FSSAI licence for a cloud kitchen.
A cloud kitchen needs an FSSAI Registration at ₹100 a year if its turnover is up to ₹1.5 crore, a State Licence at ₹5,000 up to ₹50 crore, and a Central Licence at ₹7,500 above that. The licence belongs to the kitchen, not the brand: one kitchen, one licence, however many brands cook there.
Apply under the Restaurants kind of business on FoSCoS — FSSAI’s definition includes take-out and food delivery. Up to ₹1.5 crore turnover: Registration, ₹100 a year. ₹1.5–50 crore: State Licence, ₹5,000 a year. Above ₹50 crore: Central Licence, ₹7,500. Kitchens in two or more states also need a head-office Central Licence.
Which FSSAI licence a cloud kitchen needs.
| Annual turnover | You need | Government fee (to FSSAI) | Our filing fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to ₹1.5 crore | Registration | ₹100 a year | ₹4,500 |
| ₹1.5 crore – ₹50 crore | 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
- Restaurants, under Food Services — FSSAI's definition covers take-out and food delivery, as listed on FoSCoS
- Head Office (Central Licence, no turnover threshold) — only if you run kitchens in two or more states
- E-Commerce (Central) — only if you also sell through your own online platform; see the FAQ on your own ordering app
2026 tablePer FSSAI’s table updated 01.04.2026. We confirm your kind of business before filing.
What a cloud kitchen 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.
One licence per kitchen, not per brand
FSSAI licences are premise-based: every food activity at one address goes on a single licence. Five virtual brands cooked in one kitchen share that kitchen's licence. A second kitchen in another part of the city is a second premises and needs its own application.
FSSAI Licensing FAQ Q1 (21.06.2021)Cloud kitchens are expressly covered
FSSAI's FAQ asks whether cloud kitchens with no seating need a licence or registration, and answers yes, as per the eligibility criteria. Having no dining room does not change the tier. Turnover does.
FSSAI Licensing FAQ Q77; KoB table 01.04.2026, Restaurants rowYour number has to show on every delivery listing
FSSAI has told e-commerce food businesses that no seller may be listed without its valid FSSAI licence or registration displayed, and that platforms should prominently display sellers' licence numbers and hygiene ratings. Your number is what the aggregator publishes.
FSSAI e-commerce advisory, 03.12.2024More than one state adds a head-office licence
Kitchens in two or more states need a Central Licence for the head office, at ₹7,500 a year, on top of the licence or registration each kitchen already holds.
FSSAI Licensing FAQ Q31; KoB table 01.04.2026, Head Office rowHygiene: Schedule 4 Part I or Part II
On a Registration you follow Schedule 4 Part I: clean, lit and ventilated premises, potable water, clean aprons, gloves and head wear, and no one with an infectious disease handling food. On a State or Central Licence you follow Part II, which adds a yearly medical fitness certificate for food handlers.
Schedule 4, Part I cl. 3, 6, 12, 13; Part II 10.1.2One trained supervisor per 25 food handlers
Every kitchen needs one FoSTaC-trained supervisor for each 25 food handlers, at all times. A busy multi-brand kitchen running two shifts should count per shift, which is our reading of "at all times".
FSSAI order 02.11.2017Menu calorie display once you scale
Menu labelling under the Labelling & Display Regulations binds food service establishments that hold a Central Licence or have outlets at 10 or more locations. A 25% deviation is tolerated on declared nutrition. Whether 10 delivery-only kitchens count as 10 outlets is not spelt out; our reading is yes, so plan for it.
Labelling & Display Regulations 2020, food service establishment display provisionsA display board, even with no customers walking in
Every premises must show the Food Safety Display Board with its licence or registration number. FSSAI publishes a sector board for restaurants, which is the one that fits a cloud kitchen.
FSSAI order 19.09.2018What 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- Proof of possession of the kitchen itself — rent or lease agreement, ownership papers or the owner's NOC. The address on the licence is where food is cooked, not your office
- List of the food items the kitchen prepares, across all brands
- Photograph of the proprietor (Registration)
- Form B signed by the proprietor, a partner or a director (State or Central Licence)
- Constitution of the business — partnership deed, MoA/AoA or incorporation certificate (State or Central Licence)
- Food Safety Management System (FSMS) plan (State or Central Licence)
- Nomination of a responsible person, Form IX, if the kitchen is run by a company
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 cloud kitchen licences.
A licence covers one premises. Opening a second kitchen and pointing its listings at the first kitchen's number means the second kitchen is trading without a licence of its own.
The licence has to describe the place where food is prepared. If you cook in a rented or shared kitchen, that address is the premises on the application.
The platform holds its own licence for its own operation. FSSAI's advisory makes the platform display yours, which means you need one before you list.
Licences no longer expire, but an unpaid annual fee means the licence is deemed suspended, with no notice. During suspension you may not trade, and that includes delivery orders.
Your cloud kitchen 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 cloud kitchen: questions
Is FSSAI license mandatory for a cloud kitchen?
Yes. FSSAI's own FAQ asks whether cloud kitchens with no seating need a licence or registration and answers yes, as per the eligibility criteria. Food delivery platforms are also told not to list a seller without a valid number. Running a food business that needs a licence without one can draw up to six months' imprisonment and a fine up to ₹5 lakh (FSS Act s.63).
What is the FSSAI license fee for a cloud kitchen?
The government fee depends on turnover: ₹100 a year for a Registration up to ₹1.5 crore, ₹5,000 a year for a State Licence up to ₹50 crore, ₹7,500 a year for a Central Licence above that. You pay it straight to FSSAI. Our fee is ₹4,500 for a Registration, ₹12,500 for a State Licence and ₹19,500 for a Central Licence, one-time plus GST. There is no renewal fee any more; the annual fee keeps the licence valid.
Which FSSAI category is a cloud kitchen?
Restaurants, under Food Services on FoSCoS. The 01.04.2026 table defines a restaurant as a food service operation that prepares and serves food and drinks for money, and says it may offer take-out and food delivery. For food categories, pick the kinds of dishes you actually cook. Add Head Office only if you operate kitchens in two or more states.
Can I get an FSSAI license for a cloud kitchen run from home?
Yes. A home kitchen can be the registered premises, with a Registration at ₹100 a year while turnover stays under ₹1.5 crore. You give proof that you can use the address and follow Schedule 4 Part I hygiene. Housing society rules and municipal permissions are outside FSSAI; they vary by city and state, so check them locally.
What documents are required for a cloud kitchen FSSAI license?
For a Registration: your photograph, photo ID, proof of possession of the kitchen and a list of the food you prepare. For a State or Central Licence, add Form B, the constitution of the business, an FSMS plan and, for companies, a Form IX nomination. The kitchen's own address goes on the application, not a registered office.
How do I apply for an FSSAI license for my cloud kitchen online?
Everything is filed on foscos.fssai.gov.in, FSSAI's official portal, so there is no office to visit and no need for someone "near me". The 2026 amendment provides for instant registration where a Registration application is complete. A State or Central Licence goes to the licensing authority for review. We file on your own FoSCoS login, so the licence stays in your name and your account.
What is the cloud kitchen license cost in Bangalore, Mumbai or Delhi?
FSSAI's fee is the same in every state: ₹100, ₹5,000 or ₹7,500 a year depending on turnover. What changes city to city are local permissions such as trade, fire or shop licences, which are set by municipal and state bodies and vary. We don't quote those. A licence for Dubai is a different country's system and not covered here.
Do I need a separate licence to sell through my own ordering app or website?
Possibly. FSSAI's FAQ says businesses selling through their own e-commerce platform also need a licence under the e-commerce category, and e-commerce is Central at any turnover. Whether a restaurant's own ordering page counts as its own platform is not clearly settled. Our reading is to ask the licensing authority before launching, and we can raise it for you.
Get your cloud kitchen 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.