For years the working rule in electronics importing was simple: if the model has an FCC ID, it can come in. That rule no longer holds. Between December 2025 and August 2026 the Federal Communications Commission expanded the FCC Covered List to drones, consumer routers, advanced robotic devices and power inverters, and in July 2026 it went further, banning the continued import and marketing of previously authorized equipment added to the Covered List in 2024 or earlier: fully for Huawei and ZTE, and for specified security uses for Hytera, Hikvision and Dahua.
The result is a split that catches security distributors, network-equipment importers, solar and storage suppliers and robotics resellers. Some products with valid FCC IDs are now barred. Other products in newly covered categories can still be imported, because their authorization predates the listing, but no new foreign-produced model in those categories can be authorized unless it holds a Department of War or DHS Conditional Approval or falls within a published exemption. This guide sets out what the Covered List bans at the border, the 2025 and 2026 expansions, where previously authorized equipment stands, and what the import record should show.
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What the Covered List Blocks at the Border
The Covered List is the FCC’s list of communications equipment and services it has determined pose a national security risk. Its main lever is equipment authorization. Radio-frequency devices have to be authorized by the FCC before they can be imported or marketed in the United States, and the FCC does not grant new authorizations for equipment on the Covered List. For most listed categories, that is the whole mechanism: new models are blocked, while models authorized before the listing are not automatically affected.
The import side is governed by 47 CFR 2.1204, which sets the conditions under which radio-frequency devices may be imported. An importer that brings in a device with no valid authorization, or one whose authorization cannot be granted because the product is on the Covered List, is importing a device that does not meet those conditions. The FCC does not run the border itself, but CBP enforces admissibility on the FCC’s behalf, which is how a regulatory listing turns into a detention.
The listing is also not limited to finished devices. The December 2025 drone action, for example, covers foreign-produced unmanned aircraft systems and their critical components. Distributors who import modules, cameras or radios for assembly in the United States need to check components as carefully as finished goods. From October 13, 2026, FCC 26-50 also bars new authorizations for devices that incorporate a logic-bearing hardware component produced by a Covered List entity (a rule that does not reach the production-location listings such as drones and routers), and requires online marketplaces to show each device’s FCC ID at the point of sale, with compliance on that display duty phased in from March 1, 2027.
The 2025 and 2026 Expansions: Drones, Routers, Robots, Inverters
The Covered List grew in four steps over nine months. Each step added a category of equipment rather than a list of named companies, which is why the practical exposure is much wider than earlier listings aimed at specific manufacturers.
Drones came first. In DA 25-1086 on December 22, 2025, the FCC added foreign-produced unmanned aircraft systems and UAS critical components, together with the communications and video surveillance equipment listed in section 1709 of the FY2025 NDAA, which means no new equipment authorizations for them. A temporary exemption for Blue UAS and Buy American qualifying products runs until January 1, 2027 under DA 26-22. Consumer routers followed on March 23, 2026. Foreign-produced advanced robotic devices and power inverters were added on July 28, 2026. On August 20, 2026 the FCC narrowed the inverter listing to utility-interactive inverters (UL 1741) with remote communication capability and removed inverters eligible for the section 45X credit, so the version of the inverter listing an importer relies on has to be the current one.
Each addition reaches models that were in development or awaiting authorization when the listing took effect. Importers who planned a product refresh in any of these categories should assume a new foreign-produced model cannot be authorized unless it holds a Department of War or DHS Conditional Approval, falls within a published exemption or clearly falls outside the listing, and should confirm the precise scope against the FCC’s published list rather than a summary.
| Date | Category or action | Import effect |
|---|---|---|
| December 22, 2025 (DA 25-1086) | Foreign-produced UAS and UAS critical components; section 1709 communications and video surveillance equipment | No new equipment authorizations; Blue UAS and Buy American exemption to January 1, 2027 (DA 26-22) |
| March 23, 2026 | Consumer routers | No new authorizations for covered models |
| July 16, 2026 (DA 26-635, published July 6) | Previously authorized equipment listed in 2024 or earlier: Huawei and ZTE for all uses; Hytera, Hikvision and Dahua for covered security uses | Continued import and marketing banned for covered uses; critical-infrastructure surveillance suspended until the FCC 26-50 definition takes effect on October 13, 2026 |
| July 28, 2026 | Foreign-produced advanced robotic devices and power inverters | No new authorizations for covered models |
| August 20, 2026 | Inverter scope narrowed | Scope narrowed to utility-interactive inverters (UL 1741); 45X-eligible inverters excluded. Recheck inverter models |
Previously Authorized Equipment: Two Different Answers
The question importers ask most often is whether a model that already has an FCC ID can still be brought in. Since July 2026 the answer depends on who made it and, for some manufacturers, on the end use.
For equipment caught by DA 26-635, published in the Federal Register on July 6, 2026, the answer is generally no. The order bars the continued import and marketing of previously authorized equipment added to the Covered List in 2024 or earlier. For Huawei and ZTE that bar applies to all uses. Hytera, Hikvision and Dahua equipment is on the Covered List only for public safety, security of government facilities, physical security surveillance of critical infrastructure and other national security purposes, and the order does not apply to importation and marketing for other uses. The prohibition took effect on July 16, 2026, as stated in the Federal Register notice. The prohibition for critical-infrastructure surveillance was suspended until the FCC defined critical infrastructure; FCC 26-50 adopts that definition effective October 13, 2026, so that use is expected to be barred from that date. The order sets no transition period for distributors holding inventory.
For the categories added from December 2025 onward, drones, consumer routers, advanced robotic devices and power inverters, the answer is different. The listing blocks new authorizations, so a model authorized before its category was listed can generally still be imported and sold. That is the same logic that applies to drones: the Section 232 tariff reaches drones whatever their authorization date, but the FCC block reaches only new models. For drones this may change: in PS Docket 26-184 (DA 26-742 and DA 26-832) the FCC has proposed barring the continued import and marketing of specified previously authorized foreign-produced drones and section 1709 devices, and in PS Docket 26-189 (DA 26-758) of military-grade covered drones, so importers should not assume existing drone authorizations will keep working.
The confusion comes from treating these two situations as one. A distributor holding a valid FCC ID for a Huawei or ZTE device is in the first group and cannot import it for any use. Previously authorized Hikvision, Dahua and Hytera equipment is barred only when imported or marketed for public safety, government facilities, other national security purposes and (once the suspension ends) critical-infrastructure surveillance; imports for other uses are outside DA 26-635. A router importer holding a valid FCC ID for a model authorized before March 23, 2026 is in the second group and generally can. Both have FCC IDs; only one can clear.
Surveillance Cameras and the Use-Based Hikvision and Dahua Ban
Security and surveillance is where DA 26-635 has the sharpest effect, because Hikvision and Dahua equipment has long been sold under other brand names. The ban follows the equipment, not the label on the box, so a private-label camera built by one of the named manufacturers raises the same question as a branded one.
Distributors should trace each camera, recorder and related device back to the manufacturer behind the FCC ID and the grantee on the authorization. Where the grantee or the manufacturer is Huawei or ZTE, the model comes off the import plan. For Hikvision, Dahua and Hytera, the ban is use-based: the distributor has to control and document the end use. Sales into public safety, government facilities or other national security uses are barred, and critical-infrastructure surveillance joins that list once FCC 26-50 takes effect on October 13, 2026. General commercial and residential sales are outside the order, but the importer should be able to show that end-use screening, because the order sets no end-use certification of its own.
Inventory already in the United States is a separate question from new imports, because the ban reaches marketing as well as import. That is an FCC compliance question for the seller, and it should be answered by counsel rather than by the logistics team.
Inverters, Robots and Routers: Screening New Product Lines
For the categories added in 2026, the practical risk is not inventory already authorized. It is the next model. Solar and storage suppliers that planned to launch connected inverters, robotics distributors with new platforms, and network-equipment importers refreshing router lines all need to confirm whether the new model can be authorized before committing to production and freight.
Inverters need particular care because the FCC narrowed the scope 23 days after listing it. A model assessed against the July 28 listing should be reassessed against the August 20 narrowing, which may bring it back outside scope. Importers active in energy equipment are already dealing with other trade controls on the same goods, covered in our overview of solar tariffs, and the FCC question sits alongside them rather than replacing them.
Pending rulemaking adds another layer. The FCC’s test-lab integrity rules in FCC 26-28 took effect on June 15, 2026 (some provisions delayed), and the same item proposes to stop recognizing test labs and certification bodies outside mutual recognition or trade agreement territories. That proposal is still pending. If adopted, it would affect where the testing behind an authorization can be done, which matters for any importer whose suppliers test in the same country they manufacture in.
Entry Declarations and the Import Record
The paper side of FCC imports is lighter than many importers expect. FCC Form 740, the old import declaration for radio-frequency devices, has not been required since 2017. That removed a filing step, but it did not remove the import conditions in 47 CFR 2.1204. The importer still needs to know which condition a device meets and be able to show it.
In practice the import record should tie each SKU to its FCC ID, the grantee, the manufacturer, the authorization date, and the Covered List status of its category and manufacturer on the date of import. That record is what the importer produces when CBP or the FCC asks why a device was admissible. It is also what protects the importer when a supplier changes a component or a factory without saying so, because a changed product may no longer match its authorization.
Holding that data per SKU is ordinary trade compliance management work, and it fits in the same item master as classification and origin. Because the drone, router, robot and inverter listings are framed around where equipment is produced, country of origin determination for each model has to be settled on facts, not on the invoice alone.
- FCC ID, grantee and manufacturer for every radio-frequency SKU.
- Authorization date compared with the listing date for its category.
- Manufacturer screened against Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision and Dahua, including private-label supply.
- Country of production for drones, routers, robots and inverters.
- Test lab location, pending the outcome of the FCC 26-28 proposal on labs outside mutual recognition territories.
When a Shipment Is Detained
A detention on FCC grounds usually starts with CBP questioning whether a device is authorized or whether its authorization can still be relied on. The fastest resolution comes from producing the SKU-level record described above, with the FCC ID and the dates that show the model falls outside the Covered List restrictions. Where the model is caught by DA 26-635 or is an unauthorized new model in a covered category, the options narrow to export or abandonment, and the question becomes cost control rather than release.
A licensed customs brokerage team handling electronics entries should see the Covered List status before the goods ship, not after the detention notice. The same pre-shipment gate that importers already use for other restricted imports applies here: if the model is not clearly admissible, it does not get booked.
Supplier screening belongs in the same process. Distributors that already run restricted party screening on counterparties can extend it to the five named manufacturers and their affiliates, so that a new supplier offering familiar camera hardware under an unfamiliar brand is caught at onboarding.
Drone Models Already Authorized Before the Listing
Drone importers face the Covered List and a tariff at the same time, and the two work differently. Proclamation 11055 imposed Section 232 duties on drones and listed critical components from September 3, 2026 (other listed components from February 9, 2027). From September 3 the rate is 100% on drones over 25 kg, drones with thermal imagers, docking stations and the critical components in Annex I, and 25% on drones of 25 kg or less; Annex III components pay 25% from February 9, 2027. The duty applies regardless of FCC authorization date, subject to the proclamation’s partner-country caps (15% for the EU, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, 10% for the UK, where substantially all critical components and technology are certified as US or partner content), a 180-day delay for companies on the Blue UAS Cleared List, the Blue UAS Framework or the FCC Conditional Approval List, and onshoring relief. The FCC action applies only to new authorizations, so a previously authorized model can still be imported, but it will pay the duty.
The tariff side is covered in our guide to Section 232 tariffs. For the FCC side, the checks are the same as for any other covered category: confirm the authorization predates the listing, confirm the country of production, and confirm whether the Blue UAS or Buy American exemption under DA 26-22 applies before it expires on January 1, 2027.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the FCC Covered List?
It is the FCC’s list of communications equipment and services determined to pose a national security risk. The FCC does not grant new equipment authorizations for covered equipment, which blocks new models from being imported or marketed in the United States.
Can I import a camera that already has an FCC ID?
It depends on the manufacturer and the end use. DA 26-635, effective July 16, 2026, bars the continued import and marketing of previously authorized Huawei and ZTE equipment for all uses. Hikvision, Dahua and Hytera equipment is barred only for public safety, government facility and national security uses, and for critical-infrastructure surveillance once the FCC 26-50 definition takes effect on October 13, 2026. Cameras from other manufacturers with a valid authorization are not affected by that order.
Are foreign routers banned from import?
Consumer routers were added to the Covered List on March 23, 2026. That blocks new authorizations for covered models. Models authorized before that date can generally still be imported, but the scope of the listing should be checked per model.
Are inverters on the FCC Covered List?
Foreign-produced power inverters were added on July 28, 2026. On August 20, 2026 the FCC narrowed the listing to utility-interactive inverters (UL 1741) with remote communication capability and removed inverters eligible for the section 45X credit. Models should be assessed against the narrowed scope, not the original listing.
Do I still need to file FCC Form 740?
No. Form 740 has not been required since 2017. The import conditions in 47 CFR 2.1204 still apply, so the importer should keep a record showing which condition each device meets.
How do the drone tariffs and the FCC drone listing interact?
They are separate. The Section 232 drone duty under Proclamation 11055 applies from September 3, 2026 regardless of FCC authorization date, at 100% or 25% depending on the product, subject to partner-country caps and other relief. The FCC listing of December 22, 2025 blocks only new authorizations, so an already-authorized model can still be imported but pays the duty, although pending FCC proposals in PS Docket 26-184 would bar some previously authorized drones.
