Over the past year and more, DJI has been fighting a ban on its products in the U.S. The company has begun 2026 with some good news as the U.S. Commerce Department has withdrawn a plan to impose restrictions on Chinese drones. However, new DJI drones are still banned by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
What has the U.S. Commerce Department done?
Back in September 2025, President Trump’s administration announced that it was going to restrict imports of Chinese drones. As a result, the U.S. Commerce Department introduced a rule to implement the ban, citing risks to national security and U.S. persons as the reason behind it. This rule was then sent to the White House for approval. However, last week, the U.S. Commerce Department announced that the proposed ban had been withdrawn.
FCC ban
Unfortunately for DJI, the U.S. Commerce Department ban was only one of the challenges faced by the company. In December, after a process that took several years, DJI was added to the FCC’s Covered List. The Covered List identifies companies deemed to pose an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States.
So, these companies are banned from supplying their products. This restriction is independent of the U.S. Commerce Department’s decision and remains in place.
What does this mean for DJI?
Outside of the U.S., DJI is free to operate as it wants. The FCC restrictions only prevent DJI from seeking approval to import and sell any new drones in the U.S. There are also bans on the import and sale of some “critical components.” However, it seems that DJI can continue to import and sell drones that the FFC has already authorized.
Ultimately, the company should be ok to sell older models. Importantly for DJI drone owners in the U.S., the use of drones you already own is not affected. However, you may struggle to get some spare parts if your drone develops a fault.
What we think
The threat of a ban on DJI drones in the U.S. has been around since the House of Congress introduced the Countering CCP Drones Act nearly three years ago. Now drone users in the U.S. face a confusing situation where one government department drops its ban, while another remains in place. Reuters reported that the U.S. Commerce Department’s ban was dropped because of President Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year in April. Given the apparently unpredictable and impetuous nature of President Trump’s decision making, DJI must be waiting for the outcome of that meeting with bated breath. Ultimately, the loser in all of this is yet again the U.S. consumer.
