DJI says US customs is blocking its drone imports

DJI tells The edge that it cannot currently freely import all of its drones into the United States – and that its newest consumer drone, the Air 3S, is therefore not currently sold at retail.

“A customs issue is hindering DJI’s ability to import select drones into the United States.”

That is not Because the United States suddenly banned DJI drones – DJI believes that the import restrictions are “part of a broader initiative by the Department of Homeland Security to verify the origin of products, particularly in the case of drones made in China.” it DJI.

DJI recently sent a letter to dealers citing a possible reason why DHS is stopping some of its drones: The company says U.S. Customs and Border Protection is using the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) as justification for blocking imports. In the letter, which has been floating around on drone sites and Reddit for several days, DJI claims that it does not use forced labor to make drones.

Reuters reported the letter today; DJI spokeswoman Daisy Kong confirmed the legitimacy of the letter The edge as well as.

In an official blog post just published, DJI calls this all a “misunderstanding” and writes that the company is currently sending documents to US Customs to prove that the company does not manufacture anything in China's Xinjiang region, where Uyghurs have been forcibly detained that it complies with U.S. law and international standards and that U.S. retailers have audited its supply chain. DJI says it manufactures all of its products in Shenzhen or Malaysia.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not respond to a request for comment.

While the US House of Representatives passed a bill that would effectively ban the import of DJI drones into the US, that ban would also need to be passed by the Senate. The last thing we checked was the Senate REMOVED the DJI ban from its version of the National Defense Authorization Act to be passed in 2025 (although it has been reintroduced as an amendment and may still be included in the final bill).

According to DJI, the “customs issue” has “primarily” impacted the company's corporate and agricultural drones, but has now also prevented us from offering the Air 3S to US customers beyond DJI.com.

“We are actively working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to resolve this issue and remain hopeful for a quick resolution,” DJI wrote.

The U.S. government has cracked down on DJI drones before, but not in a way that would have stopped stores from buying them, consumers from buying them, or individual pilots from using them in the United States fly. Primarily, the U.S. Department of Commerce's “entity list” prevents U.S. companies from exporting their technology to the Chinese company, and the U.S. has sometimes blocked certain government entities from purchasing new DJI drones.

Even if DJI imports are banned by Congress, the proposed law suggests that existing owners would still be able to use their drones – but the FCC could no longer approve DJI radio-equipped devices for use in the United States, effectively blocking all imports would.

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