Free guide · Insecticides Rules, 1971

✓ Rules as amended to 3 June 2025 · checked 24 October 2026

Pesticide licence in India

Who needs a licence under the Insecticides Act, 1968, which one, the qualification, the fee and the papers, and what to do after you get it, with the rule behind every line.

₹500per insecticide for a dealer licence; one-fifth in rural areas

30 dayshousehold-only licence deemed granted if no decision

15 daysafter each month: the monthly return is due

4kinds of licence: dealer, household-only, manufacturing, pest control

From 15 September 2026, licence applications, registers and monthly returns are reported to be online only (G.S.R. 493(E), June 2026). What changed →

Start here

Which licence do you need?

Dealer licence to sell, stock or distribute

Retailers, dealers, distributors and stockists of any insecticide, weedicide or fungicide.

Apply in: Form II (2), to the licensing officer of your StateAct s. 13 · Rule 10(1)
Fee: ₹500 for every insecticide, for each place of sale; one-fifth of that in rural areas. Some official copies of the Rules add a cap of ₹7,500; ask your licensing officer.Rule 10(2), 10(3)
Qualification: A graduate in agriculture, biochemistry, biotechnology, life sciences, or science with chemistry, botany or zoology; or a one-year diploma in agriculture or horticulture that covers plant protection. You, or a person you employ.Rule 10(1A)
Papers: A principal certificate from each company whose insecticides you will sellRule 10(4A)
Licence: Form III (2); add products later by endorsement, with the feeRule 10(4)
Validity: No renewal: it stays in force until suspended or revokedRule 11(c)

Household-only licence for mosquito, cockroach, fly and bed bug products

General stores and shops that sell only insecticides registered for household use.

Apply in: Form II (4), a short formRule 10(1) · 2025
Fee: ₹500 for every insecticide, at most ₹7,500 for each place; one-fifth of that in rural areasRule 10(2)
Qualification: Not neededRule 10(1B)
Papers: No principal certificate neededRule 10(4A)(v) · 2025
Licence: Form III (4). Deemed granted if the officer does not decide within 30 days (was 90). Extra household products need no endorsement.Rule 10(1C), 10(4)(iii) · 2025
Validity: No renewal: it stays in force until suspended or revokedRule 11(c)

Manufacturing licence to make, formulate or pack

Units that make technical-grade insecticides, or formulate and pack them.

Apply in: Form II (1), with the certificate of registration of each insecticideRule 9(1) · Act s. 9
Fee: ₹2,000 for every insecticide, at most ₹20,000; a separate licence for each manufacturing placeRule 9(1), 9(2)
Qualification: Technical grade: a doctorate in chemistry or agricultural chemistry, or M.Tech or M.Sc. in chemical engineering. Formulations: a graduate in agriculture, or in science with chemistry. You, or a person you employ.Rule 9(4B)
Before grant: Plant and machinery, safety devices and first-aid facilities in place at the premisesRule 9(4A)
Licence: Form III (1); additional insecticides by endorsement, with an inspection within six monthsRule 9(3)
Validity: No renewal; a licence based on provisional registration ends with that registrationRule 11(a), 11(c)

Pest control licence to stock and use, e.g. fumigation

Commercial pest control operators, such as fumigation with aluminium phosphide or methyl bromide.

Apply in: Form II (3)Rule 10(3A)(i)
Fee: ₹1,000 for each place of operationRule 10(3A)(i)
Qualification: A graduate in agriculture, science or life science with chemistry, plus at least 15 days of training at CFTRI Mysuru, IGSMRI Hapur or NIPHM HyderabadRule 10(3A)(iii)
Fumigation: Also needs permission from the Plant Protection Adviser to the Government of IndiaRule 10(3A)(iv)
Glyphosate only: Deemed granted after 30 days; ₹1,000 for all places; Class 12 pass and a glyphosate training courseRule 10(3A) provisos
Validity: 5 years; renew before expiry for 5 more (₹1,000). Up to three months late with a late fee of ₹500, ₹1,000 or ₹1,500 for the first, second or third monthRule 10(3A)(i) · Rule 11(b)

Dealer licence

Getting a dealer licence, step by step

Check the qualificationYou, or a person you will employ, must hold the qualification. Pay that person’s salary through the bank (digital payment or cheque).Rule 10(1A)
Get the premises readyProper storage for insecticides, in a building where no food or animal feed is made, stored or sold. Household-only shops are the exception.Rule 12(a), 10C
Collect principal certificatesOn the letterhead of each company: the products, their registration numbers, your area and the distributor you will buy from. Buying from another distributor makes it void.Rule 10(4A) · Appendix to Form II
Apply in Form IITo the licensing officer appointed by your State Government, with the fee. From 15 September 2026 this is reported to be online only.Act s. 12, 13 · Rule 10(1)
Wait for the decisionThe officer can refuse only after hearing you. You can appeal within 30 days of a refusal.Rule 10(5) · Act s. 15
Display the licenceForm III goes up where customers can see it. Now the duties below begin.Rule 10(4)(i)

After the licence

What every licence holder must do

Display the licence in the part of the shop open to the public.Rule 10(4)(i)
Display the day’s stock of each insecticide and a price list.Rule 10D
Sell only against a bill, cash memo or credit memo.Rule 15(1)
Enter every sale in the sales register (Appendix B) and send the monthly return to the licensing officer within 15 days after the month ends.Rule 15(2) · Form III
Manufacturers and importers: stock registers (Appendix C1, C2) and monthly returns (D1, D2) within 15 days after the month ends.Rule 15(3), 15(4)
Sell only registered insecticides, in packs approved by the Registration Committee, packed and labelled as the Rules require.Act s. 18 · Rules 16, 17
Expired stock: separate it, stamp it “not for sale”, keep it in a marked place under a “date-expired insecticides” board, record it in Appendix A and dispose of it as directed. Never re-use it.Rule 10A
Keep a record of the periodic medical examination of people who handle insecticides (Appendix E).Form III, condition 13
Tell the licensing officer at once about any change in your technical person or principal certificate.Rule 9(3)(ii) · Form II
Add new products to the licence by endorsement before selling them (not needed for household-only licences).Rule 10(4)(iii)
Selling online is allowed; the e-commerce platform must check your licence first.Rule 10E
Expect an inspection of premises, stock and records at least once every two years.Rule 10(7)

Later

Renewal, duplicate, transfer and suspension

Renewal: Dealer and manufacturing licences have had no renewal since 5 November 2015 (G.S.R. 840(E)); they stay in force until suspended or revoked. Pest control licences: every 5 years.Rule 11
Duplicate: ₹100 if the licence is defaced, damaged or lost.Rule 9(5), 10(6)
Transfer: Apply before expiry, with ₹100. If a dealer dies, a family member can apply with the death and legal-heir certificates; without the qualification, the transfer is provisional for one year or until they finish the certificate course.Rule 14
Change: The officer can vary or amend a licence on your application, or when the conditions change.Rule 13
Suspension: For misrepresentation or breach of conditions, after a show-cause notice. Appeal within 30 days; the appeal is ordinarily decided within six months.Act s. 14, 15

2025 and 2026

Recent changes to the licence rules

Official

Insecticides (Amendment) Rules, 2025

G.S.R. 367(E), 3 June 2025 · in force from that date · read in the Gazette

A household-only licence is deemed granted if the officer does not decide within 30 days (was 90).
No principal certificate, and no endorsement for extra products, for household-only licences.
A new Form II, with a short application (4) for household-only licences, and a new Form III with its conditions and registers (Appendices A to E).
Household insecticide retail packs carry a QR code that opens the full leaflet.

Reported

Insecticides (Amendment) Rules, 2026 (February)

G.S.R. 139(E), February 2026 (as reported)

Dealers licensed before 1 February 2017 without the qualification: the time to get it was extended from 30 June 2024 to 30 June 2026.

Reported

Insecticides (Amendment) Rules, 2026 (June)

G.S.R. 493(E), June 2026 · in force 15 September 2026 (as reported)

Licence applications in Form II made online, with the fee paid online.
Registers kept in digital form only; the paper option is removed.
Monthly returns filed electronically within 15 days after the month ends.

Act s. 29

Penalties

Offence	First offence	Later offences
Selling, stocking or distributing without a licence; making or importing without registration; certain kinds of misbranding; selling a prohibited insecticide; obstructing an inspectorAct s. 29(1)	Up to 2 years, or a fine of ₹10,000 to ₹50,000, or both	Up to 3 years, or a fine of ₹15,000 to ₹75,000, or both
Breaking any other provision of the Act or Rules, or a licence conditionAct s. 29(3)	Up to 1 year, or a fine of ₹5,000 to ₹25,000, or both	Up to 2 years, or a fine of ₹10,000 to ₹50,000, or both
Using an insecticide against the Act or RulesAct s. 29(2)	A fine of ₹500 to ₹5,000, or up to 6 months, or both	The same

The licensing officer can also suspend or revoke the licence (Act s. 14). Not knowing the rules is no defence (Act s. 30(1)).

Questions

Pesticide licence: short answers

Do I need a licence to sell pesticides in India?

Yes. Under sections 13 and 18(2) of the Insecticides Act, 1968, no one may sell, stock, exhibit for sale or distribute any insecticide without a licence from the licensing officer appointed by the State Government. The Act’s “insecticides” include the weedicides, fungicides and household insecticides in its Schedule.

What qualification is needed for a pesticide dealer licence?

A graduate degree in agricultural sciences, biochemistry, biotechnology, life sciences, or science with chemistry, botany or zoology; or a one-year diploma in agriculture or horticulture that covers plant protection and pesticide management (Rule 10(1A)). The applicant can instead employ a person with the qualification. A household-only licence needs no qualification. Dealers licensed before 1 February 2017 without the qualification were given time to get it, reported to have been extended to 30 June 2026 (G.S.R. 139(E), February 2026).

What is the fee for a pesticide dealer licence?

₹500 for every insecticide, for each place of sale, and one-fifth of that in rural areas (Rule 10(2)). For household-only licences the fee is at most ₹7,500 for each place; some official copies of the Rules apply that ₹7,500 cap to every sale licence, so ask your licensing officer. A manufacturing licence costs ₹2,000 for every insecticide, at most ₹20,000; a pest control licence ₹1,000 for each place of operation.

What is a principal certificate?

A certificate from the manufacturer, on its letterhead, that names the dealer, the insecticides the dealer may sell with their registration numbers, the area, and the distributor the dealer will buy from (Rule 10(4A), Appendix to Form II). It is filed with the licence application. Household-only licences do not need one (since June 2025).

Does a pesticide licence need renewal?

Dealer and manufacturing licences do not: since 5 November 2015 they stay in force until suspended or revoked (Rule 11). Pest control licences are valid for 5 years and must be renewed before expiry.

Can a general store sell mosquito and cockroach killers?

Yes, with a household-only licence: no qualification, no principal certificate, and the licence is deemed granted if the officer does not decide within 30 days. Unlike other insecticides, registered household insecticides that are properly packed and labelled may be sold from a building that also sells food (Rule 10C).

Is the pesticide licence application online now?

The Insecticides (Amendment) Rules, 2026 (G.S.R. 493(E), June 2026) are reported to make licence applications, registers and monthly returns online-only from 15 September 2026. Check your State’s licensing portal and the Gazette text.

What is the penalty for selling pesticides without a licence?

For a first offence, imprisonment of up to 2 years, or a fine of ₹10,000 to ₹50,000, or both; for a later offence, up to 3 years, or ₹15,000 to ₹75,000, or both (section 29(1) of the Insecticides Act, 1968).

Based on the Insecticides Act, 1968 and the Insecticides Rules, 1971 as amended to 3 June 2025 (G.S.R. 367(E)), read in the Gazette of India. Later amendments (G.S.R. 139(E) of February 2026 and G.S.R. 493(E) of June 2026) are marked as reported until we have read their Gazette text. Your State may set its own procedure for applying. NanoKheti is not a government body; the Gazette notifications are authoritative, and this page is not legal advice. Also from NanoKheti: Banned and restricted pesticides in India · Insecticides Act and Rules made simple · FCO biostimulant list · FCO fertiliser specifications.