Restaurant Licences in India: The Complete Checklist

Every food business needs an FSSAI registration or licence, and which tier you fall into depends on your turnover:

• Basic Registration. Small operators, typically up to about ₹12 lakh a year.
• State Licence. The band above that, up to roughly ₹20 crore.
• Central Licence. Large operators above that band, and anyone importing, exporting, or running across several states.

Your FSSAI number has to appear on your bills and on your menu. Most people apply through the FoSCoS portal. Get this one going first, because the rest of the list tends to ask for it.

You need GST registration once you cross the threshold for services, and immediately if you plan to sell on Zomato or Swiggy, regardless of turnover. Most restaurants land on 5% GST without input tax credit.

The composition scheme is available below the turnover limit and looks tempting, but it rules out delivery apps entirely. Our GST guide walks through the trade-off properly.

These come from your municipal corporation or the local police, and this is where the list gets city-specific:

• Trade Licence from the municipal corporation. Renewed yearly in most cities.
• Shops and Establishment registration under your state Act, which governs working hours and staff conditions.
• Eating House Licence from the police commissioner, required in Delhi, Mumbai and several other cities.
• Health or Sanitary Licence from the local health department.
• Signage Licence if you are putting a board outside, which you are.

A Fire NOC comes from the state fire service. Whether you need one depends on your seating capacity, floor area and which floor you are on, and the thresholds vary by state. Rooftop and basement kitchens attract more scrutiny than a ground-floor place.

If your building has a lift, that carries its own inspection and certificate. Budget time for this one. Fire clearance is the step that most often delays an opening, and it is not a queue you can jump.

Liquor licence. Entirely a state matter, and the most expensive item on this list by a distance. Categories, fees and quotas differ enormously between states. Start early and assume it will take longer than you were told.

Music licence. If you play recorded music, you need permission from the relevant copyright societies, typically PPL and IPRS. Plenty of restaurants ignore this until an inspector arrives, and the fine costs more than the licence would have.

1. Register the business entity and get your PAN
2. Sign the lease, because most applications want proof of premises
3. FSSAI registration or licence
4. GST registration
5. Trade licence and Shops and Establishment
6. Fire NOC and any building clearances
7. Eating house and health licences
8. Liquor and music, if they apply to you

Keep a folder with every certificate, its issue date and its renewal date. Renewals lapse quietly and you only find out during an inspection.

Licences get you through the door. Staying compliant after that is mostly about your billing: invoices in an unbroken sequence, GST split correctly on every bill, and your FSSAI number printed where it belongs.

That part is easy to automate and painful to do by hand. A proper restaurant billing software handles the sequence, the tax split and the statutory fields on every receipt, which means an audit is a morning rather than a month. Talk to us if you want a hand setting it up.