Helmet for riders of Two Wheeler Motor Vehicles (Quality Control) Order, 2020: scope, IS 4151, dates, enforcement and how importers comply in 2026

It is the order that makes BIS certification compulsory for motorcycle and scooter helmets. Its full title is the Helmet for riders of Two Wheeler Motor Vehicles (Quality Control) Order, 2020. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) issued it as S.O. 4252(E) on 26 November 2020, using its powers under sections 16, 17 and 25(3) of the BIS Act, 2016^[1].

Most QCOs come from DPIIT or a sector ministry such as Heavy Industries or Steel. This one comes from the road transport ministry, which also regulates helmet use on the road. The enforcement side, though, sits with BIS: the order names BIS as the certifying and enforcing authority^[2].

The order is short. It does three things^[2]:

1. It requires the goods to conform to IS 4151:2015, Protective Helmet for Two Wheeler Riders.
2. It requires them to bear the Standard Mark (the ISI mark) under a BIS licence as per Scheme-I of the BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018.
3. It applies the latest version of the standard, with amendments, from the date BIS notifies it.

For importers this means one thing in practice: every helmet you bring in must be made by a BIS-licensed factory and carry the ISI mark. See import helmets for the import process. If you are not sure whether your product is caught, run it through the approval checker or read does my product need BIS.

To keep low-quality helmets off the market and to push the industry towards lighter helmets suited to Indian conditions. When MoRTH issued the order, it said a committee formed on the directions of the Supreme Court Committee on Road Safety, with doctors from AIIMS and BIS experts, had recommended lighter helmets in March 2018, and that BIS had revised the specification on that basis^[7].

The scale explains the attention. MoRTH put annual two-wheeler production at nearly 1.7 crore at the time^[7], and the Department of Consumer Affairs now cites more than 21 crore two-wheelers on the road, with helmet use already compulsory under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988^[5]. The QCO adds the quality layer: a helmet that is worn but not to standard does not give the protection the road rule assumes.

For a seller, the practical point is that two separate laws meet in one product. The road rule makes riders buy helmets; the QCO decides which helmets may be made, imported and sold^[2].

The order applies to 'Helmet for riders of Two Wheeler Motor Vehicles'^[2]. It does not list sub-types, so every helmet designed for riders of motorcycles, scooters and mopeds is covered, whatever its style.

The order does not list HS codes^[2]. Customs and BIS look at what the product is, not how it is classified. Helmets are reported to be classified under HS subheading 6506.10, safety headgear^[8], but that subheading also holds industrial and sports helmets that are outside this order.

Products that are sold with or around a helmet, or that look like one, cause most questions. The order covers 'helmet for riders of two wheeler motor vehicles' and nothing more^[2], so the test is what the product is for. Use this table as a first sort, then confirm with BIS or a BIS consultant if your product sits on a line.

IS 4151:2015, Protective Helmet for Two Wheeler Riders^[2]. BIS's December 2024 product manual for the standard records two amendments^[11]. The order's note means those amendments apply from the dates BIS notified them.

The BIS test regime covers materials, sizes, construction, peripheral vision, mass, impact absorption, rigidity, the retention system and chin strap, audibility and quick-release mechanisms, after conditioning at heat, cold, UV and with solvents^[12]. For more on the standard see IS 4151.

The licence is product-specific: BIS grants one Scheme-I licence per product and Indian Standard, covering only the varieties in its scope^[13]. The standard sits behind the ISI mark on every helmet; the general rules for that mark are on BIS ISI mark.

The helmet order has an unusually clean history. It was notified on 26 November 2020^[1], came into force on 1 June 2021 as originally stated^[2], and BIS lists no amendment or rescission against it^[3]. Many other QCOs of 2020 were deferred several times; this one was not.

Only exporters. The order says nothing in it applies to goods meant for export^[2]. There is no exemption for:

• Small businesses. Unlike some newer QCOs, such as the eight orders DPIIT gave a common Udyam threshold in February 2026^[15], the helmet order has no MSME relief.
• R&D samples. There is no R&D import allowance like the one added to the Toys QCO^[16].
• Old stock. There is no sell-off period in the order text.

The 2026 Transition Facilitation Order, which lets permitted companies source under Scheme-II licences, does not list helmets^[14].

No relief in the order itself: the only exemption is export^[2]. Small firms get help only on fees, not on the obligation.

The fee relief works through the BIS marking fee. From 17 March 2026 to 31 May 2029 the annual minimum marking fee is cut by 80% for micro enterprises and 50% for small ones, with an extra 10% for women-led enterprises^[17]. For IS 4151 the published minimums are below.

Transition relief granted to other QCOs does not reach helmets. DPIIT's February 2026 shipped-before and purchase-order exemptions cover 26 QCOs notified in 2024 and 2025^[18], and helmets were notified in 2020. The 2026 Transition Facilitation Order leaves helmets out of its Schedule^[14]. One more difference: BIS's December 2025 circular that ended the in-house laboratory requirement for most products makes an exception for helmets^[19], so helmet factories still need their own test set-up for the routine checks^[20].

It cannot be sold. The order gives no sell-off period^[2], and section 17 of the BIS Act covers storing and exhibiting for sale as well as selling^[10]. Three stock situations come up:

• Stock bought before 1 June 2021. The commencement date passed more than five years ago^[2]. Any such stock still unsold has no protection now.
• Stock from a factory whose licence lapsed. When a Scheme-I licence passes its validity date without renewal, BIS directs the licensee to stop using the Standard Mark at once^[21]. Manakonline treats licences more than 90 days past validity as expired^[22]. Check validity before every order, and use the licence renewal date tool to diary your supplier's renewal.
• Seized or returned stock. BIS can direct a licence holder to stop supply and recall non-conforming marked goods^[10]. Goods recalled for failing the standard should not be re-sold.

The renewal side is explained on BIS ISI mark renewal.

Yes. As of 1 November 2026, BIS's list of products under compulsory Scheme-I certification shows the helmet order against IS 4151:2015 with no amendment or rescission^[3].

The late-2025 rescissions removed orders on chemicals, polymers, fibres and metals, such as the 14 withdrawn on 12 November 2025^[23]. Safety products used by consumers, such as helmets, were not part of that. For every change across QCOs, see the QCO tracker. The QCO deadline checker shows the helmet order as in force since 1 June 2021, and our QCO orders dataset lists it alongside every other order.

The licence belongs to the factory. Importers comply by buying from a licensed factory and checking the scope. The documents BIS expects are listed on ISI mark documents.

The order binds importers directly. The BIS Act's definition of 'person' includes importers^[10], and section 17 bars importing notified goods without the Standard Mark under a valid licence^[10]. Four practical consequences follow:

• You cannot hold the licence for someone else's factory. A Scheme-I licence is granted per product standard and per factory location^[24]. Your supplier's factory must be licensed.
• Foreign factories use FMCS. BIS runs it for all products except MeitY-notified electronics^[25]. Expect about six months on average^[27] and a USD 10,000 bank guarantee after grant^[27].
• The scope matters as much as the licence. The mark may be used only on varieties listed in the licence scope^[13]. For helmets, each model, type and size is a separate variety^[9].
• Marking happens at the factory. Goods must be marked before they leave. There is no route to mark them on arrival in India in the order text.

For the step-by-step import route see import helmets. The foreign factory names an Authorised Indian Representative, and tests on BIS samples happen only in BIS or BIS-recognised labs in India^[29], such as those listed on BIS labs in Delhi NCR.

Check the licence number on BIS's own systems before you pay, not after the goods land. BIS has added a helmet-maker check to the BIS Care App and its portal, and the app also takes complaints^[5]. The full method is in how to verify a BIS licence.

• Surveillance. BIS makes surprise factory visits and buys ISI-marked products in the market for third-party testing^[24]. FMCS licensees also report production and dispatch monthly or quarterly^[32].
• Actual marking fee. At renewal the factory files a production statement certified by a chartered or cost accountant, and BIS works out the actual marking fee^[33]. For IS 4151 the unit rate is Rs 0.45 per helmet, so the actual fee passes the Rs 46,000 minimum at about 1,02,200 helmets a year^[4].
• Renewal. Licences can be renewed for one to five years, paying the licence fee and advance minimum marking fee for the chosen period^[34].
• Late renewal. If the validity date passes, the factory may not mark or dispatch until it renews, with a Rs 5,000 late fee within 90 days; after that the licence expires^[31].

The fee rules are explained on BIS ISI mark fees.

Three consumer QCOs from 2020 that importers often handle together:

'A foreign safety approval is enough.' It is not. The order requires conformity to IS 4151 and the ISI mark under a BIS licence^[2], and the only exemption is export^[2]. A factory with foreign approvals still needs an FMCS licence^[25].

'The importer can get the licence.' The licence is per factory location^[24]. The importer's role is to buy licensed, marked helmets.

'One licence covers all our helmets.' Only the varieties in the scope are covered, and BIS treats each model, type and size as a variety^[9][13].

'The standard is frozen at 2015.' The order applies the latest version with amendments notified by BIS^[2], and IS 4151:2015 now has two amendments^[11].

'Old stock can be sold off.' The order text gives no sell-off period^[2].

BIS enforces it^[2]. Section 17 of the BIS Act bars manufacturing, importing, selling, storing or exhibiting for sale notified goods without a Standard Mark under a valid licence^[10]. Penalties run to two years' imprisonment, or a fine of at least Rs 2 lakh (first offence) or Rs 5 lakh (later), up to ten times the value of the goods^[10]. The Act's definition of 'person' includes importers and sellers^[10].

Consumer law adds pressure. The Central Consumer Protection Authority's first Safety Notice warned consumers against helmets, pressure cookers and gas cylinders without a valid ISI mark^[43]. CCPA has followed such notices with recall orders against marketplaces for other QCO products^[44].

After grant, BIS surveils licences through factory visits and by buying ISI-marked helmets in the market for testing^[24].

Actively, and more so since 2024. Enforcement has come from BIS raids, licence cancellations and Department of Consumer Affairs campaigns through district officials. In October 2024 the department asked District Collectors and Magistrates to run a nationwide drive against makers and sellers of non-ISI helmets; by then 162 helmet licences had been cancelled or had expired and 27 search-and-seizure actions had been taken^[6].

A helmet factory's marking fee. A large factory licensed for IS 4151 pays at least Rs 46,000 a year, and Rs 0.45 per helmet once output passes the break-even^[4]. At 2,00,000 helmets a year the unit rate gives Rs 90,000, so that is the actual fee settled from the certified production statement^[33]. A micro factory making 15,000 helmets owes Rs 6,750 on the unit rate, so it pays its Rs 9,200 minimum instead^[4].

An importer sourcing from Vietnam. BIS's FMCS list on 30 October 2026 showed four helmet licence records for Vietnamese factories^[48]. If your supplier is one of them, check the models against the scope. If not, the factory must apply itself: an importer cannot apply on the manufacturer's behalf^[29]. Budget around six months^[27]. See importing from Vietnam.

A trader buying from China. The China FMCS list on 1 November 2026 had one operative motorcycle helmet record^[48]. Choice is narrow, so most importers either buy from that factory or source from an Indian licensee. See importing from China.

A marketplace seller. Listing a non-ISI helmet does not shift the risk to the platform. CCPA has treated non-standard goods as defective and penalised marketplaces as well as sellers in a parallel cooker case^[49][44]. Use the Amazon listing checklist and the guide for Amazon sellers.

A foreign factory's first-year cost. The visible BIS charges are the Rs 1,000 application fee, Rs 7,000 per man-day of inspection, Rs 1,000 licence fee and the advance minimum marking fee^[24], plus officers' travel and a Rs 10,000 contingency payment^[50] and a USD 10,000 bank guarantee^[27]. Testing is extra. The compliance cost estimator and BIS ISI licence cost page set these out, and FMCS fees gives the full list.

Most failures are paperwork or scope problems, not test failures.

• Licence for a different factory. The supplier shows a valid licence, but the goods come from a sister unit. Licences are per factory^[24].
• New model not in scope. A new shell or size is a new variety^[9], and adding varieties under FMCS costs Rs 5,000 per variety or group^[50].
• Lapsed licence. Marking after validity is not allowed^[31].
• Packaging gaps. Helmets sold as retail packs are likely to need importer registration and package declarations under the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules^[51]; see LMPC importer registration.
• Roadside and online stock without the mark. This is where BIS raids have concentrated^[5].

If you want a second pair of eyes before you ship, ask for a free compliance check. For what happens when goods are caught, read selling without BIS.