Is DJI Banned? What Part 107 Pilots Should Know

No, DJI drones are not banned from flying. In December 2025 the FCC added foreign-made drones and their critical components to its Covered List, which stops new models from getting FCC authorization. In July 2026 it went further and proposed limits on continued imports and sales of some previously authorized equipment. In every one of those documents, the FCC says the action does not affect drones people already own, and none of it is an FAA operating rule.

What did the FCC actually do?

On December 22, 2025, the FCC updated its Covered List to include drones and drone critical components produced in foreign countries, plus the equipment and services listed in section 1709 of the FY2025 National Defense Authorization Act. The Covered List names communications equipment that national security agencies consider an unacceptable risk. Equipment on it cannot get a new FCC equipment authorization, and most wireless devices need that authorization before they can be imported, marketed or sold in the United States.

At that point the restriction applied to new device models.

Does it stop me from flying my DJI drone?

Not according to the FCC. Its December fact sheet says the decision does not affect a consumer's ability to keep using drones they already bought or acquired. The two July proposals described below repeat the point: the FCC says a prohibition on importing and marketing would not affect continued use or operation of already-purchased equipment.

The decisions are also not FAA rules. Nothing in the FCC documents changes the Part 107 operating rules, so registration, Remote ID and airspace authorization are not affected by them. If you fly under Part 107, the Remote ID post and the registration and preflight post cover what still applies. Separately, an employer, a client or a government agency can set its own equipment policy, and that is a different question from what the FCC decided.

Are any drones exempt?

Yes, some, and most exemptions are time-limited:

• January 7, 2026: after a determination from the Department of War, the FCC removed drones and critical components on the Defense Contract Management Agency's Blue UAS Cleared List, and those that qualify as domestic end products under the Buy American Standard. Both exemptions run until January 1, 2027.
• June 15, 2026: the FCC removed "toy drones," as defined in a national security determination, from the Covered List.
• Conditional approvals: devices granted a Conditional Approval by the Department of War or the Department of Homeland Security are also excluded.

Is the FCC going further?

Yes. In July 2026 the FCC opened two proceedings to prohibit the continued importation and marketing of some equipment that was authorized before it landed on the Covered List. Both are proposals, and both say they would not affect continued use of already-purchased equipment.

July 17, 2026 (PS Docket 26-184). The proposal covers previously authorized equipment from nine named companies and their affiliates: Cogito, Fikaxo, Lyno Dynamics, Skyhigh Tech, Spatial Hover, SZ Knowact, WaveGo, Xtra and XAG. The FCC's footnotes cite trade press reports linking several of these brands to rebranded hardware from a company listed in section 1709, and several of the cited articles name DJI. The ban would cover advertising, distribution and sale, with exceptions for federal government use and for commercial testing and product development.

July 21, 2026 (PS Docket 26-189). This proposal targets previously authorized covered equipment that the FCC calls military-grade, meaning drones or components that are:

1. 55 pounds or heavier at takeoff
2. capable of dispensing economic poison under FAA rules
3. equipped with thermal imaging sensors
4. equipped with LiDAR sensors
5. docking stations
6. specially designed to incorporate a defense article
7. swarming systems

Domestic products, federal government use, commercial testing and non-military-grade equipment are outside it. Comments on both were due 30 days after Federal Register publication, and we did not find an adopted order in the FCC documents we reviewed. Proposals can move fast, though: for older covered equipment, the FCC proposed a similar prohibition on March 27, 2026, announced its decision on June 26, and the prohibition took effect July 16, 2026.

What are DJI and Autel doing about it?

Both challenged the December decision. On January 21, 2026, DJI filed a petition asking the FCC to reconsider the Covered List action as it applies to DJI's communications and video surveillance equipment and services. Autel filed an application for review of the December and January notices. Oppositions were due April 6, 2026 and replies May 11, 2026, according to an FCC public notice dated March 6, 2026. We did not find a final FCC decision on either filing. The proceedings are ET Docket Nos. 26-22 (DJI) and 26-23 (Autel).

Can I still buy a DJI drone?

As of the FCC's December fact sheet, models authorized earlier could still be imported, marketed and sold, and no adopted order we found changes that for DJI-branded models. The July proposals would end continued import and marketing for the equipment they cover if the FCC adopts them, so what is on shelves can change. Availability and price are a separate question, and tariffs are part of it. This is not purchasing advice.

What about the drone tariffs?

They are a different action. A presidential proclamation dated August 13, 2026 imposes Section 232 duties on imported drones and components. The duties are paid by importers, and they apply to goods entered on or after 12:01 a.m. Eastern on September 3, 2026, with several exceptions:

For companies on the Blue UAS Cleared List, the Blue UAS Framework or the FCC's Conditional Approval List on September 2, 2026, the proclamation delays the start date by 180 days for their covered products and components. So not every drone was hit on September 3. Our policy roundup looks at who these rules favor.

Timeline

What we could not verify

Two claims circulate that we could not trace to an FCC document. One is a reported restriction starting October 13, 2026 on new equipment authorizations for drones built with DJI or Autel parts. The other is any final decision on the DJI and Autel filings. We left both out until a primary source shows up. Whether a proposal covers a specific model also depends on its FCC ID and category, which the notices define, so check the documents rather than a headline.

What does this mean for the Part 107 exam?

The knowledge test covers FAA rules such as registration, Remote ID and airspace authorization. FCC equipment authorization and import tariffs are outside it. The rules that matter for your certificate are the ones in the handbook, and the two-week study plan shows how to prepare for them.

Sources

• FCC fact sheet, Covered List update on foreign UAS, December 22, 2025
• FCC public notice DA 26-22, exemption of certain UAS from the Covered List, January 7, 2026
• FCC public notice DA 26-223, procedures for the DJI petition and Autel application, March 6, 2026
• FCC public notice DA 26-742, proposal on previously authorized covered UAS and section 1709 equipment, July 17, 2026
• FCC public notice DA 26-758, proposal on military-grade covered UAS, July 21, 2026
• Federal Register, Adjusting Imports of Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Components, August 19, 2026