A DJI Pocket 4 Pro camera that federal rules ban from import into the United States is readily available for purchase from major online retailers, with shipments originating from inside the country. A reporter for The Verge ordered the device from Temu and received it in four days, shipped from a fulfillment center in Oregon via a logistics company called Blue Ocean. The camera is also listed on AliExpress, eBay, Mercari, Amazon, and Newegg, with fast, free shipping and no apparent risk of tariffs or seizures.
The Verge confirmed the import ban on the DJI Osmo Pocket 4 Pro and the Osmo Pocket 4. Public records show both cameras cleared the FCC ahead of a December 2025 ban on future foreign drones, but the FCC used a rule in the Code of Federal Regulations to revoke those certifications within 30 days of the ban taking effect. The FCC declined to provide an on-the-record explanation for its use of that rule, while DJI confirmed to The Verge that the new cameras are banned from the US market.
Without FCC certification, a device with a radio cannot legally be imported, marketed, or sold in the United States. The ban does not affect existing devices, but it is designed to block new ones. The Verge reports that the FCC appears to lack the manpower to enforce the ban, allowing the cameras to continue circulating through US warehouses and online marketplaces.
DJI stated that it has fully complied with the FCC determination, that the cameras were not released in the US when launched globally, and that it does not sell or distribute them through official US channels. The company said it has no involvement in sales by independent third-party sellers, who may be acting on their own. The Verge notes that the reporter’s unit booted up with Chinese menus and displayed no FCC ID on the device or its box, which supports the possibility that the stock was not intended for the US market.
The ban stems from a December 2025 US government action targeting future foreign drones, which also incorporated restrictions on “communications or video surveillance equipment” from DJI and Autel Robotics. The Verge questions whether an almost entirely offline camera poses the national security threat claimed by the Trump administration. The camera ban list also includes Huawei, ZTE, Hytera, Hikvision, and Dahua.
Separately, HoverAir, also known as Zero Zero Robotics, announced this week that it secured FCC certification for its new Versa drone, which transforms from a camera similar to DJI’s Pocket line into a flying camera with propeller wings. Public records show HoverAir argued its camera is not on the Covered List, which is accurate under the current ban. However, all new foreign drones are automatically placed on the Covered List absent a waiver, raising questions about whether the Versa’s design avoids the drone ban.
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