The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has removed a defined class of foreign-produced “Toy Drones” from its Covered List, the list of equipment and services deemed to pose an unacceptable risk to U.S. national security. The change was announced by the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau in a Public Notice (DA 26-588) released on 15 June 2026.
For manufacturers and importers of small recreational drones, this is a meaningful opening — but only for products that meet a tightly drawn definition.
Background: How Drones Ended Up on the Covered List
On 22 December 2025, the FCC added all Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) and UAS critical components produced in a foreign country to the Covered List, based on a national security determination from an Executive Branch interagency body. Being on the Covered List has serious consequences, including a prohibition on obtaining FCC equipment authorizations for the covered equipment.
At the time, the FCC signalled that if it received a further specific determination that a given UAS or class of UAS did not pose unacceptable risks, it would update the list accordingly. That is exactly what has now happened for toy drones.
The New Determination
On 12 June 2026, the FCC received a determination from the Department of War (DoW) that a specific class of foreign-produced devices, defined as “Toy Drones,” and “Toy Drones that contain foreign-produced components,” do not pose an unacceptable risk to U.S. national security or the safety and security of U.S. persons.
The reasoning rests on a clear distinction between low-risk recreational toys and more capable drones. According to the determination, toy drones lack the range, endurance, sensing, payload, connectivity, and data collection and storage capabilities that would make them a national security concern. As a result, the FCC has removed them from the Covered List, and this removal remains in effect unless a future national security determination supersedes it.
What Counts as a "Toy Drone"?
This is the critical part for manufacturers: a device qualifies as a “Toy Drone” only if it meets all of the following criteria:
- Maximum take-off weight of 150 grams or less
- Line-of-sight operation only, up to 100 metres
- Maximum sustained altitude of 300 feet or less
- No GPS/GNSS or equivalent (no return-to-home, waypoint missions, or subject tracking)
- No connectivity or network capability (no Internet, mobile apps, cellular, or Wi-Fi) — though a dedicated radio-frequency link between controller and drone is allowed, typically on the 2.4 GHz or 5.8 GHz bands. Those frequencies and Wi-Fi channels must not be modifiable or programmable and must conform to FCC requirements
- No imaging or sensing capabilities (no camera, microphone, live video feed, onboard recording, or surveillance/data-gathering sensors)
- Flight time of 10 minutes or less
- Maximum horizontal speed of 10 metres per second or less
- Explicitly marketed as a toy for recreational use
- No modular payload interface (such as airdrop/release mechanisms, searchlights and strobes, or micro-FPV cameras and protection cages)
- No brushless motors
- Not produced by an entity identified in Section 1709 of the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act
If a device misses even one of these criteria, it does not qualify as a “Toy Drone” and remains subject to the broader foreign-produced UAS entry on the Covered List.
Why This Matters
For the wider drone market, this is a narrow but useful carve-out. It restores a path to FCC equipment authorization for genuinely low-capability recreational toy drones that would otherwise have been swept up in the broad December 2025 listing of all foreign-produced UAS.
It is equally important to understand what has not changed. Foreign-produced UAS and UAS critical components remain on the Covered List, subject to existing exceptions such as devices on the Blue UAS Cleared List and qualifying “domestic end products” (both until 1 January 2027), and devices granted Conditional Approval. The toy drone carve-out sits alongside these, not in place of them.
The FCC has also noted that its staff will provide guidance to Telecommunication Certification Bodies (TCBs), test labs, and equipment authorization applicants on the impact of these updates.
What This Means for Manufacturers
Manufacturers and importers of small recreational drones intended for the U.S. market should carefully assess their products against the full “Toy Drone” definition. Because qualification depends on meeting every criterion, close attention to specifications such as weight, motor type, connectivity, sensing, and marketing is essential.
Products that clearly meet all criteria may once again pursue FCC equipment authorization. Products that fall outside the definition — for example, those with cameras, GPS, brushless motors, or app/Wi-Fi connectivity — will need to account for their continued Covered List status when planning U.S. market access.
To read the official documentation, refer to FCC Public Notice DA 26-588 below.
How C-PRAV Can Support You
C-PRAV helps manufacturers and importers achieve global market access for radio and wireless products, including FCC equipment authorization for the U.S. market. Our team can assess your drone or wireless product against the applicable FCC requirements, carry out radio and EMC testing and RF exposure evaluation, and prepare the technical documentation needed for a smooth equipment authorization process, helping you determine where your product stands and the most efficient path to compliance.
Have questions? We’re here to help.