DJI faces several distinct US restrictions that are often confused as one blanket ban. The FCC’s Covered List blocks new equipment authorizations, not existing ownership. Separate federal procurement rules bar government agencies from buying DJI hardware. Customs can detain shipments under labor-law rules. None of these ground drones already owned by private individuals.
Updated August 26, 2026: The FCC’s Blue UAS and Buy American exemptions to the Covered List run through January 1, 2027. We’ll update this page if that exemption is extended, narrowed, or allowed to lapse.
What is the FCC Covered List restriction, exactly?
On December 22, 2025, the FCC added all foreign-produced drones and critical UAS components to its Covered List, following an interagency national security determination tied to the 2025 NDAA. The practical effect is narrow but real: no new FCC equipment authorizations for covered devices going forward. New models can’t be imported, marketed, or sold in the US under that authorization. Existing, previously authorized models aren’t affected and can keep being sold and operated.
In January 2026, the FCC granted temporary exemptions through January 1, 2027, for drones and components on the Pentagon’s Blue UAS Cleared List, and for UAS meeting Buy American Act sourcing thresholds. That’s a partial, time-limited carve-out, not a reversal of the Covered List decision.
How is this different from a federal procurement ban?
Procurement restrictions are older and separate from the FCC action. The Army banned DJI drones from its own use back in 2017. The Department of the Interior grounded its roughly 800-drone fleet in 2019, formalized through Secretarial Order 3379 in January 2020. The American Security Drone Act, enacted as part of the FY2024 NDAA, created a government-wide procurement prohibition on covered foreign UAS, with enforcement provisions taking effect December 22, 2025 — federal purchases now have to come from the Pentagon’s Blue UAS Cleared List. These rules govern what government agencies can buy. They don’t touch private ownership at all.
What was the NDAA security review, and why didn’t it happen?
The FY2025 NDAA’s Section 1709 mandated an interagency national security review of DJI and similar equipment, with a December 23, 2025 deadline. DJI reportedly sent letters to DHS, DoD, FBI, NSA, and ODNI leadership through December 2025 offering cooperation and data access. The review wasn’t completed by the deadline. The FCC’s Covered List action followed as the operative outcome tied to that statutory trigger, not a separate standalone ban.
Whatever happened to the Countering CCP Drones Act?
It passed the House in 2024 but wasn’t included as a standalone provision in the final FY2025 NDAA. The Section 1709 security-review mandate took its place instead, producing a similar practical restriction through a different legal mechanism.
Is there an actual ban on owning or flying a DJI drone?
No. Every restriction described above is prospective, procurement-focused, or import-focused. Existing DJI drones already owned by private individuals keep flying under the same FAA rules that applied before any of this. There’s no requirement to ground or surrender them, and no source indicates that’s under consideration.
What about the customs detentions I’ve heard about?
That’s a separate legal mechanism entirely. US Customs and Border Protection has been detaining select DJI shipments citing the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which presumes goods linked to Xinjiang involve forced labor unless proven otherwise. This is a trade-law and customs issue, not a national-security restriction, and DJI has said it’s working to demonstrate compliance.
For the full practical breakdown of what current owners and buyers should actually do, see our explainer on whether DJI drones are banned in the US. For how this restriction actually made its way through Congress, see how the DJI ban moved through Congress. And if you’re wondering how these US-specific rules compare to how other countries handle drones generally, see our list of countries where drone flights are restricted.
Sources: DRONELIFE on the FCC Covered List, Morgan Lewis on the FCC exemption, DroneFly on the DJI ban timeline.
