FSSAI Registration in Telangana: Requirements, Process and Local Compliance

If you run a restaurant in Hyderabad, a tiffin service in Warangal or a packaged food unit anywhere in Telangana, you need an FSSAI registration or licence. The rules are national, but in Telangana you will deal with the state's own food safety authorities, and you will usually need a few local registrations alongside FSSAI. This guide explains who needs what, who to approach, and how the 2026 changes affect food businesses in the state.

Who Needs FSSAI Registration in Telangana?

Anyone who makes, stores, transports, sells or serves food as a business in Telangana. That includes:

Restaurants, cafes, hotels, dhabas, food courts and canteens
Cloud kitchens and food delivery businesses
Bakeries, sweet shops and caterers
Home kitchens, tiffin services, home bakers and pickle or snack makers who sell to the public
Kirana shops, supermarkets, wholesalers and distributors
Food manufacturers, processors and packers
Dairy businesses, meat and fish sellers
Sellers of packaged food on online platforms

Online platforms such as Swiggy and Zomato generally ask for your FSSAI number before they list a restaurant, cloud kitchen or home chef, so most food businesses in Hyderabad cannot start selling online without one.

Which type applies to you

The same three tiers apply in Telangana as everywhere else in India, and the limits changed on 1 April 2026:

Basic registration for annual turnover up to ₹1.5 crore. This now covers most home kitchens, small eateries, street food businesses and petty retailers, which earlier needed a State licence above ₹12 lakh.
State licence for turnover above ₹1.5 crore and up to ₹50 crore. This is issued by the Telangana food safety authorities.
Central licence for turnover above ₹50 crore, and for importers, exporters, e-commerce food businesses and multi-state manufacturers regardless of turnover.

Some kinds of business need a State or Central licence whatever their turnover, for example dairy units and slaughterhouses. Many guides you will find online, including local ones aimed at Hyderabad, still quote the old ₹12 lakh and ₹20 crore limits. Use the new figures.

Street vendors

Street food vendors, hawkers, food trucks and carts registered under the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014 are now treated as deemed registered under the food safety law and do not have to apply to FSSAI separately. They must still follow the hygiene rules for their kind of business.

Who Handles FSSAI in Telangana?

Three bodies matter to a food business in the state:

The Commissioner of Food Safety, Telangana. This is the state authority that enforces food safety law and oversees State licensing and registration in Telangana. The office sits in the Directorate of the Institute of Preventive Medicine, Public Health Labs and Food (Health) Administration at Narayanaguda, Hyderabad. The state's food laboratory is at IDA Nacharam, Hyderabad.
Food Safety Officers and Designated Officers at district level. They review applications, carry out inspections and check compliance in your area.
FSSAI's own regional office. Central licences are handled at the national level, and FSSAI's South Region website lists a Hyderabad branch office for licensing.

You do not need to visit any of these offices to apply. Your application is filed online on FoSCoS, and the portal routes it to the right authority based on the state and kind of business you select.

How to Apply for FSSAI Registration from Telangana

The process is online, and the steps are the same as elsewhere in India. Our separate guide on how to get an FSSAI licence covers documents, fees and renewal in detail. Here is how it applies to a business in Telangana.

Create an account on FoSCoS at foscos.fssai.gov.in with your mobile number and email, and verify both with OTPs.
Select Telangana as the state and choose your kind of business, such as restaurant, caterer, retailer, manufacturer or e-commerce seller. The portal decides whether you file Form A for basic registration or Form B for a State or Central licence.
Fill in the form with your business details and the food products you will handle.
Upload documents. For basic registration you need a photo ID, a photograph, address proof of the premises and a list of products. For a licence you also need proof of your right to use the premises, a layout plan, an equipment list, a food safety plan and, for manufacturers, a water test report.
Pay the government fee online.
Respond to queries raised by the Food Safety Officer within 30 days.
Get inspected, if you applied for a State or Central licence. An officer from the Telangana food safety authorities visits the premises to check hygiene, storage, equipment and records.
Download your certificate and note your 14-digit FSSAI number.

Costs and timelines

Basic registration: ₹100 a year in government fees, typically issued within about a week without an inspection
State licence: ₹2,000 to ₹5,000 a year, depending on the kind of business and scale, typically one to two months including inspection
Central licence: ₹7,500 a year, typically longer

Government fees are not refunded, and consultants charge separately. You can apply yourself on FoSCoS without an agent.

Tips specific to Telangana premises

Use address proof that matches exactly. The name and address on your electricity bill, rent agreement or property document must match the address you enter on FoSCoS. This is the most common cause of queries.
One premises, one registration. A kitchen in Hitec City and a second outlet in Secunderabad each need their own registration or licence, and a cloud kitchen with two kitchens needs both declared.
Ask your landlord early for an NOC if the premises are rented, because you will need it for the address proof.
Be ready for inspection. If you applied for a licence, have the kitchen fully set up, clean and running before the officer visits, with your records at hand.

Check licences on FoSCoS

The Telangana Commissioner of Food Safety has encouraged the public to check whether a food business holds a valid licence or registration on the FoSCoS website. It is worth doing for your own suppliers and distributors too, because a supplier with no valid FSSAI number can create problems for you as well.

Other Registrations a Food Business in Telangana Usually Needs

FSSAI covers food safety only. A food business in Telangana normally has a few other registrations to handle, and it helps to plan them together.

Municipal trade licence. Food businesses within Greater Hyderabad are generally expected to hold a health trade licence from the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, and elsewhere in the state from the local municipality or panchayat. The rules and fees depend on the local body, so ask yours before you open.
Shops and Establishments registration. Under the Telangana Shops and Establishments Act, 1988, commercial establishments such as restaurants, cafes and shops register and receive a Business Establishment Certificate. Each physical location needs its own registration, and the application asks for a Telugu name board photograph among other documents.
GST registration. In Telangana you must register for GST once your aggregate turnover crosses ₹20 lakh, for goods and for services alike. Restaurants and caterers are service providers, and food traders supply goods, so either way the limit is ₹20 lakh. Sellers on delivery platforms and marketplaces, and anyone making inter-state supplies, may need to register earlier. Restaurants that qualify can opt for the composition scheme, with a flat 5% tax on turnover, up to ₹1.5 crore, but they cannot claim input tax credit under it.
Professional tax. If you employ staff, you register for professional tax with the Telangana Commercial Taxes Department and deduct and pay it monthly from salaries.
Udyam (MSME) registration. Optional, free and self-certified. Many small food businesses take it for easier access to bank credit and other support.

A sensible order to do things in

Decide your category and apply for FSSAI, since delivery platforms and banks often ask for the number first.
Register under the Shops and Establishments Act and get your municipal trade licence, using your lease or ownership proof.
Register for GST once your turnover is near ₹20 lakh, or earlier if a platform or customer requires it.
Add professional tax when you take on your first employee.

Whenever your FSSAI category or address changes, update it on your labels, invoices, platform listings and other registrations so the details match everywhere.

Staying Compliant in Telangana

No renewal, but the annual fee and the rules continue

Since 1 April 2026, an FSSAI registration or licence no longer expires or needs renewal. It stays valid until it is suspended, cancelled or surrendered. Three things still apply:

The government fee is payable every year. If you miss it, the licence is treated as suspended, and you cannot trade until you pay. You can pay for several years at once through FoSCoS.
Hygiene and safety rules continue. Keep your kitchen or unit clean, store food properly, keep supplier and cleaning records, and train your staff.
Changes must be reported. If your turnover crosses your category's limit, your address or product range changes, or you open a second premises, file a modification on FoSCoS. If you close, tell the licensing authority in writing within 30 days and surrender the licence.

If you hold an older licence that still shows an expiry date, check its status on FoSCoS or with the district food safety office. Guidance on older licences has been inconsistent.

Inspections and enforcement

The Telangana food safety authorities inspect food businesses across the state, and the state food safety department has carried out inspections of popular eateries in Hyderabad in which expired stock and hygiene failures were found. Since the 2026 reforms, inspections are risk-based, so businesses handling higher-risk foods or with a poor compliance history are checked more often. Officers can also direct a business to have a food safety audit done by a recognised third party at its own cost.

Operating without a required licence or registration is an offence under Section 63 of the Food Safety and Standards Act. The penalty can be imprisonment of up to six months and a fine of up to ₹5 lakh, and officers can seal premises and seize stock in serious cases.

Labelling and display

Display your FSSAI certificate and number at your premises.
Put the number on your invoices and bills.
If you sell packaged food, print the number on every label, and make sure labels follow FSSAI's labelling rules.
Update the number on labels and platform listings after any change of category.

Where to go for help

For portal problems, use the FoSCoS helpdesk listed on the portal.
For questions about licensing or inspections in your area, contact the Food Safety Officer or Designated Officer for your district.
For state-level matters or complaints, the Commissioner of Food Safety's office at Narayanaguda, Hyderabad publishes its contact details on the Institute of Preventive Medicine website.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Limits, fees and procedures change by notification, so confirm current details on FoSCoS or with your local food safety office before you act.