Licences and rules
Serving food at your homestay? FSSAI and health cards (2026)
Quick answer
If guests pay for food you serve, you need FSSAI registration. From 1 April 2026 registration covers turnover up to ₹1.5 crore, the fee is ₹100 a year, and it no longer expires: you only keep the yearly fee paid. Everyone who handles food needs a medical certificate (health card) every financial year.
Who needs it
Every food business needs FSSAI registration or a licence: a hotel kitchen, a restaurant, and a homestay that serves food for payment. Food that guests pay for as part of the room price, such as breakfast included in the tariff, is safest treated the same way.
What changed on 1 April 2026
- New turnover limits: registration up to ₹1.5 crore, a State licence from ₹1.5 crore to ₹50 crore, a Central licence above ₹50 crore. The old limit for registration was ₹12 lakh.
- No renewal: registrations and licences now stay valid unless they are suspended, cancelled or surrendered. You can pay the yearly fee for several years at once.
- Existing holders move to the new system on the FoSCoS portal by self-declaration, with no fee, and keep their number.
| Your turnover | What you need | Fee a year |
|---|---|---|
| Up to ₹1.5 crore | Registration | ₹100 |
| ₹1.5 crore to ₹50 crore | State licence | ₹5,000 (hotel) |
| Above ₹50 crore | Central licence | ₹7,500 (hotel) |
Hotels rated five-star and above need the Central licence whatever their turnover. A hotel without a star rating is grouped with one- and two-star hotels.
Reports on the 2026 rules say a licence counts as suspended while its yearly fee is unpaid. Keep the fee paid ahead.
How to apply
- Open foscos.fssai.gov.in and choose registration (Form A).
- Upload a photo ID and proof that you occupy the premises, and list the food you serve.
- Pay the fee for one year or more.
The health card for every food handler
FSSAI's rules say every food handler must be examined by a registered doctor once a year and certified free of infectious disease. The certificate stays at the workplace and is shown on inspection. FSSAI reads "once a year" as once in each financial year (April to March). New staff get it when they join.
Kerala calls this certificate the "health card" and began checking hotel and restaurant staff for it in February 2023, according to news reports. The form is the "Medical Fitness Certificate for Food Handlers".
No yearly return for food service
FSSAI's own FAQ says the annual return (Form D-1) does not apply to food service businesses at present, so a homestay kitchen files no return.
Official sources
- FSSAI order of 13 March 2026: new turnover limits from 1 April 2026
- FSSAI order of 27 March 2026: questions on perpetual validity
- FoSCoS: kind of business and fees (updated April 2026)
- FoSCoS frequently asked questions (licence and registration)
- Medical Fitness Certificate for Food Handlers (form on a Kerala government site)
- Onmanorama, 31 January 2023: health cards for hotel staff
This is a plain guide, not legal or tax advice. Rules change: check with the office named here before you act.