FSSAI licence for dry fruits and makhana.
Selling, packing or trading dry fruits and makhana needs an FSSAI Registration at ₹100 a year up to ₹1.5 crore turnover, a State Licence at ₹5,000 up to ₹50 crore and a Central Licence at ₹7,500 above that. What you do to the product decides the kind of business: selling sealed packs is retail, filling retail packs from bulk bags is repacking, and roasting or flavouring is manufacturing.
Choose by activity: Retailer or Wholesaler for trading, Repacker for filling bulk into retail packs, General Manufacturing for roasting or flavouring. The FoSCoS food category is 4.1.2.2, dried fruit, nuts and seeds. Up to ₹1.5 crore turnover: Registration, ₹100 a year. To ₹50 crore: State Licence, ₹5,000. Above that: Central, ₹7,500. Importers need Central at any turnover.
Which FSSAI licence a dry fruits or makhana business 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
- Retailer or Wholesaler (Trade/Retail) — buying and selling packed dry fruits and makhana without opening them
- Repacker (Manufacturer section) — repacking into different sizes "without changing or affecting the nature, composition or formulation", including sorting and grading
- General Manufacturing — roasting, salting, flavouring or coating nuts and makhana; food category 4.1.2.2 Dried fruit, nuts and seeds as listed on FoSCoS, or a snack category for seasoned products
- Importer (Central at any turnover) — if you bring in nuts or dried fruit yourself
2026 tablePer FSSAI’s table updated 01.04.2026. We confirm your kind of business before filing.
What a dry fruits or makhana 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.
Repacking is a kind of business of its own
FSSAI defines a repacker as a business that repacks food into different sizes without changing its nature or composition. Its FAQ adds "minimal processing as required like sorting, grading, sieving". Opening 10 kg cartons of almonds to fill 250 g pouches is repacking, and it sits in the Manufacturer section, not in Trade.
KoB table 01.04.2026, Repacker row; FSSAI Licensing FAQ Q83 (21.07.2022)Your pack needs the full label
A repacked pouch is a pre-packaged food, so it carries every element of regulation 5 of the Labelling & Display Regulations. The brand owner's name and address come with qualifying words such as "Packed & Marketed by". The FSSAI logo and the brand owner's licence number go on the pack, plus the packer's number if the packer is someone else.
Labelling & Display Regulations 2020, reg. 5, 5(6)(a), 5(7)(b)Imported nuts packed in India show where they came from
Where food made outside India is packed in India, the label shows the country of origin, the importer's name and address, and the premises where it was packed.
Labelling & Display Regulations 2020, reg. 5(6)(b)A second law applies to packing
The Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules require packer registration within 90 days of starting to pre-pack (rule 27, ₹500 one-time), plus net quantity and MRP declared the prescribed way. The penalties and the inspectors are different from FSSAI's.
Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules 2011, rule 27Importing: Central Licence and shelf life on arrival
Importers need a Central Licence tied to their IEC, plus FSSAI clearance for each consignment. On arrival the food must have at least 60% of its shelf life left, or 3 months, whichever is less.
Food Import Regulations 2017, reg. 5(6)Flavoured makhana is a different product
Roasting makhana in oil and seasoning it is processing, and the masala brings in additives that have to be permitted for that food category. FSSAI's enforcement files show additives not permitted for the category as a frequent finding. This is our reading, so check the category on FoSCoS before you file.
Appendix A (Food Additives), FSSR 2011; project doc real-label-calibration.mdRecords and recall
Keep records for one year or the product's shelf life, whichever is longer. Repackers and manufacturers need a recall plan, and so do wholesalers. Licensed manufacturing units also test their product at least every six months at an FSSAI-notified or NABL lab.
Schedule 4, Part II 8.2; Recall Regulations 2017, reg. 7(1); Schedule 2, Annexure 3, condition 12What 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- Layout plan of the sorting and packing area, with operation-wise area allocation (licence applicants)
- List of equipment (weighing, sorting, sealing, roasting) with number and installed capacity
- NOC from the original manufacturer, if you want to show their name on your pack (FSSAI FAQ Q120)
- Supplier invoices and lot records for every bag you open, so each pack can be traced back
- Legal Metrology packer registration (rule 27)
- Importers: Importer-Exporter Code (IEC), linked to a Central Licence
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
Common mistakes with dry fruits or makhana business licences.
A Retailer or Wholesaler registration does not cover opening bulk bags and packing under your name. A licence covers only the kinds of business written on it, so add Repacker before the first pouch goes out.
A pouch of imported almonds with only your brand on it is missing the country of origin, the importer and the packing premises. It's misbranded, with a penalty of up to ₹3 lakh.
FSSAI treats a product name as a claim. "California", "Kashmiri" or "Organic" on a pack has to be true and supportable, and "organic" has its own regulations.
A pack without a lot number and date marking can't be traced or recalled, and it fails the mandatory label elements.
Your dry fruits or makhana 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 dry fruits or makhana business: questions
Is FSSAI license needed for a dry fruits business?
Yes. Buying, packing or selling dry fruits as a business needs an FSSAI Registration or Licence by turnover: Registration to ₹1.5 crore, State Licence to ₹50 crore, Central above. Your activity decides the kind of business. Trading is Retailer or Wholesaler, packing from bulk is Repacker, and roasting or flavouring is General Manufacturing.
What is the FSSAI license cost for dry fruits?
The government fee is ₹100 a year for a Registration, ₹5,000 a year for a State Licence and ₹7,500 a year for a Central Licence. Licences no longer expire, but an unpaid annual fee means deemed suspension. Our fee to file is ₹4,500, ₹12,500 or ₹19,500 by tier, one-time, plus GST. Legal Metrology packer registration is a separate ₹500.
How to get FSSAI license for dry fruits?
Decide your kind of business first: are you selling sealed packs, repacking from bulk, or processing? Then apply on foscos.fssai.gov.in with food category 4.1.2.2 (dried fruit, nuts and seeds). Upload the documents your tier asks for and pay the fee. We file on your own FoSCoS login and check the label before you print.
Which FSSAI license is required for a makhana business?
The same logic as dry fruits. Selling packed makhana is Retailer or Wholesaler, packing raw makhana from bulk is Repacker, and roasting or flavouring it is General Manufacturing. All follow the turnover bands, from Registration at ₹100 a year up to ₹1.5 crore. Seasoned makhana may belong under a snack category rather than dried nuts and seeds, so confirm it on FoSCoS.
How to get FSSAI license for makhana business from home?
If your turnover is up to ₹1.5 crore, apply for Registration on FoSCoS at ₹100 a year, using your home address as the premises. A complete application can be granted instantly under the 2026 amendment. You still need a clean packing area kept apart from household use, potable water and a proper label, and packing makhana for sale also needs Legal Metrology packer registration.
Is there an FSSAI standard for makhana?
We haven't found a makhana standard in the fruit-and-vegetable chapter (2.3) we checked, and FoSCoS's product list is where you confirm whether your exact product is standardised. If it isn't, the general rules still apply: the labelling regulations, contaminant limits and hygiene schedules. Tell us your product and we'll check the FoSCoS listing with you.
Do I need a Central Licence to import dry fruits?
Yes. Importers need a Central Licence at any turnover, linked to their Importer-Exporter Code from DGFT. Each consignment is cleared by FSSAI through FICS. Contracts should set an arrival date that leaves at least 60% of shelf life, or 3 months, whichever is less.
Get your dry fruits or makhana 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.