DJI lands on the FCC “Covered List” by default as the NDAA audit deadline passes
With no NDAA audit done by Dec 23, 2025, DJI was auto-added to the FCC Covered List — blocking new US imports; existing models keep working.
The FY2025 National Defense Authorization Act set December 23, 2025 as the deadline for a designated agency to complete a national-security audit of DJI; absent that audit, the law placed DJI on the Federal Communications Commission's "Covered List" by default. No agency conducted the review, so the listing took effect automatically. In practice, new DJI products with radio transmitters can no longer receive the FCC authorization needed to be legally imported and sold in the US, while DJI gear that already holds FCC authorization remains legal to import, sell and operate. DJI made a last-ditch appeal to US security officials as the deadline approached; as of mid-2026 it remains on the list.
Technical Breakdown
- Mechanism: FY25 NDAA "audit-or-list" provision — default Covered-List placement absent a completed audit
- Trigger date: December 23, 2025
- Effect: new radio-transmitter products blocked from fresh FCC authorization (no new imports or sales)
- Carve-out: previously FCC-authorized DJI models remain legal to sell and operate
- Status (June 2026): DJI still on the Covered List; no audit completed
Industry Impact
For US buyers, existing authorized inventory keeps working, but the pipeline of new DJI hardware is effectively cut off. For rivals, it durably reshapes the US market in their favour. For DJI, the Covered List compounds tariffs and the Pentagon listing, reinforcing the global-minus-US strategy. For regulators, a ban that arises because no one performed the audit — rather than from an adverse finding — is itself notable. For investors, DJI's US revenue risk now looks structural rather than cyclical.