Is my drone banned in the US?

An FCC ID is a grantee code followed by a product code. Grantee codes issued since 2013 are five characters and start with 2; older ones are three characters. The grantee is the legal entity that holds the authorization, often a Shenzhen or Hong Kong company rather than the brand on the box. Paste the ID into the checker above to decode it, name the grantee where we have verified the code, and open the official grant record.

Whether the authorization could lawfully exist. Since December 22, 2025 the Covered List has blocked new FCC authorizations for foreign-produced drones and their critical components. An original grant dated before then was issued under the old rules; a grant dated after it for a foreign-produced aircraft should not exist. An ID with no grant on file, or a grant the FCC later set aside, as happened to the HOVERAir Versa in August 2026, means the device cannot lawfully be imported or sold.

The FCC's Third Report and Order in ET Docket 21-232, FCC 26-50, published September 11, 2026 and effective October 13, requires online marketplaces to display a device's FCC ID at the online point of sale. Marketplaces that fulfill or hold the item must comply by March 1, 2027; third-party listings by June 1, 2027. Listings published before October 13 and never amended, low-volume sellers, and used devices are exempt.

Not in the sense that you cannot own or fly one. DJI is on the FCC Covered List as of December 22, 2025, which blocks new DJI models from receiving the FCC authorization required to be imported and sold. Drones already in the country stay legal to own and operate, and already-authorized stock can be sold while it lasts.

Not yet. A July 17, 2026 FCC proposal in PS Docket 26-184 would limit the existing authorizations of specified equipment from nine company groups, including the makers of SkyRover, Specta, and Xtra, so it could no longer be imported or marketed. It is a proposal, and the notice says a final restriction would not affect equipment already purchased.

No. The Covered List affects new equipment authorizations and imports, not aircraft already in service. The FCC also extended the firmware-update waiver for already-authorized foreign drones through at least January 1, 2029, so existing units keep receiving software support.

It applies at import. From September 3, 2026, covered nonthermal drones at or below 25 kilograms carry a 25 percent tariff and thermal aircraft carry 100 percent. A buyer sees it as price, not as a restriction on owning or flying.

Look up its FCC ID. Whether a new model can be imported and sold turns on its FCC equipment authorization, and FCC 26-50 requires FCC IDs on marketplace listings. Search the ID at the FCC's equipment authorization database.