The secret to a very unmerry holiday shopping season? A brand-new, unusable drone.

If a DJI drone is on your holiday wish list, you might want to hit “buy” as soon as possible. The company issued a stark warning: Its drones could be banned from sale in the US, and the deadline is looming. 

The Federal Communications Commission voted 3-0 at the end of October to “close loopholes” that allow tech deemed a “national security risk” to be sold in the US. In plain English, the US government is clearing the path to give DJI the same treatment it gave Chinese phone-maker Huawei, effectively banning its products from the American market.

The US government has deemed DJI, which is based in China, a security risk. It’s also considering a separate ban on TP-Link routers.

DJI is sounding the alarm, posting on Instagram that a “deadline that could decide DJI’s fate in the US is just 43 days away” — now 16 days away. The company is warning that without an audit, its products could face an “automatic ban.” The US government has long labeled the Chinese drone maker a security risk, and it looks like the hammer might finally be coming down right before the holidays.

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The vote isn’t the end of the road, however. Future bans would need to target specific products and would require a period of public consultation. But it appears the groundwork is being set for the FCC to block sales of future and some existing DJI drones from US shores, as well as products that use DJI technology.

The government has called for a DJI audit by the end of the year, but if that doesn’t happen, DJI drone products could be banned for sale by default under a national security law.

DJI asks for a security audit before any ban

A representative for DJI told CNET that while the FCC vote references a rule change that doesn’t currently apply to DJI specifically, the National Defense Authorization Act deadline in December would put Chinese companies like it on the FCC’s ban list, “without any evidence of wrongdoing or the right to appeal.”

Adam Welsh, head of global policy at DJI, said the company has repeatedly said it would be open to audit, but that “more than 10 months have now passed with no sign that the process has begun.” 

“The US government has every right to strengthen national security measures, but this must go hand in hand with due process, fairness, and transparency,” Welsh said.

Welsh said DJI is urging the government to start the audit process or grant an extension.

Will DJI drone owners need to give them up?

Because the ban would apply to new sales, not drones that have already been sold, a DJI drone you already own would still be legal to use — at least under current rules. 

Government agencies, however, are prohibited from purchasing or using drones from Chinese companies, including DJI.

DJI’s drones consistently rank high in their product category. In January, they dominated CNET’s list of best drones for 2025. But some of the company’s newest products, such as the DJI Mavic 4 Pro, haven’t been available for sale in the United States.

Even DJI products that are not yet banned may be hard to find. The website UAV Coach has posted a guide to the bans and reports that, due to inventory issues, most DJI drone models are sold out at retailers regardless of future FCC action.