institutions take a Central Registration at ₹100 up to ₹1.5 crore, and a Central Licence at ₹2,000 above. Caterers at railway stations follow the same pattern under the Railways rows. Mid-day meal caterers take a State Licence up to ₹50 crore.
Does a catering license in Texas or California work the same way?
No. Those searches are about US state and county food permits, which have nothing to do with FSSAI. In India, catering is licensed under the FSS Act through FoSCoS, and the tier depends on turnover and kind of business, not on the city or state you work in.
Get your catering business licensed — and keep it that way.
Book a free 10-minute check. A person — not a bot — calls you back within working hours, tells you exactly which licence you need and what it costs, before you commit to anything.
- Government fee paid by you, directly to FSSAI
- Filed under your own FoSCoS login
- Fixed fee, confirmed in writing before we start
Not ready to talk? Get the free 2026 checklist or find your licence yourself.