I review drones for a living and I’ve been keeping a close eye on the US drone ban — here are the latest updates

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Restrictions have been temporarily eased but there's a catch

DJI Mini 4 Pro.
(Image credit: Future)

At the tail end of 2025, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the U.S. announced that it would ban all new foreign-made drones, including those by DJI. DJI, a Chinese manufacturer, has dominated the drone market for years now, and it is the brand worst-hit by this ban.

Since December 23, 2025, there have been a few new developments — some of them are hopeful too, especially for existing drone owners and non-American manufacturers. I test and review the best drones, so I have been keeping a close eye on the U.S. drone ban. Here's a rundown of what has happened since that fateful day in December 2025.

What happened on December 23rd 2025?

A dark grey DJI Mavic 4 Pro drone

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The foreign-made drone ban didn't just happen overnight. This ordeal has been going on for a couple of years now. In June 2024, the House of Representatives passed a ban on the sale of DJI drones within the country. This also took place around the time when the government started seriously considering banning TikTok (also owned by a Chinese company).

After the June 2024 ruling, it then went to the Senate, and on December 23, 2025 — almost a year and a half after the House of Representatives vote — the FCC announced that future drones would not be available in the U.S. as and when they're released. This means that, for instance, the highly rumored DJI Avata 360 (to compete with the Antigravity A1) would not make an appearance in American markets.

This ban doesn't just apply to drones, according to the Public Notice released by the FCC. If a drone even uses foreign-made parts, it can be heavily scrutinized by the FCC and blocked from being released in the U.S. These parts can be anything: batteries, propellers, imaging sensors, etc.

Drones either made entirely on foreign soil or utilizing foreign-made parts will be added to a "Covered List" of entities pegged as "posing an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States or the security and safety of United States persons."

Can I still buy drones in the U.S.?

A dark gray DJI Neo 2 camera drone

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

While this is a blow to U.S. consumers who may want to buy DJI's future drones, it's important to note that drones released prior to December 23, 2025 are still safe, and are still being sold in the American market. If a drone was registered with and authorized by the FCC before the ban, it is still available. The last DJI drone that was added to the list was the DJI Mini 5 Pro (launched in October) and the non-DJI Antigravity A1 (launched in December).

As of today, the following DJI drones are still available:

Restrictions have been temporarily relaxed

A DJI Mini 5 Pro drone

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Since the FCC ruling, there has been a new development. On January 7, 2026, a couple of weeks after the December 23rd ruling, the FCC released the NSD FCC Covered List Waiver 0126 which mentions the "DCMA's Blue UAS list."

Page two of the document states that foreign-made drones (and components) may be allowed to be sold in the U.S. once they have gone through and passed "rigorous cyber and hardware assessments." These drones will then be allowed to remain available until January 1, 2027.

This also applies to any drones that are partially made on American soil. As long as drones meet the definition of "domestic end products" and have "at least 65%" of their components' costs come from the U.S., they can avoid the FCC ban.

DJI Flip - Taking off from hand

(Image credit: Future)

But there's a catch. This rule applies only to drones designed for first responders, government agencies and task forces, search and rescue teams, and surveillance teams. This list does not include consumer drones designed primarily for photography, such as the DJI Mavic 4 Pro or the DJI Mini 5 Pro.

While this doesn't sound ideal for consumer drones, I believe it is hopeful. There's no guarantee that this ban will remain in place forever, and as consumers, all we can do is hope that one day, DJI drones will be ably to fly freely in the U.S. once again.

Your DJI drone still gets firmware updates

DJI Neo - Holding in hand

(Image credit: Future)

If you currently own a DJI drone and are worried your quadcopter will stop receiving firmware updates, don't fret. The FCC has confirmed that existing foreign-made drones — including those from DJI, Autel and Potensic — will continue receiving firmware/software updates as well as security patches, at least until January 1, 2027.

In a statement published by the FCC on January 21, 2026, its Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) noted that though on December 22, 2025, it had decided to stop existing drones from receiving these critical updates, this has now been temporary waived.

There's another bit of hope here, as the FCC has confirmed that it will revisit the issue before the January 1, 2027 deadline. It has left the door open and has said that there could be a possibility — after detailed re-evaluation — of an extension to the deadline or working towards a more permanent framework.

This is all we know so far. As always, if there are any further updates, I'll be sure to cover them.

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Nikita Achanta
Nikita Achanta
Senior Writer, Reviews

Nikita is a Senior Writer on the Reviews team at Tom's Guide. She's a lifelong gaming and photography enthusiast, always on the lookout for the latest tech. Having worked as a Sub Editor and Writer for Canon EMEA, she has interviewed photographers from all over the world and working in different genres. When she’s not working, Nikita can usually be found sinking hours into RPGs on her PS5, flying a drone (she's a licensed drone pilot), at a concert, or watching F1. Her work has appeared in several publications including Motor Sport Magazine, NME, Marriott Bonvoy, The Independent, and Metro. You can follow her photography account on Instagram here.

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