Article · ~12 min read

Licenses & Registrations Required to Start a Business in India

ClearTax Free Intermediate India

A clear, regularly-updated Indian explainer that maps the practical, sector-agnostic registrations most founders hit first, GST, licensing tiers, documents, thresholds, and process. Use it as an orientation map to figure out what applies to you, then confirm the specifics with the relevant official regulator.

  • Which licence you need depends on what you sell and your turnover, there's no single universal permit.
  • FSSAI has three tiers by turnover: Basic (<~Rs.12 lakh), State (up to Rs.20 crore), Central (above).
  • Applications and documents flow through official portals like FoSCoS; expect inspection for some tiers.
  • Operating without the right registration carries real penalties, verify before you start selling.
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It answers 3 questions

  1. What licenses and registrations do I legally need before I can start selling?
  2. I'm a doctor with a clinic idea, do I need regulatory licenses before I open?
  3. I'm building a food business, what FSSAI licence do I need to sell legally?

Read with it

  1. The official front door for the most common sector licence founders need, food, plus a reminder that regulated sectors each... Government of India (foscos.fssai.gov.in / rbi.org.in) Tool · portal FoSCoS, Apply for FSSAI Licence / Registration & Sector Regulators FSSAI (and RBI for fintech)
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