Motorcycle Helmet Certifications Explained: ECE 22.06, DOT, EN 1078, SNI and INMETRO

By the QC desk · Reviewed 22 September 2026 · Next review January 2027

Most guides stop at three lines per standard. This one walks through the ones that decide whether a container clears customs, because that is what buyers ask the QC desk about. Where MOSA GEAR holds a certificate, the report number is on the page. Where MOSA GEAR does not, the article says so and gives the timeline.

What each standard is for

The two standards that get confused the most are R22 and EN 1078. Both start with E, both apply to helmets, neither has anything to do with the other for the motorcycle road use question.

ECE R22.05 and R22.06 in plain English

R22 is the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe regulation that covers motorcycle helmets for road use in EU member states, the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia and any country that adopted UNECE rules. There is no other path. A self-certification route does not exist for motorcycle helmets in these markets.

The 05 series has been live since 2002. The 06 series was published in 2022 and came into effect on the European type approval register in 2024. Existing R22.05 approvals remain valid for the models they cover. New type applications go to R22.06.

What R22 actually tests: high energy impact at four sites, low energy impact at additional sites, penetration, chin strap retention at different angles, peripheral vision above a fixed cone, visor mechanical strength with modular-specific additions, surface projection, marking durability and chemical resistance for paint.

The approval procedure: a single prototype goes to a Technical Service such as TUV SUD, UTAC or IDIADA. The lab runs the full test plan. The report goes to a Type Approval Authority such as the KBA in Germany or the VCA in the UK. The authority stamps the approval number. The manufacturer applies the approval mark with the country code and the approval number on every production helmet.

Lead time from first prototype to first approval is 60 to 120 days. After approval, the manufacturer pays an annual conformity-of-production audit at the Technical Service.

For MOSA GEAR, R22.06 is the next milestone on the certification roadmap. Target is the second quarter of 2027. Until it lands, our EU and UK helmet business runs on non-certified categories plus buyers who handle the approval themselves on first orders.

DOT, the United States, and what the SGS report actually proves

In the United States there is no government motorcycle helmet certificate. The rule is FMVSS 218, part of 49 CFR 571, written by NHTSA. A manufacturer tests, keeps evidence on file, and labels the helmet with a DOT symbol. If a regulator wants to check, they read the label and they read the manufacturer's declaration. There is no agency which stamps helmets as approved.

A buyer cannot ask for a "DOT certificate". A buyer can ask for the test report that supports the declaration.

For our model CG-225, that test report exists. SGS Guangzhou ran the FMVSS 218 test plan in December 2023. Report number GZHL2308029790HM-1. Four samples, size 57 to 58 cm, head form medium. Impact peaks measured 178.5 g and 183.8 g against a 400 g limit. Penetration, retention, peripheral vision above 105 degrees, projection, labelling all pass.

The report covers model 225 only. It does not cover the other 94 helmet styles in our catalog. It also does not mean a US consumer has a federal approval. It means the manufacturer (us) has self-declared that model 225 conforms to FMVSS 218 and has the SGS report to back that declaration.

The right way to write the claim is "tested to FMVSS 218". The wrong way is "DOT certified".

EN 1078 is a bicycle helmet standard, full stop

EN 1078 covers pedal cyclists, skateboards and roller skates. It does not cover motorcycle helmets. A helmet with an EN 1078 conformity certificate is a legal bicycle helmet in the EU. It is not a legal motorcycle helmet anywhere that follows R22.

The CTG certificate for model 225 is real, it is current, and it is on file. Certificate CTG2511198399B-SC156AO, dated 19 November 2025. The technical file covers PPE Regulation 2016/425 and EN 1078:2012. EN 1078 impact peaks measured 132 to 200 g against a 250 g limit. Strap width 15.8 mm. Both inside the limit.

Why does this matter? Two markets that buy entry-level helmets, scooter markets in South Asia and small-displacement markets in West Africa, often receive EN 1078 helmets because they are cheaper and faster to obtain than R22. The buyer resells them as "scooter helmets" or "city helmets". In some markets nobody checks the standard. In others, the importer puts the helmets in a market that follows R22 and gets pulled at the customs desk or in a roadside check. A recall of a helmet is the worst kind of recall.

So the question to ask of any supplier is not "do you have EN 1078". The question is "do you have R22, and which models". EN 1078 is for bicycles. It says so on the cover page of the standard.

SNI for Indonesia

Indonesia made motorcycle helmet certification mandatory in 2008 and has tightened the regime since. The relevant standards are SNI 1811 for half face and open face, and SNI 6711 for full face. Both are issued through an Indonesian LSPro accredited by KAN. Local testing takes about 30 to 60 days once the sample reaches the lab, and the SPPT-SNI documentation step takes another 30 to 90 days. Cost band per model is 3,000 to 8,000 USD plus sample shipping.

For a buyer with an Indonesian channel, the practical answer is: ask which models you want to put in SNI, accept the 4 to 6 month timeline, and book the approval before the container lands at Tanjung Priok. We do not hold SNI yet. Our certification queue places SNI after the next market on the roadmap.

INMETRO for Brazil

Brazil requires motorcycle helmets sold in the country to carry the INMETRO Compulsory Mark, issued under Portaria INMETRO and tested against ABNT NBR 7471. The process requires a Brazilian OCP accredited by INMETRO, factory audit, initial sample testing, and annual surveillance.

INMETRO testing is local. The prototypes ship to a Brazilian OCP, the OCP runs the tests, and on a successful result the certificate is granted. Lead time per model is 4 to 8 months the first time around. Cost band per model is 4,000 to 12,000 USD depending on how many models are batched.

Brazil is one of the largest motorcycle markets in the world by sales and the second largest helmet import market we serve. The volume case for INMETRO is real. It is not on the first quarter of our certification roadmap because of the audit cost and the operational time. When it lands it will not be for a single model. It will be for a batch of 6 to 10 DOT-style helmets, because that is the only way the approval cost makes sense.

SONCAP for Nigeria, which is a process, not a certification

SONCAP (SON Conformity Assessment Programme) is a process certificate issued by accredited bodies (Intertek, SGS, Bureau Veritas, Cotecna) before a regulated shipment enters Nigeria. For motorcycle helmets the route is PVoC, with destination testing on first-time shipments.

Each fresh shipment needs a fresh SONCAP. Cost per shipment is 200 to 700 USD depending on the model range. The certificate arrives in 7 to 15 working days if the manufacturer already has an accepted product file on the system.

This is one of the easier pieces of the compliance stack for buyers with Nigerian channels. We do not hold a SONCAP file on our side, so the first Nigerian shipment runs on a destination testing route with longer lead time and a slightly higher cost per shipment. After the first shipment, the file is on the system and subsequent shipments clear faster.

What MOSA GEAR holds today

• Model CG-225: FMVSS 218 test report SGS Guangzhou GZHL2308029790HM-1, dated 15 December 2023, supporting a US DOT self-declaration for that model.
• Model CG-225: PPE Regulation 2016/425 plus EN 1078:2012 conformity certificate CTG CTG2511198399B-SC156AO, dated 19 November 2025.
• Model CG-225: EN 1078:2012 test report CTG CTG2511198399B-SR156AO, dated 19 November 2025.
• Six partner plants in the Xuzhou textile cluster: CE-RoHS conformity verification reports, RoHS 2011/65/EU and (EU) 2015/863, IEC 62321 series, issued May to June 2026.
• Xuzhou Nature Outdoor Products: ISO 9001:2015 certificate 48925Q0587R0S, scope selling car covers, raincoats, windbreakers, pet clothing, valid 20 December 2025 to 19 December 2028.
• Two rain suit sets: domestic inspection reports IST25320119 and IST25341464, GB 18401-2010 class C and QB/T 4999-2016.

What we do not hold:

• UNECE R22.05 or R22.06 type approval. Target Q2 2027.
• SNI for Indonesia.
• INMETRO for Brazil.
• SONCAP file on our side, only per-shipment process.
• NTC for Colombia, QCVN for Vietnam, INCAP for Central America.

About 60 SKUs sit outside certified categories. Those are the SKUs an Indonesian, Vietnamese or Nigerian buyer can start with while an approval is pending.

How to read a helmet test report

Six things to check on the first page.

Report number and date. Look for the latest issue. Older reports cover older revisions of the standard.

Number of samples and head form. A single-sample report is not a pass for a whole production line.

Peak g against the limit. A peak of 350 g against a 400 g limit is technically a pass. A peak of 180 g against 400 g is a comfortable pass with margin. Buy margin, especially for hot climate markets where liner density drifts.

Peripheral vision statement. EU and US both ask for a minimum, usually above 105 degrees. Look for the actual figure, not "pass".

Lab name. Independent labs (SGS, BV, TUV, Intertek, CTG) carry different weight from in-house labs.

Model number and size range. A report on size M only is not a report on size XL.

What to send your buyer

For a routine distributor in a UNECE market: a copy of the R22 type approval certificate, the ECE label photograph on the helmet, the Declaration of Conformity, and the test report. The four documents travel together. Do not let any one of them be missing.

For a US distributor: the SGS test report that supports the DOT declaration, the DOT symbol photograph on the helmet, the manufacturer's self-declaration statement, and the model-specific drawings. The "DOT certificate" you might expect does not exist as a document. The declaration does.

For an Indonesian distributor with SNI pending: the application timeline from the LSPro, the sample shipping plan, and a written statement that until SNI lands the buyer resells the helmets only in markets that accept EN 1078 or DOT. Verbal reassurance is not acceptable. The paper trail makes the relationship last.

Common mistakes buyers make

Confusing EN 1078 with R22 because both start with E. The buyer resells EN 1078 helmets as motorcycle road-legal and gets pulled at the customs desk.

Asking a Chinese supplier for a "DOT certificate". The document does not exist. Asking for the FMVSS 218 test report gets the right answer in three days.

Booking SNI on day one of the relationship with a 5,000 piece forecast. Lead time is 4 to 6 months. Plan the approval before the container, not after.

Treating "certified" as a single yes or no. Certification is per model, per market, per shipment. A supplier's claim should always be paired with a model number and a report number.

Using a CE mark without a Declaration of Conformity. The CE mark is the manufacturer's declaration, not a stamp on the picture. Write the declaration, sign it, attach it to the technical file, then apply the mark. Reverse the order and you have a compliance problem.

Next review

This article will be reviewed in January 2027. Triggers that bring a review forward: any new R22.06 type approval MOSA GEAR publishes, any change to the SNI or INMETRO process, any update to the FMVSS 218 standard.

Corrections go at the bottom of this page with the date.

Written by the QC desk. Reviewed 22 September 2026. Next review January 2027.