Hotels, homestays and travel agencies need municipal, food-safety and fire approvals, plus GST once turnover crosses the threshold.
What each registration is, who issues it and when it applies to a hotel or travel business. Rules vary by state and by size — treat this as the map, and ask us about your exact case.
Mandatory · State labour dept
Registers a shop, office, restaurant or other commercial establishment under the state's Shops and Establishments Act. Who must register, and the exemptions, differ from state to state.
Mandatory · Municipal corporation
A municipal licence to carry on a particular trade at a particular premises. Eating houses, shops and many workshops need one from the local body — in some cities it is called a health trade licence.
Mandatory above threshold · CBIC
Required once aggregate turnover crosses the threshold — ₹40 lakh for goods and ₹20 lakh for services in most states — and in some cases from the first sale, such as most inter-state supplies of goods.
If you serve food · FSSAI
Every food business that makes, stores, sells or serves food needs a basic registration, a state licence or a central licence. Which one depends on turnover and activity; from 1 April 2026 the slabs are ₹1.5 crore (basic) and ₹50 crore (state).
For hotels above the size limit · State fire dept
A no-objection certificate from the state fire service confirming the building meets fire-safety norms. Whether you need one depends on the state's fire rules — usually on occupancy, seating capacity, floor area or building height.
Recommended · benefits
A free, Aadhaar-based registration that classifies you as a micro, small or medium enterprise — used for priority-sector credit, protection against delayed payments and preferences in government tenders.
Recommended · the property or agency brand
Protects your brand name and logo across India, and is what marketplace brand-registry programmes ask for. Filing early fixes your date of priority.
Some registrations need another one first — this is the sequence that avoids rework.
After the registrations come the returns and filings that keep you compliant.
GST returns, bookkeeping, TDS and annual filings — everything a business like yours has to keep doing, in one place.
See the compliance pack →City guides with the local authorities, fees and timelines.
What people starting a hotel or travel business ask us most.
Most states run a homestay or bed-and-breakfast scheme through the tourism department; registering under it is usually required to operate and to get the scheme's benefits.
It depends on your state's rules — usually the number of rooms, the floor area or the building height decides.
Yes — serving food, even complimentary, makes you a food business operator.
Every sector, with its own checklist.
A CA or CS confirms which of these apply to you, in your state, and handles the ones we cover.