Licences to open a restaurant in Maharashtra.

The full list at a glance

Times are what the rules or official notices say, where they say anything. In practice, missing documents are the usual delay.

1. FSSAI registration or licence

Every food business needs one before it starts. From 1 April 2026, FSSAI’s order of 13 March 2026 set new limits: registration for turnover up to ₹1.5 crore a year, a state licence above ₹1.5 crore up to ₹50 crore, and a central licence above ₹50 crore. Licences and registrations issued from that date do not expire, though the fee is still per year. The full comparison, fees and cloud kitchen rules are in FSSAI registration vs licence, and your number must be printed on every bill: see FSSAI number on bills.

2. Shop and Establishment (Shop Act)

The worker limits changed in 2025, so many older guides are out of date. Under the Maharashtra Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 2017, as amended by an ordinance of 1 October 2025, an establishment with fewer than 20 workers files an online intimation (Form F) and gets a receipt. With 20 or more workers it needs registration. Before the ordinance the limit was 10. Either way, apply within 60 days of starting. A bill to make the ordinance permanent was introduced in the Assembly in December 2025; we could not confirm whether it has been passed, so check the current limit when you apply.

One more rule to know: the new Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code (OSH Code), in force since 21 November 2025, asks establishments with 10 or more workers to register under the Code. In May 2026 Maharashtra clarified that establishments covered by the Code don’t need a separate Shop Act registration. In short: under 10 workers, file the Shop Act intimation; with 10 or more, ask your CA which registration you need.

3. Municipal eating house or trade licence

This is the city’s health and hygiene licence for the premises, and it is where Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane differ most:

• Mumbai (BMC): an eating house licence under section 394 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, from the ward’s health department. BMC’s 2016 circular says the licence covers health and hygiene only, the fire NOC is taken separately from the Chief Fire Officer, licences are renewed for up to 5 years at a time, and an applicant must be told the reasons within a month if refused. Its conditions include a kitchen and a dining room of at least 150 sq ft each and yearly fitness certificates for cooks.
• Navi Mumbai (NMMC): a trade licence under section 376 of the Maharashtra Municipal Corporations Act, renewed every year. In November 2025 NMMC asked hotels and restaurants to renew online through its portal and warned of penalties for late renewal.
• Thane (TMC): Thane Municipal Corporation runs its own licence process. We could not find its current rules for eating houses online, so ask at your ward office or check TMC’s website before you sign a lease.

4. Fire NOC and Form B

Whether you need a fire NOC depends on your city, your building and your size, so ask the municipal fire department before you sign a lease. Separately, under the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act, 2006, the owner or occupier must give the fire department a Form B certificate from a licensed agency twice a year, in January and July, confirming the fire equipment is maintained.

5. Police eating house licence (Mumbai)

Older guides, and some licence agents’ websites in 2026, still list a police eating house licence for Mumbai. In December 2015 the state government announced that eating houses, permit rooms and lodges would no longer need police permission (Restaurant India). We could not confirm from an official source whether the rules were finally changed, so check with your local police station or licence agent before you open.

6. GST registration

Section 22 of the CGST Act requires registration once turnover in a financial year exceeds ₹20 lakh in Maharashtra. That is about ₹5,500 of sales a day. The ₹40 lakh limit you may read about is only for businesses supplying goods alone; a restaurant supplies a service. Rates, takeaway and the composition scheme are in GST on restaurant food.

7. Profession tax

Maharashtra’s profession tax has two registrations: PTEC for the business itself (₹2,500 a year) and PTRC for deducting the tax from staff salaries. Men earning up to ₹7,500 a month and women earning up to ₹25,000 pay nothing, so a small team may have little to deduct. Ask your CA.

8. Liquor licence

Serving alcohol needs a licence from the State Excise Department: FL-III for spirits in a restaurant or permit room, or Form E for beer and wine. It needs its own set of documents and NOCs, so start early. In 2025 the state raised licence fees by 15% and VAT on liquor in bars from 5% to 10%, according to AHAR, the Mumbai hotel and restaurant association.

9. Music licence

Playing recorded music to guests is a public performance under the Copyright Act. PPL licenses many labels’ sound recordings, and IPRS licenses the songs themselves. In December 2025 the Bombay High Court stopped two restaurant operators with about 94 outlets from playing PPL’s music without a licence, and said a dispute over the fee was no defence (LiveLaw). Ask for a written quote before you pay anyone.

10. Signboards

Since the 2022 amendment to the Shops and Establishments Act, every board must show the name in Marathi in Devanagari script, with letters no smaller than other scripts. In September 2023 the Supreme Court gave shops two months to comply instead of the year they asked for (Verdictum). Illuminated or large boards may also need the municipal corporation’s permission.

Keeping track after you open

Licences come with renewal dates, and the FSSAI number has to be on every bill. In Venditas, you add your GSTIN and FSSAI number once in Setup and every bill prints them, with CGST and SGST worked out for you. It costs nothing upfront, then ₹3 per paid bill after 30 days free, and the first 100 restaurants get the setup done with them for free.

This guide is general information as of 10 October 2026, not legal advice. Rules and fees change, and municipal rules differ by city and ward. Confirm with the issuing office or your consultant.

Sources

All checked on 10 October 2026.

• FSSAI order of 13 March 2026: revised turnover thresholds and FSSAI FAQs of 27 March 2026
• FSS (Licensing and Registration) Regulations, 2011, for the 7, 30 and 60 day timelines
• Taxguru: Maharashtra Shops and Establishments Act, 2017, for intimation, registration and the 60 days
• Khaitan & Co, October 2025: Maharashtra ordinance amending the Shops and Establishments Act and PRS India: L.A. Bill No. 89 of 2025, for the change from 10 to 20 workers
• SCC Online, 2 May 2026: Maharashtra on registration under the OSH Code and the Shops Act
• BMC Public Health Department circular of 1 March 2016 on eating house licences (section 394)
• PropNewsTime, 10 November 2025: NMMC asks businesses to renew licences online (section 376)
• Maharashtra Fire Services: guidelines to issue Form B
• Restaurant India, 22 December 2015: police permission to be dropped
• CBIC: section 22 of the CGST Act and rule 9 of the CGST Rules
• Maharashtra GST Department: PTRC registration procedure
• Aditya Birla Capital: Maharashtra profession tax slabs, for the ₹7,500 and ₹25,000 limits and ₹2,500 a year
• National Government Services Portal: Form E licence
• The Week (PTI), 27 June 2025: AHAR on VAT, excise and licence fee increases
• LiveLaw, 24 December 2025: Bombay High Court on PPL music in restaurants
• Verdictum, 25 September 2023: Supreme Court on Marathi signboards