# Police license for hotel in India: what you still need in 2026 > Many owners still budget for a police licence that their city no longer issues. Here is where the police lodging and eating house licences stand in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai, and what the police still expect from every hotel. - URL: https://guesthawk.com/guides/police-license-for-hotels - Category: Compliance - Tags: Licences, Registration, Front desk, Foreign guests - Published: 11 November 2026 - Updated: 11 November 2026 - Publisher: GuestHawk (https://guesthawk.com) Ask ten hotel owners about a **police license for hotel** premises and you will get ten answers, because the rules have changed a great deal in the last ten years. In the past, most big cities required a lodging house or eating house licence from the Commissioner of Police. Today Mumbai and Delhi have dropped those police licences, Bengaluru's police licence applies mainly to live entertainment, and in many places the licence that matters comes from the municipal body instead. What has not changed is what the police expect from you every day: a guest register, ID for every adult, CCTV where your state requires it, and Form-III for every foreign guest. This guide sets out where the police licence stands in four large cities, what usually replaced it, the duties that stay, and a checklist of questions to take to your local police station. City rules change by order, sometimes with little notice, so confirm the current position with your local police station and municipal office before you apply or renew. ## What a police licence for a hotel used to mean Most city police laws, such as the Karnataka Police Act, 1963, the Maharashtra Police Act, 1951 and the Delhi Police Act, 1978, let the Commissioner of Police regulate "places of public entertainment" or "public resort". Those definitions often include lodging houses, boarding houses, eating houses and hotels. On that basis, city police licensing branches for many years issued: - **Lodging house licences** for hotels, guest houses and lodges. - **Eating house licences** for restaurants and hotel dining rooms. - **Performance or entertainment licences** for live music, dance floors and similar events. The police licence was meant to let the police know who ran each property and to set conditions on registers, timings and conduct. Over the last decade, several states have moved licensing of ordinary hotels and restaurants away from the police, mostly to cut the number of approvals a business needs. Police oversight of guests did not go away; it moved into registers, reporting and inspections. ## Where it stands in four cities | City | Police licence for an ordinary hotel or restaurant? | What to check instead | | --- | --- | --- | | Mumbai | Mumbai Police say it is not needed, under a government order of 22 December 2015 | Lodging house licence from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, under section 394 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act | | Delhi | Police regulations for eating houses and hotels, motels and guest houses were repealed in June 2025 | Health and trade licences from MCD or NDMC; ask them about lodging approvals | | Bengaluru | Police licence needed for a live band, cabaret or discotheque; the 2005 order says it is not needed for a lodging house or hotel holding a valid licence under the relevant provisions | Confirm your premises' position with Bengaluru City Police; trade licence from the municipal corporation | | Chennai | Not confirmed from an official source | Ask Greater Chennai Police and Greater Chennai Corporation which licence and any NOC you need | ### Mumbai The Mumbai Police FAQ asks whether a police licence is required for a hotel, restaurant, eating house or tea shop. The answer is no, under a government order dated 22 December 2015. Lodging houses are licensed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, which describes a lodging house licence under section 394 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act. ### Delhi Delhi Police used to issue eating house registrations and lodging certificates under regulations made under section 28 of the Delhi Police Act, 1978. According to an order of the Delhi excise department dated 11 July 2025, the Lieutenant Governor withdrew the sanction for those regulations on 19 June 2025, and the Commissioner of Police repealed them by a gazette notification of 28 June 2025. The same order says excise licence applicants no longer need to submit the police eating house registration or lodging certificate. Ask MCD or NDMC what municipal licences your premises now need. ### Bengaluru Bengaluru City Police license places of public entertainment under the Licensing and Controlling of Places of Public Entertainment (Bangalore City) Order, 2005, made under the Karnataka Police Act, 1963. The order requires a licence for a live band, cabaret or discotheque. It also says no such licence is necessary for refreshment rooms, eating houses, boarding houses, lodging houses or hotels on the basis of a valid licence under the relevant provisions. In practice, if your hotel plans live music or a dance floor, speak to the police licensing branch early; the order limits each licence to a year and asks for renewal at least 30 days before expiry. For the fee and the current form, ask the licensing branch. ### Chennai and other cities We could not confirm the current position for Chennai from an official source, and many smaller cities and towns have their own police or municipal arrangements. Some places may also still apply older laws, such as the Sarais Act, 1867, which deals with registering sarais (inns for travellers) with the district magistrate. If you run a lodge outside the four cities above, ask the local police station and the municipal office, in writing, which licence and which NOC you need. ## When the police still come into the picture Even where there is no police licence, police approval often appears as a step in another process: - **Star classification.** The Ministry of Tourism's hotel classification guidelines list an **NOC from the police department** among the documents to upload. See [hotel star rating in India](https://guesthawk.com/guides/hotel-star-rating-in-india). - **Bar licences.** Excise departments may ask for police clearances; Delhi dropped the police eating house registration and lodging certificate for excise applications in 2025. See [bar licences for hotels](https://guesthawk.com/guides/bar-license-for-hotels). - **Live entertainment and events,** as in Bengaluru. - **Homestay schemes.** Some states include police verification in homestay registration. See [homestay registration in India](https://guesthawk.com/guides/homestay-registration-in-india). - **Staff verification.** Many police stations ask lodges to have staff, especially night staff, verified. Ask your station what it expects. ## The duties that stay: register, ID, CCTV and Form-III Whatever happens to the licence, these duties apply to almost every lodging business. ### Guest register Local police orders in most cities require a guest register, on paper or in software, recording every guest. The exact columns are set locally. A typical register covers: | Column | What to record | | --- | --- | | Serial number | Running number for the year | | Name | Every adult guest, not just the person who booked | | Address and phone | As shown on the ID or given by the guest | | ID type and number | Driving licence, passport, voter ID or masked Aadhaar | | Nationality | Indian or foreign; for foreign guests, passport and visa details | | Arrival | Date and time | | Coming from, going to | Last place and next destination | | Purpose of visit | Business, leisure, family function and so on | | Room number | And number of persons in the room | | Departure | Date and time | | Signature | Guest's signature or digital acknowledgement | Use this as a starting point and check it against your local police order. Our guides to the [hotel check in procedure](https://guesthawk.com/guides/hotel-check-in-procedure) and [online check in](https://guesthawk.com/guides/online-check-in-for-hotels) cover ID checks at the desk in detail. ### ID for every adult Record a government photo ID for every adult guest. Never store full Aadhaar numbers or unmasked copies; use masked Aadhaar (last 4 digits) or UIDAI offline verification. Which IDs your station accepts, and whether the register must be sent to the station, varies by place. ### CCTV Some states require CCTV by law. Karnataka's Public Safety (Measures) Enforcement Act, 2017, for example, requires specified establishments to install access control and CCTV at their own cost and keep the footage available to the police. Whether your property is covered, and for how long footage must be kept, depends on the notification for your area, so ask your local police station. Even where it is not required, cameras at the entrance, reception and corridors protect your staff as much as your guests. ### Foreign guests Every foreign guest is reported online on Form-III (formerly Form C) within 24 hours of arrival, under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025 (in force 1 September 2025), via indianfrro.gov.in. This applies whether or not your city still issues a police licence. See [Form-III for hotels](https://guesthawk.com/guides/form-iii-for-hotels) for the full process. ## Mistakes that cause trouble later These are the problems we hear about most often from owners: - **Paying an agent for a licence that no longer exists.** If someone offers to arrange a police lodging licence in a city that has dropped it, ask them for the order it is issued under. - **Assuming no licence means no rules.** The register, ID checks, CCTV duties and Form-III apply whether or not your city issues a police licence. - **Recording only the person who booked.** Every adult in the room needs an ID on record. A family of four is four entries, not one. - **Keeping photocopies of Aadhaar in a drawer.** Use masked Aadhaar or UIDAI offline verification, and dispose of old paper copies safely. - **Letting renewals slip.** Municipal, fire and excise licences each have their own dates. A lapsed fire safety certificate can hold up every other renewal. - **Late Form-III filings at weekends.** The 24-hour window does not pause on Sundays or holidays, so make sure the weekend desk team can file it. ## How to get the right licence for your hotel: a checklist Use this list before you open or renew. Take it to the police station and the municipal office, and keep their answers in writing. 1. **Ask the municipal body** which licence covers a lodging house or hotel at your address (trade licence, lodging house licence or similar), and the fee and renewal period. 2. **Ask the police station** whether any police licence, registration or NOC is still required for your premises, and under which order. 3. **Ask about entertainment.** If you plan live music, a DJ or a dance floor, ask which licence it needs and how long it takes. 4. **Ask for the register format,** whether the station wants a copy daily or on request, and whether it has an online reporting system. 5. **Ask which IDs** the station accepts for Indian guests. 6. **Ask about CCTV:** whether your property is covered by a state law or police order, camera locations and footage retention. 7. **Ask about staff verification** for desk and night staff. 8. **Set up Form-III** access on indianfrro.gov.in before your first foreign guest. 9. **Check the other approvals** that may ask for police papers: star classification, bar licence, fire safety certificate. 10. **Put every renewal date in one calendar,** with a reminder 60 days ahead. > **Get it in writing** > > If an official tells you no police licence is needed, ask them to note it on your application or reply by email. A written answer settles questions from an inspector, a bank or an OTA later. ## Keeping it simple day to day The paperwork the police care about is created at the front desk, guest by guest. If it is written by hand at midnight, gaps are certain. If it is captured as the guest checks in, with ID checked against the person and foreign guests flagged at once, the register is complete before the guest reaches the room. Review it at the [night audit](https://guesthawk.com/guides/night-audit-process) so no adult is missing an ID. GuestHawk verifies guest ID at check-in and keeps guest, police and visitor registers in the format your state asks for, with Form-III prepared for every foreign guest. See the [compliance](https://guesthawk.com/platform#compliance) section of the platform. ## Frequently asked questions ### Do hotels need a police licence in India? It depends on the city. Mumbai Police say no police licence is needed for hotels and eating houses since a government order of 22 December 2015, and in Delhi the police regulations for eating houses and hotels were repealed in June 2025. In other places a police licence or police NOC may still be required, so ask your local police station and municipal office. ### Who issues a lodging house licence in Mumbai? The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, under section 394 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act. The Mumbai Police FAQ says a police licence is not required for hotels and eating houses. ### Does a hotel in Bengaluru need a police licence? Under the Bengaluru City licensing order of 2005 for places of public entertainment, a police licence is needed for a live band, cabaret or discotheque. The order says it is not needed for a lodging house or hotel that holds a valid licence under the relevant provisions. Confirm what applies to your premises with Bengaluru City Police. ### What register must a hotel keep for the police? Local police orders usually require a guest register with each guest's details and a government photo ID for every adult. The exact columns and whether you send it to the station vary by place, so ask your local police station. Never keep full Aadhaar numbers; use masked Aadhaar or UIDAI offline verification. ### How quickly must a hotel report a foreign guest? Every foreign guest is reported online on Form-III (formerly Form C) within 24 hours of arrival, under the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, via indianfrro.gov.in. See [Form-III for hotels](https://guesthawk.com/guides/form-iii-for-hotels). ## Sources - [Gazette of India: Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025 (4 Apr 2025)](https://egazette.gov.in/WriteReadData/2025/262300.pdf) - [India Code: Karnataka Public Safety (Measures) Enforcement Act, 2017](https://www.indiacode.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/8186/1/44_of_2017(e).pdf) - [Supreme Court of India: Karnataka Live Band Restaurants Association v. State of Karnataka, 2018](https://api.sci.gov.in/supremecourt/2007/13829/13829_2007_Judgement_25-Jan-2018.pdf) - [Delhi Excise Department: order dropping police eating house and lodging certificates, 2025](https://excise.delhi.gov.in/sites/default/files/Excise/circulars-orders/8228_0.pdf) - [Mumbai Police: frequently asked questions on licences](https://mumbaipolice.gov.in/faq) - [BMC (MCGM): licensing policy on short term rentals](https://crmapp.mcgm.gov.in/irj/go/km/docs/documents/HomePage%20Data/Short%20Term%20Rental%20Licencing%20Policy.pdf) - [Ministry of Tourism: guidelines for hotel project approval and star classification](https://nidhi.tourism.gov.in/uploads/gallery/1667476361.pdf) - [Bureau of Immigration: Form-III online reporting of foreign guests](https://indianfrro.gov.in/formIII/)