FSSAI Registration for PG and Hostel Food (2026): Do You Need It, Which One, and How to Apply

Short answer: if your PG or hostel cooks and serves meals to residents, it is a food business and needs FSSAI. Since 1 April 2026, basic FSSAI registration covers food businesses with turnover up to ₹1.5 crore a year (it was ₹12 lakh). Almost every PG falls well under that, so you need the simple registration, applied for online on FoSCoS for ₹100 a year, not a state licence.

Food is common: 59% of PGs on My PG Manager list meals as a facility. Many of them have never registered, because the old ₹12 lakh limit made it look complicated. The 2026 change makes it the easiest licence a PG owner will get.

Does a PG need FSSAI?

Folding meals into the rent does not take you out of it. If the PG's price includes food, you are supplying food for a price.

Cities are now checking. In July 2026 Hyderabad police and GHMC said hostels and PGs that serve food must hold FSSAI approval, and Bengaluru's PG trade-licence conditions ask for it too. Inspectors ask to see it, and so do parents comparing PGs.

Registration or licence: the 2026 limits

The basic registration fee is ₹100 per year; you can pay for up to five years at once. A state licence costs more and needs more documents, which almost no PG will need now.

How to work out your food turnover

Turnover here means what you earn from food, not your total rent. If meals are included in the rent, take the part of the rent that pays for food:

A PG would need well over 400 residents on full board before it crossed ₹1.5 crore from food alone. Keep your workings with your records in case an inspector asks.

Documents for basic registration

• A recent passport-size photo of the person applying (owner or partner).
• Identity proof: Aadhaar, PAN, voter ID or passport.
• Proof of the premises: property papers, or your lease with the building owner.
• A list of the food you serve (for example, "breakfast, lunch and dinner for residents").
• If the PG is a company or partnership: the incorporation document or partnership deed and an authorisation letter.

Requirements differ a little by state; the FoSCoS form shows what your state asks for before you pay.

How to apply on FoSCoS, step by step

1. Go to foscos.fssai.gov.in and sign up with your mobile number and email.
2. Choose New registration, select your state, and pick the kind of business that matches yours (food service: catering, mess or canteen, or hostel/boarding house where listed).
3. Enter the PG's name and address exactly as on your trade licence and lease, so the documents match.
4. Upload the documents and pay the fee online.
5. The food safety officer may inspect the kitchen. If nothing is pending, the certificate is usually granted within 7 days of a complete application, and you can start operating if you hear nothing in that time.
6. Download the certificate. It carries a 14-digit FSSAI number.

Avoid agents who charge thousands for this. The form takes about 30 minutes and the government fee is ₹100 a year.

After you register: what the kitchen must do

• Display the certificate where residents can see it, usually in the dining area.
• Clean water for cooking and drinking; test it periodically if it comes from a borewell or tanker.
• Pest control on a schedule, with the receipts kept.
• Cooks and helpers who are fit, wear clean clothes and head covers, and wash their hands. Keep a basic medical fitness record for each one.
• Raw and cooked food kept apart, cooked food covered, leftovers handled by a rule (for example, no reheating beyond the next meal).
• Waste in covered bins, cleared daily.
• Training: FSSAI's FoSTaC course for at least one person who supervises the kitchen is a good idea, and inspectors increasingly ask for it.

Our PG maintenance checklist has a kitchen section, and PG food menu ideas covers planning meals that residents like.

Validity, renewal and penalties

Registrations used to be issued for 1 to 5 years and renewed before expiry. Reports of the 2026 reforms say registrations and licences issued from 1 April 2026 no longer need renewal, as long as the annual fee is paid. Check the validity printed on your own certificate, and renew on FoSCoS before it lapses if it shows an end date.

Running a food business without the required licence can lead to imprisonment of up to six months and a fine of up to ₹5 lakh under section 63 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. In practice, the more common outcome is a notice, a food sample taken for testing and a problem with your trade licence. City drives in 2024–2026 have also led to PGs being sealed.

Running PG food with My PG Manager

My PG Manager lets you publish the week's menu, meal by meal with times, and residents see it in the tenant app. Grocery, gas and cook salaries go into expenses, so you can see what food really costs per resident and price it properly; see pricing by sharing type. Keep your FSSAI certificate, trade licence and fire clearance in the property's documents, ready for an inspection. It costs ₹159 a month after a 14-day free trial.

Frequently asked questions

Is FSSAI mandatory for a PG that provides food?

Yes. A PG that cooks and serves food to residents is a food business, even when meals are included in the rent. Since April 2026 most PGs need only the basic registration.

What is the FSSAI registration limit in 2026?

Basic registration covers annual food turnover up to ₹1.5 crore from 1 April 2026, up from ₹12 lakh. A state licence covers ₹1.5 crore to ₹50 crore.

How much does FSSAI registration cost for a PG?

The government fee for basic registration is ₹100 a year. There is no need to pay an agent.

Do I need FSSAI if a caterer supplies the food?

The caterer must have its own FSSAI registration or licence. Keep a copy of its certificate. You need your own only if you also cook or sell food at the PG.

I already have a state licence from before 2026. What now?

It stays valid. If your food turnover is under ₹1.5 crore, you can move to basic registration when it next comes up for renewal; check the options on FoSCoS.

Sources

• FSSAI order on revised turnover thresholds, 13 March 2026, effective 1 April 2026 — summarised by CliniExperts.
• FSSAI's online licensing and registration system — foscos.fssai.gov.in.
• Hyderabad police and GHMC on hostel FSSAI and trade licences (July 2026) — NewsMeter.

Last reviewed: October 2026. This is general guidance, not legal advice. Check the current rules for your state on FoSCoS.